Dirk Philips (1504-1568) - Revision history

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RichardThiessen: Text replace - "Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III," to "''Mennonitisches Lexikon'', 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III,"

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Text replace - "<em>Mennonitisches Lexikon</em>, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III," to "''Mennonitisches Lexikon'', 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III,"

RichardThiessen: Text replace - "Mennonite Quarterly Review" to "''Mennonite Quarterly Review''"

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 [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno Simon’s]] most important associate, Dirk Philips (1504-1568) performed a role for Menno comparable to that played by [[Melanchthon, Philipp (1497-1560)|Philip Melanchthon]] for [[Luther, Martin (1483-1546)|Martin Luther]]: composing theological treatises that were less polemical and more comprehensive that those of the oft embattled leader. Born in 1504 in [[Leeuwarden (Friesland, Netherlands)|Leeuwarden]], [[Friesland (Netherlands)|Friesland]], Dirk was the younger of two sons – the other was [[Obbe Philips (ca. 1500-1568)|Obbe]] – of a priest named Philips (possibly heer Philippus, the vicar of Cammingaburen). It is obvious that both sons received good educations, and Dirk knew Latin and some elements of the biblical languages. It appears that he became a monk as an accusation from a later opponent that Dirk was of the “crowd of [[Franciscans]]” suggests an association with that religious order. Little else is known of his early life.
-Dirk reappears in the records in the winter of 1533/34, during the most radical phase of the [[Melchiorites|Melchiorite]] [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] movement in the [[Netherlands]] and North [[Germany]]. It was at this time that Anabaptists, inspired by the apocalyptical message of followers of [[Hoffman, Melchior (ca. 1495-1544?)|Melchior Hoffman]], came to believe that Christ would shortly appear in the Westphalian city of [[Münster Anabaptists|Münster]] there to restore the [[Kingdom of God]]. In 1533 Hoffman’s mantle of leadership was appropriated by [[Jan Matthijsz van Haarlem (d. 1534)|Jan Matthijs]], who then sent emissaries throughout the Netherlands to baptize the faithful and prepare them to support the city of God, now under Matthijs’s prophetic sway. Dirk was baptized by one of Matthijs’s apostles, Peter Houtsagher, one of three Anabaptists later arrested in [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]] for running through the streets with drawn swords proclaiming the Day of the Lord. Obbe had been baptized by the other two. While their execution seems to have made Obbe somewhat more cautious about active participation in militant Münsterite schemes, we know nothing about Dirk’s response.
+Dirk reappears in the records in the winter of 1533/34, during the most radical phase of the [[Melchiorites|Melchiorite]] [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] movement in the [[Netherlands]] and North [[Germany]]. It was at this time that Anabaptists, inspired by the apocalyptical message of followers of [[Hoffman, Melchior (ca. 1495-1544?)|Melchior Hoffman]], came to believe that Christ would shortly appear in the Westphalian city of [[Münster Anabaptists|Münster]] there to restore the [[Kingdom of God]]. In 1533 Hoffman’s mantle of leadership was appropriated by [[Jan Matthijsz van Haarlem (d. 1534)|Jan Matthijs]], who then sent emissaries throughout the Netherlands to baptize the faithful and prepare them to support the city of God, now under Matthijs’s prophetic sway. Dirk was baptized by one of Matthijs’s apostles, [[Pieter de Houtzager (d. 1534)|Pieter Houtzager]], one of three Anabaptists later arrested in [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]] for running through the streets with drawn swords proclaiming the Day of the Lord. Obbe had been baptized by the other two. While their execution seems to have made Obbe somewhat more cautious about active participation in militant Münsterite schemes, we know nothing about Dirk’s response.
