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The Anabaptist Story: An Introduction to Sixteenth-Century Anabaptism
Four hundred seventy years ago the Anabaptist movement was launched with the inauguration of believer's baptism and the formation of the first congregation of the Swiss Brethren in Zurich, Switzerland. This standard introduction to the history of Anabaptism by noted church historian William R. Estep offers a vivid chronicle of the rise and spread of teachings and heritage of this important stream in Christianity.This third edition of The Anabaptist Story has been substantially revised and enlarged to take into account the numerous Anabaptist sources that have come to light in the last half-century as well as the significant number of monographs and other scholarly works on Anabaptist themes that have recently appeared. Estep challenges a number of assumptions held by contemporary historians and offers fresh insights into the Anabaptist movement.
404 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1963
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 5, 2015
—Hey.
…
—Hey. Are you awake?
—Nhhgrrble.
—Yeah, I can't sleep either.
—Whadja wanme to doaboutit.
—Talk to me. Something that'll make me sleepy. Tell me about that boring book you're reading about Anglophobists.
—Anabaptists.
—Them. What did they do, then?
—Oh my god…it's – it's three o'clock in the morning.
—Oh come on.
—All right, but it's not gonna be as fun as when I talked about that ballerina memoir.
—I know but I can't sleep….
—Uhh…well. The Anabaptists…they believed in the separrrrrr…ation of church and state. And uh…they thought you should only be baptised when you're old enough to make a choice. You know, instead of as a baby.
—OK, that sounds sensible.
—Well, yeah, when you say it out loud it does all sound pretty reasonable.
—But the authorities didn't like it?
—Apparently not, they drowned them all.
—What?? Where?
—Well…just over there, actually. (points out of window)
—That's horrendous. Here?
—Yeah, all these little towns along the lake. They tied your wrists and ankles together and threw you off a boat. Or burned you, obviously, that was the other one. They'd pull bits of your flesh off with hot pincers, then rub sulphur in your beard and set you on fire.
—Those bloody Catholics. First the church bells outside our window all night, and now this.
—Well – actually, no, most of this was the Protestants.
—But I don't understand, why did everyone care so much when you got baptised?
—It's a good question, I can never really work it out. You feel like it was probably not all theological. Like, the Reformers were quite new themselves, so I think they felt they had to be strict about their own rules and dogma, to establish themselves. But then also, the Anabaptists probably made them feel a bit hypocritical.
—What about?
—Well, because there really isn't any scriptural basis for infant baptism. It doesn't happen in the Bible.
—So how come everyone did it?
—It's just tradition. Which is fine, people like traditions. It's just that Zwingli and the Reformers had said they weren't going to follow tradition any more, they were going to go right back to what was in the Bible. Only they couldn't really do that, it was just too difficult convincing the city authorities to push through all those huge changes. Then along come these Anabaptists who are really doing what you said you were going to do….
—Mmmm…I guess….
—So like Conrad Grebel – he was from Grüningen, just over the other side of the lake there – he said, ‘We were listeners to Zwingli's sermons and readers of his writings, but one day we took the Bible itself in hand and were taught better.’
—Mmm…Grebel…
—Grebel was one of the main guys. It's pretty cool actually, Anabaptism is one of the few properly Swiss religious denominations and he was one of the ones that started it all. On the 21st of January 1525, when Grebel baptised one of his mates in a house in downtown Zurich. It spread, obviously, into Germany and the Netherlands, and the Dutch Anabaptists got called Mennonites and they took it to the US, and there was Münster and all that – but it always stayed big round here. And actually the baptism stuff isn't what really makes them important, for us I mean, it's more the disestablismentarianism. That's kind of the argument in this book, that what they really contributed to the modern world is this idea that true religious radicals should be supporting the separation of church and state even more strongly than the secularists do, because it's the only way you can make sure religion is ‘pure’. Which is pretty cool if you think about how the argument is normally framed today, don't you think? I said – honey? Honey! Are you—?
*loud snores*
June 24, 2025
Read for a class assignment. It is impressive in that 1) it didn’t feel like homework because it was enjoyable to read, and 2) it was a history book that I could hardly lay down. These 2 things hardly ever happen with a textbook; I am grateful to Mr. Russell for assigning this.
4 stars because after the transition from history to theology partway through it ceased to be gripping.
4 stars because after the transition from history to theology partway through it ceased to be gripping.
January 23, 2015
A member of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary faculty in the department of church history from 1954 until retiring in 1994, William R. Estep had a vast knowledge about matters of history—Anabaptist history in particular. His book, The Anabaptist Story, references over one hundred other works and has extensive footnotes to help readers cross reference his background data with ease. Of his six published books, five of them deal directly with historical revolutions in the eastern church and western Baptist history. The other book, Whole Gospel Whole World, is a book about the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, reaching back to events in 1845 and grooming through them until 1995. Estep is a detailed writer, focusing on names, personalities, and relationships of key historical leaders, and how God used them to shape the organized church of today.
