View source for Kiesling, Johann Rudolf (1706-1778)

Johann Rudolf Kiesling was a Lutheran theologian and Orientalist. In addition to many other works, some in Latin and some in German, he published (Reval and Leipzig) in 1776 <em>Das Lehrgebäude der Wiedertäufer, nach den Grundsätzen des Martin Czechowitz, eines der ältesten Bestreiter der Kindertauf und seiner Nachfolger, zur Vertheidigung der Kindertaufe. </em>After his death and without his name another title was published in 1779: <em>Historische Untersuchung der anabaptistischen Streitigkeiten nebst einer exegetisch-dogmatischen Prüfung der alten und neuen Einwürfe wider die Kindertaufe. </em>The book by Martin Czechowic (d. 1613), a Polish Socinian, which Kiesling attacked, had the title, <em>De paedobaptistarum errorum origine et de ea opinione, qua infantes baptizandos esse in prima nativitatis eorum exortu creditur </em>(Lublin, 1575, copies were in the state and university libraries at Konigsberg). Czechowic attacked 14 errors of the advocates of [[Infant Baptism|infant baptism]], and, in an appendix, also the Socinian idea that [[Baptism|baptism]] is unnecessary for those who believe and have grown up in Christianity.

Kiesling, in 31 paragraphs, answers the most important assertions of the old book, following its order. But he forgets to say that paragraph 16 concerns the ninth error, paragraphs 21-23 the twelfth error, paragraphs 26 and 27 the fourteenth error, and paragraphs 28-30 concern the appendix; and the approximately 40 excerpts from Czechowic are by no means <em>verbatim; </em>indeed, one might think Kiesling had a different version, or that he was making up his own Latin extracts.
= Bibliography =
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. <em class="gameo_bibliography">Mennonitisches Lexikon</em>. Frankfurt &amp; Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe; Schneider, 1913-1967: v. II, 486 f.
= Additional Information =
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