 We do know that [[Obbe Philips (ca. 1500-1568)|Obbe]] ordained his brother as an elder, but we do not know when, although it seems safe to conclude that this was not too far removed from his baptism. By the time that Menno was made a bishop in [[Groningen (Netherlands)|Groningen]] in 1537 Dirk was an elder in [[Appingedam (Groningen, Netherlands)|Appingedam]]. Obbe claims in his later ''Confession'' that only his brother supported him in his opposition to the wild prophecies and militance prevalent during the Münsterite kingdom, but this is something of an exaggeration, as Obbe was almost certainly at the infamous [[Zandt, Het (Groningen, Netherlands)|’t Zandt]] affair of early 1535, and Dirk may also have been present. They tried to be voices of moderation, but to little effect. Both Dirk and his brother avoided the [[Bocholt (Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany)|Bocholt]] conference of Anabaptist leaders in 1536 fearing retribution from the militant [[Batenburg, Jan van (1495-1538)|Jan van Batenburg]], leaving the field to [[David Joris (ca. 1501-1556)|David Joris]] who mediated a settlement and became for the next few years the most prominent Anabaptist leader in the Netherlands. Little else is known about Dirk’s activities in the decade, although he is known to have debated with a [[Kükenbieter, Joachim (16th century)|Joachim Kukenbieter]] in Hamburg in 1537, while his name appears in a list of Anabaptist leaders made by Batenburg during his confession in 1538. In this record, Dirk is listed below only David Joris and Obbe as the chief figures in the movement.

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 We do know that [[Obbe Philips (ca. 1500-1568)|Obbe]] ordained his brother as an elder, but we do not know when, although it seems safe to conclude that this was not too far removed from his baptism. By the time that Menno was made a bishop in [[Groningen (Netherlands)|Groningen]] in 1537 Dirk was an elder in [[Appingedam (Groningen, Netherlands)|Appingedam]]. Obbe claims in his later ''Confession'' that only his brother supported him in his opposition to the wild prophecies and militance prevalent during the Münsterite kingdom, but this is something of an exaggeration, as Obbe was almost certainly at the infamous [[Zandt, Het (Groningen, Netherlands)|’t Zandt]] affair of early 1535, and Dirk may also have been present. They tried to be voices of moderation, but to little effect. Both Dirk and his brother avoided the [[Bocholt (Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany)|Bocholt]] conference of Anabaptist leaders in 1536 fearing retribution from the militant [[Batenburg, Jan van (1495-1538)|Jan van Batenburg]], leaving the field to [[David Joris (ca. 1501-1556)|David Joris]] who mediated a settlement and became for the next few years the most prominent Anabaptist leader in the Netherlands. Little else is known about Dirk’s activities in the decade, although he is known to have debated with a [[Kükenbieter, Joachim (16th century)|Joachim Kukenbieter]] in Hamburg in 1537, while his name appears in a list of Anabaptist leaders made by Batenburg during his confession in 1538. In this record, Dirk is listed below only David Joris and Obbe as the chief figures in the movement.
-Whatever the depth of his involvement in the radical phase of Melchiorite Anabaptism, it was not until the assent of [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno Simons]] in the late 1530s that Dirk Philips became actively involved in Anabaptist leadership. Working as an elder principally in the Northern Netherlands, East Friesland and North Germany, Dirk both supported Menno’s leadership and sought to direct him, especially on the prickly question of [[Ban|shunning]] and [[Discipline, Church|discipline]]. In 1542 Dirk and Menno together ordained [[Gillis van Aken (ca. 1500-1557)|Gillis van Aken]] and [[Adam Pastor (d. 1560/70)|Adam Pastor]] as elders. Four years later Dirk participated with Menno, Van Aken, [[Leenaert Bouwens (1515-1582)|Leenaert Bouwens]] and Pastor, in the debate with Joris’s lieutenant [[Blesdijk, Nikolaas Meyndertsz van (ca. 1520-1584)|Nicolaas Meyndertsz van Blesdijk]] near Lübeck. Focused on the question of whether the external forms of [[baptism]] and the church were essential for the believer, or whether believers could participate in [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] or Reformed versions to avoid persecution, no agreement was reached. Instead, it appears that the discussions revealed growing differences between the orthodox Menno and Dirk on the one side and Adam Pastor on the other, especially related to the doctrine of the [[Incarnation of Christ|incarnation]]. This sparked a series of debates in 1547 in which Dirk defended Mennonite orthodoxy on the incarnation, the rejection of [[Infant Baptism|infant baptism]] and the shunning of the banned, even if a spouse. By the last of these debates at [[Goch (Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany)|Goch]] (Cleves), Pastor’s rejection of the divinity of Christ and the trinity was clear, and Dirk Philips announced the banning of Pastor at the conclusion of the meeting. He then composed a poem and a letter against Pastor’s teachings, while by 1549 Dirk had also penned a short work entitled “Confession about Separation.” When Pastor complained about his ban, Dirk and Menno agreed once again to debate with him, this time in 1552 in [[Lübeck (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)|Lübeck]].