Summary
Estep describes the first re-baptism on January 21, 1525 and claims that it is, "clearly the most revolutionary act of the Reformation. No other event so completely symbolized the break with Rome" (11). This is the backdrop that the following events are painted against. He covers the Anabaptists' martyrdom and departure in doctrine from the church during the reformation era. Estep combines Blaurock, Grebel, and Manz into the first two chapters, which help present a united face of Anabaptist organization. He highlights their different personalities, but unifies their doctrinal beliefs. This can be contrasted in chapter 5 and following, with the introduction of Denck, Hut, and Marpeck, whose beliefs were less unified. He systematically lays the groundwork for the pending dissention and break surrounding the Waterlanders in the Mennonite phase. However, Estep provides a summary of the Anabaptist theology in subsequent chapters, and draws together the elements that are foundational to Baptist heritage—his sweet spot as an author and professor.
Critical Evaluation
There is not a lot to critique as far as opinion goes, as Estep does not provide a lot of his own opinion until the end of the book. However, he presents the Anabaptists only as sincere, Bible-believing, pioneering martyrs. With no disrespect to the martyrs of the Christian faith, Estep fails to report much about the less noble, militant Anabaptists. He presents the Anabaptists as a united group, and in mostly a very favorable light. One might think that he holds more closely than he ought to the idea of English separatism, or the idea that Anabaptists directly influenced the Baptist denomination. He does admit that there are some questions about such a connection, but the way he organizes and writes the book seems like it may be somewhat slanted to the notion that there is, indeed, a connection. In chapter eleven during a section where he is explaining the potential fusing of doctrines with the Mennonites, he says, "In subsequent years the General Baptists were to reflect consistently their indebtedness to the Mennonites, whom they always considered as brethren" (222). It is possible that Estep is reading too much into the possible connection. Mennonites believe that they are the true successors of the Anabaptist tradition. However, Estep's passion for Baptist history may have led him to investigate this connection further, and this chapter may be at the heart of where the author's focus was. Though this is evidence that the book's perspective is probably less than scientific in it's gathering of all facts and evidences, the book is still one of the few collections of research on such a niche historical topic.
Estep covers issue that are important to Baptist history, but not an expanse of unrelated history—even when there was a lot going on in that era. He presents some controversial pieces of evidence, but none that he does not provide a balanced case for, and he usually explains the controversy so that readers are assured that there aren't hidden agendas in his writing. Estep does, however, call the heritage of the Anabaptist reformers, "the prized possession of every free society" (305). This probably is another evidence that Estep is writing with some level of personal investment and slant in his research. This also further points to the idea, mentioned above, that Estep is arguably in favor of Baptists being directly influenced by Anabaptists as they developed in the west. He seems to get this from his weighty study of the Swiss Brethren.
It is also possible to interpret Estep's full claim on page 305 as going too far to say that a modern, free society was built directly upon the Anabaptists' principles, or even by the Anabaptists themselves. Would it not be oxymoronic for Anabaptists to be that involved in a governmental system and also largely claim that involvement in the core of that same system is unbiblical? Their teaching on oaths is troubling in many ways because Jesus is recorded as having said, "give back to Caesar what is Caesar's" (Matthew 22:21), which at a basic level requires Christians to be citizen's of Heaven and of earth, and also to interact with the government in some way on a financial level. This can be viewed as a contractual agreement between a citizen and the government. After all, a citizen can be held accountable for his or her actions (or even inactions), as they would be in any other contractual arrangement. The idea that a free society owes something to the Anabaptists—generally good-hearted as they were—does not make good sense.
As a visual person, this reviewer would have appreciated more than three maps throughout the book. There were so many events going on in this era, and so many small towns referenced, that it was very difficult to track how Anabaptism spread geographically. Perhaps a map at the beginning of each major section would have been helpful. For instance, at the start of chapter one, the start of chapter three, the start of chapter five, and midway through chapters eight and eleven, at least, would have been minimally helpful. Instead, it is easy to gloss over the specific locations and still remember the path of Anabaptist doctrine across the European terrain.
Another critique about this book (though this reviewer would say the same about most historical textbooks) is that the character development seems to be more important than the chronology. Perhaps it is the produced-for-television mentality that is sweeping western culture, but it would be more helpful to unfold the story of any history—particularly the Anabaptist story as presented in this book—as a story with only one beginning and one ending. Jumping from character to character can confuse the chronology for a lay reader. Even some seminary-level readers find moving from one character to the next—and then backtracking to an earlier time period when both characters were alive and had elements to play in the story, but not including both characters at the same time so as not to distract from the character development of the person in the header under which the author is writing—to be quite cumbersome. However, Estep does do a better job than most of keeping the story as a story. It just seems to get lost in the weeds of possibly—unnecessary—detail at times.
With the great level of detail that this book has for Baptist heritage, it would be a good idea to have spent a little more time on the summarization of the material. Perhaps more big picture sections either before or after the sections of detailed diatribe. The inclusion of a chart, possibly, that gave on overview of the major doctrinal stances of various Anabaptist groups and leaders would make this book seem more like a textbook, and more useful to a student who is trying to understand the material.
Conclusion
These brief critiques aside, The Anabaptist Story is a respectable addition to an academic's library. The level of detail in research alone is enough for a solid praise of this book. Estep provides extensive footnotes throughout, and shows a clear dedication to the subject matter. This also allows a plethora of further study on any of the minor characters referenced. Estep gives his readership a fresh perspective on Anabaptist history. There are many writings done by Mennonite historians, and reading through this collection of history and viewpoints on the events of the late reformation by Estep is enlightening. It gives a more cohesive assemblage of facts that focuses on a section of church history that aligns more with Baptist doctrine, yet touches on many of the heretical theologies. This book is a good next step in church history reading for those who are interested in pursuing a deeper knowledge of the lesser known leaders of the reformation era.
