Reformers, Radicals, Revolutionaries: Anabaptism in the context of the Reformation conflict

Abraham Friesen is one of the foremost scholars of Erasmus’s influence on the Swiss Brethren and Menno Simons. This achievement is the foundation for Reformers, Radicals, and Revolutionaries. Friesen distills the debate about “penance” and “repentance” with clarity and insight, demonstrating its seminal significance for Anabaptist ecclesiology. With meticulous reference to the sources, he dissects Augustine’s interpretation of the parable of the wheat and tares as defended by both Luther and Müntzer. His argument sheds new light not only on the emerging ecclesiological difference between the magisterial and radical reformers but also on the conflict between peaceful and revolutionary Anabaptists.