+Whatever the depth of his involvement in the radical phase of Melchiorite Anabaptism, it was not until the assent of [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno Simons]] in the late 1530s that Dirk Philips became actively involved in Anabaptist leadership. Working as an elder principally in the Northern Netherlands, East Friesland and North Germany, Dirk both supported Menno’s leadership and sought to direct him, especially on the prickly question of [[Avoidance (1953)|shunning]] and [[Discipline, Church|discipline]]. In 1542 Dirk and Menno together ordained [[Gillis van Aken (ca. 1500-1557)|Gillis van Aken]] and [[Adam Pastor (d. 1560/70)|Adam Pastor]] as elders. Four years later Dirk participated with Menno, Van Aken, [[Leenaert Bouwens (1515-1582)|Leenaert Bouwens]] and Pastor, in the debate with Joris’s lieutenant [[Blesdijk, Nikolaas Meyndertsz van (ca. 1520-1584)|Nicolaas Meyndertsz van Blesdijk]] near Lübeck. Focused on the question of whether the external forms of [[baptism]] and the church were essential for the believer, or whether believers could participate in [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] or Reformed versions to avoid persecution, no agreement was reached. Instead, it appears that the discussions revealed growing differences between the orthodox Menno and Dirk on the one side and Adam Pastor on the other, especially related to the doctrine of the [[Incarnation of Christ|incarnation]]. This sparked a series of debates in 1547 in which Dirk defended Mennonite orthodoxy on the incarnation, the rejection of [[Infant Baptism|infant baptism]] and the shunning of the banned, even if a spouse. By the last of these debates at [[Goch (Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany)|Goch]] (Cleves), Pastor’s rejection of the divinity of Christ and the trinity was clear, and Dirk Philips announced the banning of Pastor at the conclusion of the meeting. He then composed a poem and a letter against Pastor’s teachings, while by 1549 Dirk had also penned a short work entitled “Confession about Separation.” When Pastor complained about his ban, Dirk and Menno agreed once again to debate with him, this time in 1552 in [[Lübeck (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)|Lübeck]].
 Sometime between 1547 and 1553, Menno and Dirk ordained [[Leenaert Bouwens (1515-1582)|Leenaert Bouwens]] as elder, an astute move since Bouwens would become a tireless baptizer for the movement. By 1554 Dirk seems to have moved to the outskirts of [[Emden (Niedersachsen, Germany)|Emden]], [[East Friesland (Niedersachsen, Germany)|East Friesland]]. He participated in a meeting of Mennonite leaders in [[Wismar (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany)|Wismar]], Menno’s current abode, and again the major issue was the [[Ban|ban]], along with the question of marriage outside the church, the bearing of arms, recourse to the courts, and unauthorized preachers. [[Wismar Resolutions|Nine articles]] were drafted, although the hoped-for unity did not emerge. Instead, divisiveness only increased, especially on the practice of [[Marital Avoidance|shunning marital partners]]. The issue came to a head in 1557 when a decision by Bouwens to ban a pious wife because she refused to shun her husband forced the Mennonite leaders to hold a conference in [[Harlingen (Friesland, Netherlands)|Harlingen]]. In this meeting Dirk sided with Bouwens against Menno, and those who had supported the woman were themselves placed under the ban. As a result of this hardening of disciplinary lines, some Mennonites residing in North Holland formed their own group called the [[Waterlanders]], wishing to take a more moderate stand on the issue. So too did the South German and [[Swiss Brethren|Swiss Anabaptists]]. In response, in the following year both Menno and Dirk published works defending the hardline position on [[excommunication]]. Shortly thereafter Dirk and Bouwens placed the ban collectively on the South Germans. Around mid decade Dirk moved from Emden to Fresenberg, and from there he began to publish his writings in earnest, although a number of these had already been circulating in manuscript form. He continued to travel, visiting North Holland at least twice to ordain elders, including [[Jan Willemsz (1533-1588)|Jan Willems]] and [[Gerritsz, Lubbert (1534-1612)|Lubbert Gerrits]], who themselves would become prominent leaders.
