A Study in the Origins of Sectarian Protestantism

Contents

• Introduction - A Working Definition of "Anabaptist"

Chapter 1 - The Quest for the Essence of Anabaptism

• A. Radicalism in the Centers of Reform
• B. Revolution
• C. An Unusual Case: The Tolerance of Philipp of Hesse
• D. Who Were "The Evangelical Taufer"?

Chapter 2 - The Fall of the Church

• A. Religious Primitivism as a Pattern of Thought
• B. Elements in the Idea of the Fall
• C. Uses of the Idea of the Fall
• D. Analysis of the Idea of the Fall

Chapter 3 - Restitution of the True Church

• A. The Problem of Continuity
• B. What Are the Marks of the True Church?

Chapter 4 - The Great Commission

• A. The Anabaptist Understanding of the Command
• B. The Opposition of the Reformers to Literal Obedience
• C. The Recapture of Early Christian Missionary Zeal
• D. Quiet Eschatology
• E. The Verdict of History

Chapter 5 - The Changing Reputation of the Anabaptists

• A. Former Treatments of Anabaptism and the Source Problem
• B. Current Developments in Interpretation
• C. In Conclusion