Summary
Estep describes the first re-baptism on January 21, 1525 and claims that it is, "clearly the most revolutionary act of the Reformation. No other event so completely symbolized the break with Rome" (11). This is the backdrop that the following events are painted against. He covers the Anabaptists' martyrdom and departure in doctrine from the church during the reformation era. Estep combines Blaurock, Grebel, and Manz into the first two chapters, which help present a united face of Anabaptist organization. He highlights their different personalities, but unifies their doctrinal beliefs. This can be contrasted in chapter 5 and following, with the introduction of Denck, Hut, and Marpeck, whose beliefs were less unified. He systematically lays the groundwork for the pending dissention and break surrounding the Waterlanders in the Mennonite phase. However, Estep provides a summary of the Anabaptist theology in subsequent chapters, and draws together the elements that are foundational to Baptist heritage—his sweet spot as an author and professor.
Critical Evaluation
There is not a lot to critique as far as opinion goes, as Estep does not provide a lot of his own opinion until the end of the book. However, he presents the Anabaptists only as sincere, Bible-believing, pioneering martyrs. With no disrespect to the martyrs of the Christian faith, Estep fails to report much about the less noble, militant Anabaptists. He presents the Anabaptists as a united group, and in mostly a very favorable light. One might think that he holds more closely than he ought to the idea of English separatism, or the idea that Anabaptists directly influenced the Baptist denomination. He does admit that there are some questions about such a connection, but the way he organizes and writes the book seems like it may be somewhat slanted to the notion that there is, indeed, a connection. In chapter eleven during a section where he is explaining the potential fusing of doctrines with the Mennonites, he says, "In subsequent years the General Baptists were to reflect consistently their indebtedness to the Mennonites, whom they always considered as brethren" (222). It is possible that Estep is reading too much into the possible connection. Mennonites believe that they are the true successors of the Anabaptist tradition. However, Estep's passion for Baptist history may have led him to investigate this connection further, and this chapter may be at the heart of where the author's focus was. Though this is evidence that the book's perspective is probably less than scientific in it's gathering of all facts and evidences, the book is still one of the few collections of research on such a niche historical topic.
Estep covers issue that are important to Baptist history, but not an expanse of unrelated history—even when there was a lot going on in that era. He presents some controversial pieces of evidence, but none that he does not provide a balanced case for, and he usually explains the controversy so that readers are assured that there aren't hidden agendas in his writing. Estep does, however, call the heritage of the Anabaptist reformers, "the prized possession of every free society" (305). This probably is another evidence that Estep is writing with some level of personal investment and slant in his research. This also further points to the idea, mentioned above, that Estep is arguably in favor of Baptists being directly influenced by Anabaptists as they developed in the west. He seems to get this from his weighty study of the Swiss Brethren.
It is also possible to interpret Estep's full claim on page 305 as going too far to say that a modern, free society was built directly upon the Anabaptists' principles, or even by the Anabaptists themselves. Would it not be oxymoronic for Anabaptists to be that involved in a governmental system and also largely claim that involvement in the core of that same system is unbiblical? Their teaching on oaths is troubling in many ways because Jesus is recorded as having said, "give back to Caesar what is Caesar's" (Matthew 22:21), which at a basic level requires Christians to be citizen's of Heaven and of earth, and also to interact with the government in some way on a financial level. This can be viewed as a contractual agreement between a citizen and the government. After all, a citizen can be held accountable for his or her actions (or even inactions), as they would be in any other contractual arrangement. The idea that a free society owes something to the Anabaptists—generally good-hearted as they were—does not make good sense.
As a visual person, this reviewer would have appreciated more than three maps throughout the book. There were so many events going on in this era, and so many small towns referenced, that it was very difficult to track how Anabaptism spread geographically. Perhaps a map at the beginning of each major section would have been helpful. For instance, at the start of chapter one, the start of chapter three, the start of chapter five, and midway through chapters eight and eleven, at least, would have been minimally helpful. Instead, it is easy to gloss over the specific locations and still remember the path of Anabaptist doctrine across the European terrain.
Another critique about this book (though this reviewer would say the same about most historical textbooks) is that the character development seems to be more important than the chronology. Perhaps it is the produced-for-television mentality that is sweeping western culture, but it would be more helpful to unfold the story of any history—particularly the Anabaptist story as presented in this book—as a story with only one beginning and one ending. Jumping from character to character can confuse the chronology for a lay reader. Even some seminary-level readers find moving from one character to the next—and then backtracking to an earlier time period when both characters were alive and had elements to play in the story, but not including both characters at the same time so as not to distract from the character development of the person in the header under which the author is writing—to be quite cumbersome. However, Estep does do a better job than most of keeping the story as a story. It just seems to get lost in the weeds of possibly—unnecessary—detail at times.
With the great level of detail that this book has for Baptist heritage, it would be a good idea to have spent a little more time on the summarization of the material. Perhaps more big picture sections either before or after the sections of detailed diatribe. The inclusion of a chart, possibly, that gave on overview of the major doctrinal stances of various Anabaptist groups and leaders would make this book seem more like a textbook, and more useful to a student who is trying to understand the material.