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 As Menno weakened physically in the last few years of his life, Dirk became increasingly prominent. He published a wide array of theological treatises that made it clear that he was now the representative voice of Mennonite orthodoxy, especially with Menno’s death in 1561. In that year Dirk returned to Emden to confer with Bouwens, and then travelled into the Netherlands, where records indicate he was responsible for baptizing some 30 or 40 people in a [[Utrecht (Utrecht, Netherlands)|Utrecht]] house in December. Back in East Friesland, Dirk continued to publish theological treatises and assert his leadership over the increasingly fractious Mennonite communities. In 1565 another dispute arose in which Dirk presided over the suspension of Bouwens as an elder and which led to the hardening of the divisions between the [[Frisian Mennonites|Frisian]] and [[Flemish Mennonites|Flemish]] congregations. Over the last three years of his life Dirk sought to heal the rift between these groups, but without effect. Both sides ended up banning the other, while the strict Frisians even banned Dirk. For his stance on the ban Dirk has been described as inflexible, motivated by an intense quest for the ideal church, an approach hardly suitable for working out compromises. After composing a treatise on marriage, Dirk died on 7 March 1568, near Emden.
-Dirk Philips’s publications focused on the most critical theological issues: [[baptism]]; [[communion]]; the [[Incarnation of Christ|incarnation]]; rebirth; the [[ban]] and shunning; the office of preachers; and [[marriage]]. In 1564 the bulk of his writings were gathered together into the ''Enchiridion or the Handbook ([[Enchiridion Oft Hantboecxken|Enchiridion oft Hant-boecxke]]n)'', and it is this work that has become the most important collection of his writings for Mennonites. Throughout his writings Philips insisted on a strict adherence to the words of Scripture, while at the same highlighting the Word as incarnated in [[Jesus Christ]]. His approach to interpreting Scripture was heavily Christocentric, while he interpreted the [[Old Testament]] as his brother had: as a source prefiguring the arrival of Christ. Following a [[Melchiorites|Melchiorite]] model, Dirk maintained that Christ had not inherited any of his human nature from his mother Mary, and hence was free of [[Original Sin|original sin]]. His humanity, however, was that of pre-fall Adam, and those who repented and believed could participate in Christ’s human nature, but not his divine nature. Since children could not sin actively until they reached the age of discretion – thus activating original sin –, infant baptism was of no use. For Dirk, the sacraments were [[ordinances]] or signs of a believer’s willingness to obey Christ and to become part of the wider body of Christ. The true fellowship of believers was separate from the world and was therefore not to use the sword to enforce conformity. Instead, discipline was an internal matter maintained by the practice of banning and shunning to protect the reputation of the fellowship and redeem the sinner. [[Persecution]] and [[Martyrdom, Theology of|martyrdom]] were signs of the true faith.
+Dirk Philips’s publications focused on the most critical theological issues: [[baptism]]; [[communion]]; the [[Incarnation of Christ|incarnation]]; rebirth; the [[ban]] and [[Avoidance (1953)|shunning]]; the office of preachers; and [[marriage]]. In 1564 the bulk of his writings were gathered together into the ''Enchiridion or the Handbook ([[Enchiridion Oft Hantboecxken|Enchiridion oft Hant-boecxke]]n)'', and it is this work that has become the most important collection of his writings for Mennonites. Throughout his writings Philips insisted on a strict adherence to the words of Scripture, while at the same highlighting the Word as incarnated in [[Jesus Christ]]. His approach to interpreting Scripture was heavily Christocentric, while he interpreted the [[Old Testament]] as his brother had: as a source prefiguring the arrival of Christ. Following a [[Melchiorites|Melchiorite]] model, Dirk maintained that Christ had not inherited any of his human nature from his mother Mary, and hence was free of [[Original Sin|original sin]]. His humanity, however, was that of pre-fall Adam, and those who repented and believed could participate in Christ’s human nature, but not his divine nature. Since children could not sin actively until they reached the age of discretion – thus activating original sin –, infant baptism was of no use. For Dirk, the sacraments were [[ordinances]] or signs of a believer’s willingness to obey Christ and to become part of the wider body of Christ. The true fellowship of believers was separate from the world and was therefore not to use the sword to enforce conformity. Instead, discipline was an internal matter maintained by the practice of banning and shunning to protect the reputation of the fellowship and redeem the sinner. [[Persecution]] and [[Martyrdom, Theology of|martyrdom]] were signs of the true faith.
