View source for Radecke, Matthäus (1540-1612)

Matthäus Radecke (Radecius) (1540-1612) was born at [[Danzig (Poland)|Danzig]], educated at [[Königsberg (Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia)|Königsberg]], served as city clerk of Danzig 1566-1592. He was christened a Catholic, and later became successively Lutheran, Reformed, Mennonite (baptism by aspersion), and [[Socinianism|Socinian]] (baptism by immersion). In 1592 he was deposed from his office because of his Socinian beliefs and left the city with his wife and eight children.  After a brief stay at Schmiegel, near Posen, he went to Buskow in 1593 and then to Rakov (Poland) in 1608. Here he died on 29 March 1612. He is erroneously called Martin Radecke in <em>Mennonite Encyclopedia</em> I, 76.


= Bibliography =
Bock, F. S. <em>Historia Antitrinitariorum</em> I, Part 2. Leipzig, 1716: 700-9.

Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. <em>Mennonitisches Lexikon</em>, 4 vols. Frankfurt &amp; Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe; Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III: 424.

Radecke, Matthäus. <em>Ursachen, warumb sich Matthäus Radecke, welcher der Stadt Dantzigk, 26 Jahre lang, für einen Secretarium gedienet, von dar gemachet, undt sich mit den seinen ahn andere Ort begeben hab</em>. Rakow, 1593.

<em>Die Religion in Geschichte and Gegenwart</em>, 2nd ed., 5 vols. Tübingen: Mohr, 1927-1932: v. V, Col. 660.


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