Conclusion
These brief critiques aside, The Anabaptist Story is a respectable addition to an academic's library. The level of detail in research alone is enough for a solid praise of this book. Estep provides extensive footnotes throughout, and shows a clear dedication to the subject matter. This also allows a plethora of further study on any of the minor characters referenced. Estep gives his readership a fresh perspective on Anabaptist history. There are many writings done by Mennonite historians, and reading through this collection of history and viewpoints on the events of the late reformation by Estep is enlightening. It gives a more cohesive assemblage of facts that focuses on a section of church history that aligns more with Baptist doctrine, yet touches on many of the heretical theologies. This book is a good next step in church history reading for those who are interested in pursuing a deeper knowledge of the lesser known leaders of the reformation era.
June 25, 2023
Best book I’ve read so far this year
April 16, 2024
I tore through this engaging and information-loaded book. I had worried the style might be too dry until I started reading it and found it to be lively and well-paced.
A few of the shortcomings:
First, the Anabaptists are definitely the heroes of the narrative, and their beliefs are presented as almost obviously true. I don't know anything about the author, but if I had to guess I would imagine he counts himself among the Mennonites. Therefore, if you are, for instance, a serious Catholic or Lutheran, this book is going to rub you the wrong way.
Second, the chapter "Baptism and Discipleship" is a very long rehashing of the theology of the Anabaptists that was already given in the narrative-historical chapters, but shorn of most of the charisma exhibited by the important figures of the movement.
Finally there is a very long and hard to follow excursus on the influence the Anabaptists had on the English Baptists. Occupying thirty pages, it comes to no firm conclusions. As for the influence of Anabaptist thought on the Quakers and the Schwarzenau Brethren, each of these groups gets two paragraphs of attention.
A few of the shortcomings:
First, the Anabaptists are definitely the heroes of the narrative, and their beliefs are presented as almost obviously true. I don't know anything about the author, but if I had to guess I would imagine he counts himself among the Mennonites. Therefore, if you are, for instance, a serious Catholic or Lutheran, this book is going to rub you the wrong way.
Second, the chapter "Baptism and Discipleship" is a very long rehashing of the theology of the Anabaptists that was already given in the narrative-historical chapters, but shorn of most of the charisma exhibited by the important figures of the movement.
Finally there is a very long and hard to follow excursus on the influence the Anabaptists had on the English Baptists. Occupying thirty pages, it comes to no firm conclusions. As for the influence of Anabaptist thought on the Quakers and the Schwarzenau Brethren, each of these groups gets two paragraphs of attention.
May 22, 2025
I read this to get more exposure to the roots of Anabaptism. I particularly was fascinated by the stories of Zwingli, Blaurock, Manz, and Grebel. In the last three pages of the book, Estep inserted a little plug about the Church of the Brethren that was interesting for me, because of my heritage 😁
My Dad “read” this in an afternoon, but it took me over three months. That took away one star. Particularly in the second half of the book, I bogged down a lot 🤷🏻♀️
My Dad “read” this in an afternoon, but it took me over three months. That took away one star. Particularly in the second half of the book, I bogged down a lot 🤷🏻♀️
July 11, 2020
As important as Lutheranism and Calvinism are to the Reformation, Anabaptism is equally so. This book gives an engaging introduction to the main figures and thoughts among Anabaptists.
June 30, 2023
His writing is engaging. The narrative of the Anabaptists that he covers is interesting and helpful.
Unfortunately, this narrative is written with rose colored glasses where basically anyone who was an Anabaptist and was a little crazy gets kicked out of the Anabaptist club. He also goes to great pains to try to prove that the Baptist movement is a direct descendant of the Anabaptist movement. But most of his discussion in this section is filled with phrases like, “it is possible that…” “It is likely…” The final chapter was brutal to read. He was searching so hard for connections for which he has no evidence, and it shows.
Unfortunately, this narrative is written with rose colored glasses where basically anyone who was an Anabaptist and was a little crazy gets kicked out of the Anabaptist club. He also goes to great pains to try to prove that the Baptist movement is a direct descendant of the Anabaptist movement. But most of his discussion in this section is filled with phrases like, “it is possible that…” “It is likely…” The final chapter was brutal to read. He was searching so hard for connections for which he has no evidence, and it shows.
September 4, 2015
As an introduction to anabaptism, this volume is certainly a must-read. However, Estep could have been more critical at some points. For example, beyond the Münsterites, he may have dealt more extensively with the controversial figures of the movement -spiritualists, radical unitarians, etc.
August 29, 2023
This is a good book, but it is frustrating at points.
As for commendations:
Estep clearly apprehended the history of this movement on a fundamental level. He evidences deep familiarity with the literature and is unafraid to draw conclusions from his study.
As for some critiques:
First, the layout of the book introduces an abrupt change of pace halfway through. The first 5 chapters are largely historical and chronological but then as Ch. 6 opens, the focus shifts to cross-sectional analyses of doctrinal points among Anabaptists. Without any section break in the book (Part II?) the narrative begins repeating itself as Estep outlines doctrinal saliencies.
Second, Estep takes a great deal of time advancing a theory of Baptist origins that includes the Continental Anabaptist Influence theory. But influence is a difficult thing to adduce, bereft of textual evidence. Estep is circumspect about the fraught nature of the debate, but he wades into it nonetheless, rather disarmed. Examples of his grasping for credence:
"If Anabaptists were not strong contenders . . ." (276)
"It would be strange, indeed, if those who shared common cells and suffered from the same intolerant hands did not exchange ideas" (280).