 = Primary Sources =
 Dyck, Cornelius J., William E. Keeney, and Alvin J. Beachy, eds. ''The Writings of Dirk Philips, 1504-1568''. Scottdale, PA and Waterloo, ON: Herald Press, 1992.

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 Whatever the depth of his involvement in the radical phase of Melchiorite Anabaptism, it was not until the assent of [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno Simons]] in the late 1530s that Dirk Philips became actively involved in Anabaptist leadership. Working as an elder principally in the Northern Netherlands, East Friesland and North Germany, Dirk both supported Menno’s leadership and sought to direct him, especially on the prickly question of [[Ban|shunning]] and [[Discipline, Church|discipline]]. In 1542 Dirk and Menno together ordained [[Gillis van Aken (ca. 1500-1557)|Gillis van Aken]] and [[Adam Pastor (d. 1560/70)|Adam Pastor]] as elders. Four years later Dirk participated with Menno, Van Aken, [[Leenaert Bouwens (1515-1582)|Leenaert Bouwens]] and Pastor, in the debate with Joris’s lieutenant [[Blesdijk, Nikolaas Meyndertsz van (ca. 1520-1584)|Nicolaas Meyndertsz van Blesdijk]] near Lübeck. Focused on the question of whether the external forms of [[baptism]] and the church were essential for the believer, or whether believers could participate in [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] or Reformed versions to avoid persecution, no agreement was reached. Instead, it appears that the discussions revealed growing differences between the orthodox Menno and Dirk on the one side and Adam Pastor on the other, especially related to the doctrine of the [[Incarnation of Christ|incarnation]]. This sparked a series of debates in 1547 in which Dirk defended Mennonite orthodoxy on the incarnation, the rejection of [[Infant Baptism|infant baptism]] and the shunning of the banned, even if a spouse. By the last of these debates at [[Goch (Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany)|Goch]] (Cleves), Pastor’s rejection of the divinity of Christ and the trinity was clear, and Dirk Philips announced the banning of Pastor at the conclusion of the meeting. He then composed a poem and a letter against Pastor’s teachings, while by 1549 Dirk had also penned a short work entitled “Confession about Separation.” When Pastor complained about his ban, Dirk and Menno agreed once again to debate with him, this time in 1552 in [[Lübeck (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)|Lübeck]].
-Sometime between 1547 and 1553, Menno and Dirk ordained [[Leenaert Bouwens (1515-1582)|Leenaert Bouwens]] as elder, an astute move since Bouwens would become a tireless baptizer for the movement. By 1554 Dirk seems to have moved to the outskirts of [[Emden (Niedersachsen, Germany)|Emden]], [[East Friesland (Niedersachsen, Germany)|East Friesland]]. He participated in a meeting of Mennonite leaders in [[Wismar (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany)|Wismar]], Menno’s current abode, and again the major issue was the [[Ban|ban]], along with the question of marriage outside the church, the bearing of arms, recourse to the courts, and unauthorized preachers. [[Wismar Resolutions|Nine articles]] were drafted, although the hoped-for unity did not emerge. Instead, divisiveness only increased, especially on the practice of shunning marital partners. The issue came to a head in 1557 when a decision by Bouwens to ban a pious wife because she refused to shun her husband forced the Mennonite leaders to hold a conference in [[Harlingen (Friesland, Netherlands)|Harlingen]]. In this meeting Dirk sided with Bouwens against Menno, and those who had supported the woman were themselves placed under the ban. As a result of this hardening of disciplinary lines, some Mennonites residing in North Holland formed their own group called the [[Waterlanders]], wishing to take a more moderate stand on the issue. So too did the South German and [[Swiss Brethren|Swiss Anabaptists]]. In response, in the following year both Menno and Dirk published works defending the hardline position on [[excommunication]]. Shortly thereafter Dirk and Bouwens placed the ban collectively on the South Germans. Around mid decade Dirk moved from Emden to Fresenberg, and from there he began to publish his writings in earnest, although a number of these had already been circulating in manuscript form. He continued to travel, visiting North Holland at least twice to ordain elders, including [[Jan Willemsz (1533-1588)|Jan Willems]] and [[Gerritsz, Lubbert (1534-1612)|Lubbert Gerrits]], who themselves would become prominent leaders.
