View source for Erbkam, Wilhelm Heinrich (1810-1884)

Wilhelm Heinrich Erbkam (1810-1884), professor of theology at the University of Königsberg, was the author of <em>Geschichte der protestantischen Sekten im Zeitalter der Reformation</em> (Hamburg and Gotha, 1848), a book that “is a valuable contribution to the history of the Reformation, based on most thorough study” (<em>Realencyclopedie für Protestantische Theologie and Kirche</em> V, 449). Later research has, of course, overtaken it. Its value lies in the author’s laudable attempt to present an independent, objective account, rare among Protestant theologians, of the history of the [[Anabaptism|Anabaptists]]. He found the roots of this great movement in Christian Mysticism, and to it he devoted a lengthy study, which presents much that is noteworthy. In this connection he presented at great length [[Karlstadt, Andreas Rudolff-Bodenstein von (1486-1541) |Karlstadt]], [[Franck, Sebastian (1499-1543)|Sebastian Franck]], and [[Schwenckfeld, Caspar von (1489-1561)|Caspar Schwenckfeld]] as representatives of Christian Mysticism, and in the second part of his book a brief summary of Anabaptist history. He exploited the sources available to him; but since he approached them with a bias, and, for example, regarded [[Bullinger, Heinrich (1504-1575)|Bullinger]]’s statements as unassailable truth, and furthermore since many sources now available were unknown to him, he was unable to present a true picture of Anabaptist history. [[Denck, Hans (ca. 1500-1527)|Hans Denck]] he handled with a few words; [[Sattler, Michael (d. 1527)|Michael Sattler]] he did not even mention. His book has a purely antiquarian value for Anabaptist history.
= Bibliography =
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. <em>Mennonitisches Lexikon</em>, 4 vols. Frankfurt &amp; Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe; Schneider, 1913-1967: v. I, 602.
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