"The radical nature of the Puritan movement [in Norwich] may have been due to the influence of the Mennonites in the area" (281).
"...some of the Barrowists evidently were influenced by the Mennonites..."(284).
"There is also the real possibility that John Smyth was first influenced..."(285).
"Conceivably, Smyth could have arrived at his position..."(290).
"It is entirely possible . . . that [Roger] Williams learned about continental Anabaptist concepts..."(299).
At times, Estep wonders how certain events could have arisen save for Continental Anabaptist influences. But these arguments from silence seem soundly rejoined by thinkers like James Renihan, who note that the early English Baptists frequently cited their influences in their writings. Of all those mentioned, the Dutch Anabaptists don't surface.
Finally, Estep's closing page demonstrates just how much skin he has in the game. In fact, he sounds like an apologist for Anabaptism, though writing as a 20th Century Baptist historian.
Though he had just noted that the primary distinguishing difference between Anabaptists and Baptists was the Baptist belief that a Christian could serve as a magistrate, Estep concluded, "If the Anabaptists teach us anything, it is that those who fear freedom and court the governments of this world in the interest of a more moral or 'Christian' state are placing their faith in a broken reed. For the Anabaptists, there is only one way, the way of the cross, for the church to become 'salt, light, and leaven' in any society, and in every age" (306). With those words, Estep seemed willing to eschew the Baptist distinctive belief in influence in governmental affairs in favor of the Anabaptist tendency to public withdrawal.
As for commendations:
Estep clearly apprehended the history of this movement on a fundamental level. He evidences deep familiarity with the literature and is unafraid to draw conclusions from his study.
As for some critiques:
First, the layout of the book introduces an abrupt change of pace halfway through. The first 5 chapters are largely historical and chronological but then as Ch. 6 opens, the focus shifts to cross-sectional analyses of doctrinal points among Anabaptists. Without any section break in the book (Part II?) the narrative begins repeating itself as Estep outlines doctrinal saliencies.
Second, Estep takes a great deal of time advancing a theory of Baptist origins that includes the Continental Anabaptist Influence theory. But influence is a difficult thing to adduce, bereft of textual evidence. Estep is circumspect about the fraught nature of the debate, but he wades into it nonetheless, rather disarmed. Examples of his grasping for credence:
"If Anabaptists were not strong contenders . . ." (276)
"It would be strange, indeed, if those who shared common cells and suffered from the same intolerant hands did not exchange ideas" (280).
"The radical nature of the Puritan movement [in Norwich] may have been due to the influence of the Mennonites in the area" (281).
"...some of the Barrowists evidently were influenced by the Mennonites..."(284).
"There is also the real possibility that John Smyth was first influenced..."(285).
"Conceivably, Smyth could have arrived at his position..."(290).
"It is entirely possible . . . that [Roger] Williams learned about continental Anabaptist concepts..."(299).
At times, Estep wonders how certain events could have arisen save for Continental Anabaptist influences. But these arguments from silence seem soundly rejoined by thinkers like James Renihan, who note that the early English Baptists frequently cited their influences in their writings. Of all those mentioned, the Dutch Anabaptists don't surface.
Finally, Estep's closing page demonstrates just how much skin he has in the game. In fact, he sounds like an apologist for Anabaptism, though writing as a 20th Century Baptist historian.
Though he had just noted that the primary distinguishing difference between Anabaptists and Baptists was the Baptist belief that a Christian could serve as a magistrate, Estep concluded, "If the Anabaptists teach us anything, it is that those who fear freedom and court the governments of this world in the interest of a more moral or 'Christian' state are placing their faith in a broken reed. For the Anabaptists, there is only one way, the way of the cross, for the church to become 'salt, light, and leaven' in any society, and in every age" (306). With those words, Estep seemed willing to eschew the Baptist distinctive belief in influence in governmental affairs in favor of the Anabaptist tendency to public withdrawal.
February 23, 2019
I bought this book to serve as an introduction to a very large scholarly tome on the Anabaptists and I was sorely let down. Overall, this book is simply terrible. To summarize it in one word – hagiography. If Estep is to be believed, the Anabaptists were the most godly, pious, biblical people since the apostles. Even more, the claim is made that the Magisterial Reformers didn’t go far enough. The church had to be completely rebuilt and that’s what the Anabaptists did. Thus they are the true Reformers and the most Protestant Protestants! Estep’s bias is evident throughout the entire book, and it gets tiresome rather quickly.
Several examples will serve to prove my assertion. With regards to the anti-semitism of Balthasar Hubmaier, Estep only remarks that “he shared the prejudices of the people of his day and probably the moral standards of his fellow ecclesiastics”. Estep quickly moves to Hubmaier’s leadership in renovating the now deserted synagogue and how successful it was, even “miracles took place daily” (79). Such a claim is dubious, and clearly intended to distract the reader from Hubmaier’s blatant wrongdoings.
Estep’s portrayal of the Anabaptist view of the bible would have us all hang on heads in shame since “[they] were the most Protestant and yet furthest removed from Protestantism” (196). And not content to “parrot” the Reformers, their hermeneutic “was to lead them farther than, and in a different direction from that taken by, Luther or Schwenckfeld, Zwingli or Calvin” (199). And “as Calvin was called to become the voice of God through William Farel, Menno [Simmons] was called to become an apostle of the Anabaptists...” (168). Examples of this sort of rhetroic are legion throughout the book.