+Sometime between 1547 and 1553, Menno and Dirk ordained [[Leenaert Bouwens (1515-1582)|Leenaert Bouwens]] as elder, an astute move since Bouwens would become a tireless baptizer for the movement. By 1554 Dirk seems to have moved to the outskirts of [[Emden (Niedersachsen, Germany)|Emden]], [[East Friesland (Niedersachsen, Germany)|East Friesland]]. He participated in a meeting of Mennonite leaders in [[Wismar (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany)|Wismar]], Menno’s current abode, and again the major issue was the [[Ban|ban]], along with the question of marriage outside the church, the bearing of arms, recourse to the courts, and unauthorized preachers. [[Wismar Resolutions|Nine articles]] were drafted, although the hoped-for unity did not emerge. Instead, divisiveness only increased, especially on the practice of [[Marital Avoidance|shunning marital partners]]. The issue came to a head in 1557 when a decision by Bouwens to ban a pious wife because she refused to shun her husband forced the Mennonite leaders to hold a conference in [[Harlingen (Friesland, Netherlands)|Harlingen]]. In this meeting Dirk sided with Bouwens against Menno, and those who had supported the woman were themselves placed under the ban. As a result of this hardening of disciplinary lines, some Mennonites residing in North Holland formed their own group called the [[Waterlanders]], wishing to take a more moderate stand on the issue. So too did the South German and [[Swiss Brethren|Swiss Anabaptists]]. In response, in the following year both Menno and Dirk published works defending the hardline position on [[excommunication]]. Shortly thereafter Dirk and Bouwens placed the ban collectively on the South Germans. Around mid decade Dirk moved from Emden to Fresenberg, and from there he began to publish his writings in earnest, although a number of these had already been circulating in manuscript form. He continued to travel, visiting North Holland at least twice to ordain elders, including [[Jan Willemsz (1533-1588)|Jan Willems]] and [[Gerritsz, Lubbert (1534-1612)|Lubbert Gerrits]], who themselves would become prominent leaders.
 As Menno weakened physically in the last few years of his life, Dirk became increasingly prominent. He published a wide array of theological treatises that made it clear that he was now the representative voice of Mennonite orthodoxy, especially with Menno’s death in 1561. In that year Dirk returned to Emden to confer with Bouwens, and then travelled into the Netherlands, where records indicate he was responsible for baptizing some 30 or 40 people in a [[Utrecht (Utrecht, Netherlands)|Utrecht]] house in December. Back in East Friesland, Dirk continued to publish theological treatises and assert his leadership over the increasingly fractious Mennonite communities. In 1565 another dispute arose in which Dirk presided over the suspension of Bouwens as an elder and which led to the hardening of the divisions between the [[Frisian Mennonites|Frisian]] and [[Flemish Mennonites|Flemish]] congregations. Over the last three years of his life Dirk sought to heal the rift between these groups, but without effect. Both sides ended up banning the other, while the strict Frisians even banned Dirk. For his stance on the ban Dirk has been described as inflexible, motivated by an intense quest for the ideal church, an approach hardly suitable for working out compromises. After composing a treatise on marriage, Dirk died on 7 March 1568, near Emden.