In the end, Estep has so flattened the wide disparity that existed among the Anabaptists in order to portray them as one monolithic group that was thoroughly biblical in all they did. They were simply a victim of the state churches who erred with the Reformers in not reforming enough. Any hint that would put them in a negative light is dismissed; the words “misunderstanding” and “misunderstood” appearing on almost every page.
Were the Anabaptists the victims of mass executions for their beliefs? Yes, that is an historical fact. But Estep has so whitewashed history that this book has almost no value.
Several examples will serve to prove my assertion. With regards to the anti-semitism of Balthasar Hubmaier, Estep only remarks that “he shared the prejudices of the people of his day and probably the moral standards of his fellow ecclesiastics”. Estep quickly moves to Hubmaier’s leadership in renovating the now deserted synagogue and how successful it was, even “miracles took place daily” (79). Such a claim is dubious, and clearly intended to distract the reader from Hubmaier’s blatant wrongdoings.
Estep’s portrayal of the Anabaptist view of the bible would have us all hang on heads in shame since “[they] were the most Protestant and yet furthest removed from Protestantism” (196). And not content to “parrot” the Reformers, their hermeneutic “was to lead them farther than, and in a different direction from that taken by, Luther or Schwenckfeld, Zwingli or Calvin” (199). And “as Calvin was called to become the voice of God through William Farel, Menno [Simmons] was called to become an apostle of the Anabaptists...” (168). Examples of this sort of rhetroic are legion throughout the book.
In the end, Estep has so flattened the wide disparity that existed among the Anabaptists in order to portray them as one monolithic group that was thoroughly biblical in all they did. They were simply a victim of the state churches who erred with the Reformers in not reforming enough. Any hint that would put them in a negative light is dismissed; the words “misunderstanding” and “misunderstood” appearing on almost every page.
Were the Anabaptists the victims of mass executions for their beliefs? Yes, that is an historical fact. But Estep has so whitewashed history that this book has almost no value.
February 12, 2023
I forgot to pay attention to the book subtitle, and so initially I was expecting this book to cover a larger time period. When I got about half way through and Estep had not made it out of the 16th century, then I checked the subtitle and realized that the 16th century was the focus. In addition, this is an introduction work, and it is not comprehensive. It covers the stories of the major personalities in the various regions that were apart of the first days of the Anabaptist movement.
Estep also spends a fair amount of time on the doctrinal views of these men, and he ends his book exploring how the Anabaptists connected to other movements of their time (Aside from the reformers whose connection was central to the Anabaptist movement) with some extra attention given to the connection with the early baptists.
The history of the Anabaptist movement seems to be rather controversial, and I don't know enough to evaluate this book in light of that. What I can say is that the source material is abundant, Estep's tone historically professional, and Estep acknowledges the controversy and seeks to navigate it. So, for the introductory work that it is, I count this a job well done.
Estep also spends a fair amount of time on the doctrinal views of these men, and he ends his book exploring how the Anabaptists connected to other movements of their time (Aside from the reformers whose connection was central to the Anabaptist movement) with some extra attention given to the connection with the early baptists.
The history of the Anabaptist movement seems to be rather controversial, and I don't know enough to evaluate this book in light of that. What I can say is that the source material is abundant, Estep's tone historically professional, and Estep acknowledges the controversy and seeks to navigate it. So, for the introductory work that it is, I count this a job well done.
April 3, 2024
Mostly hagiography. According to this book, the Anabaptists could do no wrong. Still an interesting read.
July 18, 2019
I borrowed this book from my library's system (this particular book housed in Athens, Georgia) and found it had been read many times. This made me glad that people are learning about this topic, because it is one which if I had heard it, it hadn't stuck with me through my college education at a place where I'm sure it was known and taught, or through all my 56 years in various church settings. The reason I picked it up this summer to read is that a local college professor posted pictures from his family's summer trip to Europe, and specifically to archaeological sites where they were finding items in geographical sites related to the persecuted Anabaptist peoples. I faintly remembered that one pastor had said in the last ten years that "Baptists" were not "Anabaptists" because "ana" as a prefix meant "against." Remembering that I had wondered at some other things that pastor said, I decided that I would take a look and see for myself. Who were the Anabaptists, and what happened to them?
Dr. William Estep studied many primary documents in other languages, and has noted his many references. His book has many notes, a hefty bibliography, and an index. Although the writing is not as direct as could be, the book does shed light on a period in history and a brave group of people of which we do need to know about. Basically, the Anabaptists came about just after the Reformation took hold in central Europe, out of the movement of people opening the Scriptures for themselves and reading its pages. Perhaps it could be said that the Anabaptists felt that they should go even further than the Reformers in breaking from centuries of Catholic church tradition and getting to the heart of a practice in which they felt needed extreme measures of reform. The practice was infant baptism!
Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli (among others) had been very bold in their declarations that the Catholic church was wrong in promising people that their deceased loved ones could be "purchased" out of purgatory, that money given to corrupt church officials could help mitigate sin problems, and other pressing differences. However, the Reformation churches still held on to the tradition of bringing a baby to the church to be baptized so that the baby could be considered a "Christian" as they grew. As people read and studied the Scriptures, they became increasingly convinced that this tradition wasn't simply a loving act to bring young people into the church. This was heresy. A person should only be baptized once they had repented of their sins and accepted the Lord's death on the cross for their way to live with Him forever. Following that, baptism would signify their unity with the Lord, a decision which couldn't be forced on them (however well-intentioned), but that they had come to on their own. Other ideas which grew as a part of this dramatic change were the belief that a person cannot be demanded, bullied, tortured, or threatened into being a true Christian, and the practice that using arms against other humans in religious conflicts was wrong and should be avoided. Because there was such religious turmoil during this period of time, many of the Anabaptists would not serve in civilian armies.
Amazingly, because of the beliefs that the congregations held to, they were hounded, imprisoned, tortured, and put to death in terrifying scenes. And their persecutors were often Reformers! Dr. Estep lays out the martyr stories of several of these men and women. I only note s very few here. Conrad Grebel was imprisoned, escaped, but died in 1526 of the plague. Felix Manz was forcibly drowned in 1527. George Blaurock and Hans Langegger were burned at the stake in September 1529. Michael Sattler had an awful death in May 1527. His wife was forcibly drowned eight days later. As the Bible shows in the New Testament, these measures only made more want to discover the Bible which the Anabaptists had read and felt so strongly inclined to follow.
There is much more information to be gleaned in reading the book. Perhaps because we pass no "Anabaptist" churches on our path to our Lutheran, Presbyterian, or Baptists churches, we feel as though they were all expunged. However, the ideas that these brave people held came over into the New World as many fled their persecutors. Most notably, Roger Williams wanted to colony of Rhode Island to be a place where people of all faiths would be welcome and they could believe as they read the Scriptures, not as the prevailing citizens felt they should believe. Present-day Mennonites are often referred to as descendants of the Anabaptists. Their name comes from Menno Simons (1496 - 1561), a Catholic priest turned Anabaptist after seeing his own brother killed in a large group of martyrs.
My Baptist church membership in America — is it at all related to the ideas which surfaced during the Reformation and Anabaptist struggle of the sixteenth century? I would say “no” on one hand, because these topics so rarely are addressed in the churches I have attended. All common references to history go back to Biblical days, and it is often as though the last two thousand years are forgotten as though unimportant, compared with learning Scripture and the history covered in that Book of Books. I would say “yes,” on the other hand. Infant baptism is not discussed or practiced in our churches. We do rejoice when we witness a person, whether age 7 to 107, enter into the baptism of their own free will to show us their dying to their own will and living from that day forward to the best of their ability under the direction of their Savior (a decision already made before the baptism). We do not believe that we would have any business forcing a belief in Christ on an unwilling soul. While we feel compelled to share the Gospel message with others, whether or not they accept it is their concern, a free choice every individual is allowed to make.
Dr. William Estep studied many primary documents in other languages, and has noted his many references. His book has many notes, a hefty bibliography, and an index. Although the writing is not as direct as could be, the book does shed light on a period in history and a brave group of people of which we do need to know about. Basically, the Anabaptists came about just after the Reformation took hold in central Europe, out of the movement of people opening the Scriptures for themselves and reading its pages. Perhaps it could be said that the Anabaptists felt that they should go even further than the Reformers in breaking from centuries of Catholic church tradition and getting to the heart of a practice in which they felt needed extreme measures of reform. The practice was infant baptism!
Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli (among others) had been very bold in their declarations that the Catholic church was wrong in promising people that their deceased loved ones could be "purchased" out of purgatory, that money given to corrupt church officials could help mitigate sin problems, and other pressing differences. However, the Reformation churches still held on to the tradition of bringing a baby to the church to be baptized so that the baby could be considered a "Christian" as they grew. As people read and studied the Scriptures, they became increasingly convinced that this tradition wasn't simply a loving act to bring young people into the church. This was heresy. A person should only be baptized once they had repented of their sins and accepted the Lord's death on the cross for their way to live with Him forever. Following that, baptism would signify their unity with the Lord, a decision which couldn't be forced on them (however well-intentioned), but that they had come to on their own. Other ideas which grew as a part of this dramatic change were the belief that a person cannot be demanded, bullied, tortured, or threatened into being a true Christian, and the practice that using arms against other humans in religious conflicts was wrong and should be avoided. Because there was such religious turmoil during this period of time, many of the Anabaptists would not serve in civilian armies.
Amazingly, because of the beliefs that the congregations held to, they were hounded, imprisoned, tortured, and put to death in terrifying scenes. And their persecutors were often Reformers! Dr. Estep lays out the martyr stories of several of these men and women. I only note s very few here. Conrad Grebel was imprisoned, escaped, but died in 1526 of the plague. Felix Manz was forcibly drowned in 1527. George Blaurock and Hans Langegger were burned at the stake in September 1529. Michael Sattler had an awful death in May 1527. His wife was forcibly drowned eight days later. As the Bible shows in the New Testament, these measures only made more want to discover the Bible which the Anabaptists had read and felt so strongly inclined to follow.
There is much more information to be gleaned in reading the book. Perhaps because we pass no "Anabaptist" churches on our path to our Lutheran, Presbyterian, or Baptists churches, we feel as though they were all expunged. However, the ideas that these brave people held came over into the New World as many fled their persecutors. Most notably, Roger Williams wanted to colony of Rhode Island to be a place where people of all faiths would be welcome and they could believe as they read the Scriptures, not as the prevailing citizens felt they should believe. Present-day Mennonites are often referred to as descendants of the Anabaptists. Their name comes from Menno Simons (1496 - 1561), a Catholic priest turned Anabaptist after seeing his own brother killed in a large group of martyrs.