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 As Menno weakened physically in the last few years of his life, Dirk became increasingly prominent. He published a wide array of theological treatises that made it clear that he was now the representative voice of Mennonite orthodoxy, especially with Menno’s death in 1561. In that year Dirk returned to Emden to confer with Bouwens, and then travelled into the Netherlands, where records indicate he was responsible for baptizing some 30 or 40 people in a [[Utrecht (Utrecht, Netherlands)|Utrecht]] house in December. Back in East Friesland, Dirk continued to publish theological treatises and assert his leadership over the increasingly fractious Mennonite communities. In 1565 another dispute arose in which Dirk presided over the suspension of Bouwens as an elder and which led to the hardening of the divisions between the [[Frisian Mennonites|Frisian]] and [[Flemish Mennonites|Flemish]] congregations. Over the last three years of his life Dirk sought to heal the rift between these groups, but without effect. Both sides ended up banning the other, while the strict Frisians even banned Dirk. For his stance on the ban Dirk has been described as inflexible, motivated by an intense quest for the ideal church, an approach hardly suitable for working out compromises. After composing a treatise on marriage, Dirk died on 7 March 1568, near Emden.
-Dirk Philips’s publications focused on the most critical theological issues: [[baptism]]; [[communion]]; the [[Incarnation of Christ|incarnation]]; rebirth; the [[ban]] and shunning; the office of preachers; and [[marriage]]. In 1564 the bulk of his writings were gathered together into the ''Enchiridion or the Handbook (Enchiridion oft Hant-boecxken)'', and it is this work that has become the most important collection of his writings for Mennonites. Throughout his writings Philips insisted on a strict adherence to the words of Scripture, while at the same highlighting the Word as incarnated in [[Jesus Christ]]. His approach to interpreting Scripture was heavily Christocentric, while he interpreted the [[Old Testament]] as his brother had: as a source prefiguring the arrival of Christ. Following a [[Melchiorites|Melchiorite]] model, Dirk maintained that Christ had not inherited any of his human nature from his mother Mary, and hence was free of [[Original Sin|original sin]]. His humanity, however, was that of pre-fall Adam, and those who repented and believed could participate in Christ’s human nature, but not his divine nature. Since children could not sin actively until they reached the age of discretion – thus activating original sin –, infant baptism was of no use. For Dirk, the sacraments were [[ordinances]] or signs of a believer’s willingness to obey Christ and to become part of the wider body of Christ. The true fellowship of believers was separate from the world and was therefore not to use the sword to enforce conformity. Instead, discipline was an internal matter maintained by the practice of banning and shunning to protect the reputation of the fellowship and redeem the sinner. [[Persecution]] and [[Martyrdom, Theology of|martyrdom]] were signs of the true faith.
+Dirk Philips’s publications focused on the most critical theological issues: [[baptism]]; [[communion]]; the [[Incarnation of Christ|incarnation]]; rebirth; the [[ban]] and shunning; the office of preachers; and [[marriage]]. In 1564 the bulk of his writings were gathered together into the ''Enchiridion or the Handbook ([[Enchiridion Oft Hantboecxken|Enchiridion oft Hant-boecxke]]n)'', and it is this work that has become the most important collection of his writings for Mennonites. Throughout his writings Philips insisted on a strict adherence to the words of Scripture, while at the same highlighting the Word as incarnated in [[Jesus Christ]]. His approach to interpreting Scripture was heavily Christocentric, while he interpreted the [[Old Testament]] as his brother had: as a source prefiguring the arrival of Christ. Following a [[Melchiorites|Melchiorite]] model, Dirk maintained that Christ had not inherited any of his human nature from his mother Mary, and hence was free of [[Original Sin|original sin]]. His humanity, however, was that of pre-fall Adam, and those who repented and believed could participate in Christ’s human nature, but not his divine nature. Since children could not sin actively until they reached the age of discretion – thus activating original sin –, infant baptism was of no use. For Dirk, the sacraments were [[ordinances]] or signs of a believer’s willingness to obey Christ and to become part of the wider body of Christ. The true fellowship of believers was separate from the world and was therefore not to use the sword to enforce conformity. Instead, discipline was an internal matter maintained by the practice of banning and shunning to protect the reputation of the fellowship and redeem the sinner. [[Persecution]] and [[Martyrdom, Theology of|martyrdom]] were signs of the true faith.
 = Primary Sources =
 Dyck, Cornelius J., William E. Keeney, and Alvin J. Beachy, eds. ''The Writings of Dirk Philips, 1504-1568''. Scottdale, PA and Waterloo, ON: Herald Press, 1992.