My Baptist church membership in America — is it at all related to the ideas which surfaced during the Reformation and Anabaptist struggle of the sixteenth century? I would say “no” on one hand, because these topics so rarely are addressed in the churches I have attended. All common references to history go back to Biblical days, and it is often as though the last two thousand years are forgotten as though unimportant, compared with learning Scripture and the history covered in that Book of Books. I would say “yes,” on the other hand. Infant baptism is not discussed or practiced in our churches. We do rejoice when we witness a person, whether age 7 to 107, enter into the baptism of their own free will to show us their dying to their own will and living from that day forward to the best of their ability under the direction of their Savior (a decision already made before the baptism). We do not believe that we would have any business forcing a belief in Christ on an unwilling soul. While we feel compelled to share the Gospel message with others, whether or not they accept it is their concern, a free choice every individual is allowed to make.
July 20, 2022
I was hoping for a better understanding of the Anabaptists, but I'm not so sure I truly got that. I have a better appreciation of the history of persecution that many (probably most) Anabaptists faced, and I better know some of the major figures, but I'm not sure I understand Anabaptists themselves better. This stems in large part from what seems to be Estep's overly positive view of them, bordering on hagiographic, and of his overarching goal (not seen until the final chapter) to link them as direct descendants of the Baptists.
As an example of his ignoring issues, the affair of Münster is largely ignored, except as an aside and where it affected Menno Simons. Simons own questionable "celestial flesh" Christology is swept to the side as misunderstood and not truly unorthodox, though I am aware of Mennonites in the present who would consider Simons a heretic on that point. As my knowledge of Anabaptists in particular is limited, there are doubtless other points that I would not have noticed. Newman's History of Anti-Pedobaptism seemed to not ignore those rough edges, and the fact that I read Newman first made me more aware of where Estep seemed to polish them off.
I still want to understand Anabaptists better, but I feel as if I am still in search of a history of their movement that adequately addresses them in full.
As an example of his ignoring issues, the affair of Münster is largely ignored, except as an aside and where it affected Menno Simons. Simons own questionable "celestial flesh" Christology is swept to the side as misunderstood and not truly unorthodox, though I am aware of Mennonites in the present who would consider Simons a heretic on that point. As my knowledge of Anabaptists in particular is limited, there are doubtless other points that I would not have noticed. Newman's History of Anti-Pedobaptism seemed to not ignore those rough edges, and the fact that I read Newman first made me more aware of where Estep seemed to polish them off.
I still want to understand Anabaptists better, but I feel as if I am still in search of a history of their movement that adequately addresses them in full.
January 13, 2024
What a religiously mad world it was that people were ready to split hairs in terms of various finer aspects of religion and were ready to die for that. There was so much cross infection of ideas, persecution, preaching, and publication of dogmas that it sounds that they all went absolutely crazy when reformation started. Whilst it sounds absolutely ridiculous to an atheist like me, I do admire their passion, dedication and above all, their eccentricity. What surprises me is that there were thousands who were willing to follow just a few with their risky beliefs, although that is the essence of all religions. All in all, an interesting read.
November 1, 2017
An outstanding book. I'd always wondered about the doctrinal gap between today's Lutherans and Baptists, and Dr. Estep provides a compelling history of the divide between Reformation and Radical Reformation. The poor Anabaptists were persecuted by just about everyone!
February 20, 2020
A very interesting book that sheds light on the origin of "today's" idea that church should not be connected to the state.
It also contains a disturbing catalogue of people who were killed by the church and state for their beliefs.
It also contains a disturbing catalogue of people who were killed by the church and state for their beliefs.
September 4, 2021
An attempt, in the name of objective, “responsible history,” to distance Anabaptism from the politically or theologically radical Reformation movements. In reality, Estep tends toward the hagiographic.
August 21, 2023
Well it was pretty good, though it starts in the medieval times and doesn't acknowledge that the roots of anabaptism go back to Christ. It is however a good focus book on one major chapter of Anabaptist history, and the writings of that time.
March 31, 2020
Very informative on the Anabaptist movement. Hard to believe so-called Christians would torture and hang/burn/drown who did not agree with them over baptistism.
April 9, 2020
A good, balanced overview though the final chapter misses a chance by being too focused on the American perspective. Recommended as a helpful starting point.
August 23, 2020
I love Balthasar Hubmaier!!!
June 9, 2021
An informative book on the birth of the Anabaptist movement, as well as its effect on related religious traditions
April 19, 2023
Easy read. Authors a Baptist so that's a lil sys.
May 4, 2024
Seemed to me a bit partial to protoArminianism; other than that, may be the definitive History of Anabaptism.
April 18, 2025
One thing would help if old English quotes were printed in modern English script.
July 7, 2025
(5/5) I read this book for class. It was a good history of the anabaptist movement and important leaders!
It was a bit slow at some points but, good information.
It was a bit slow at some points but, good information.
August 5, 2025
Good book! If you’re motivated it’s easier to read it through to the end. I liked the personal stories sprinkled amongst the scholarly history.
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October 10, 2025I read the 1st Edition.
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