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 Dirk Philips’s publications focused on the most critical theological issues: [[baptism]]; [[communion]]; the [[Incarnation of Christ|incarnation]]; rebirth; the [[ban]] and shunning; the office of preachers; and [[marriage]]. In 1564 the bulk of his writings were gathered together into the ''Enchiridion or the Handbook (Enchiridion oft Hant-boecxken)'', and it is this work that has become the most important collection of his writings for Mennonites. Throughout his writings Philips insisted on a strict adherence to the words of Scripture, while at the same highlighting the Word as incarnated in [[Jesus Christ]]. His approach to interpreting Scripture was heavily Christocentric, while he interpreted the [[Old Testament]] as his brother had: as a source prefiguring the arrival of Christ. Following a [[Melchiorites|Melchiorite]] model, Dirk maintained that Christ had not inherited any of his human nature from his mother Mary, and hence was free of [[Original Sin|original sin]]. His humanity, however, was that of pre-fall Adam, and those who repented and believed could participate in Christ’s human nature, but not his divine nature. Since children could not sin actively until they reached the age of discretion – thus activating original sin –, infant baptism was of no use. For Dirk, the sacraments were [[ordinances]] or signs of a believer’s willingness to obey Christ and to become part of the wider body of Christ. The true fellowship of believers was separate from the world and was therefore not to use the sword to enforce conformity. Instead, discipline was an internal matter maintained by the practice of banning and shunning to protect the reputation of the fellowship and redeem the sinner. [[Persecution]] and [[Martyrdom, Theology of|martyrdom]] were signs of the true faith.
-= Bibliography =
+= Primary Sources =
 Dyck, Cornelius J., William E. Keeney, and Alvin J. Beachy, eds. ''The Writings of Dirk Philips, 1504-1568''. Scottdale, PA and Waterloo, ON: Herald Press, 1992.
@@ Line 24: / Line 23: @@
 Klaassen, Walter, ed. ''Anabaptism in Outline''. Scottdale, PA and Waterloo, ON: Herald Press, 1981.
-== Principal Secondary Sources ==
+= Principal Secondary Sources =
 Blouw, P. Valkema. “Drukkers voor Menno Simons en Dirk Philips.” ''Doopsgezinde Bijdragen'' 17 (1991): 31-74.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 [[File:Philips.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''Dirk Philips (1504-1568).<br />
 Source: [http://dpc.uba.uva.nl/cgi/i/image/image-idx Bibliotheek van de Universiteit van Amsterdam: Doopsgezinde Prenten]'']]
 Dirk Philips (Philipsz, Philopszoon, Filips) (1504-1568) was the son of a Dutch priest. He became a Franciscan monk. As a man of good education he had a command of Latin and Greek, and also knew some Hebrew. It is doubtful that he wrote in French his booklet on the ban and avoidance, which he published in the French language. It is possible that he studied at a university. [[Schijn, Herman (1662-1727)|H. Schijn]] (<em>Hist. Menn. plenior deductio, </em> 1729, p. 186) calls him a learned man, more learned than [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno Simons]]. He was not acquainted with [[Luther, Martin (1483-1546)|Luther's]] writings.
@@ Line 81: / Line 137: @@
 = Additional Information =
 === Electronic Resources ===
-Philip, Dietrich. <em>Enchirdion: oder Handbüchlein von der Christlichen lehre und religion zum dienst von allen liebhabern der Wahreit (durch die Gnade Gottes) aus der Heiligen Schrift gemacht, mit einem schönen und fasslichen register</em>. Lancaster, PA: Gedruckt bey Joseph Ehrenfried, 1811. [http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101063702615 Full Text].
+Philip, Dietrich. ''Enchirdion: oder Handbüchlein von der Christlichen lehre und religion zum dienst von allen liebhabern der Wahreit (durch die Gnade Gottes) aus der Heiligen Schrift gemacht, mit einem schönen und fasslichen register''. Lancaster, PA: Gedruckt bey Joseph Ehrenfried, 1811. [http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101063702615 Full Text].
-{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 2, pp. 65-66; vol. 5, p. 234|date=1956|a1_last=Zijpp|a1_first=Nanne van der|a2_last= |a2_first= }}
+{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=February 2020|a1_last=Waite|a1_first=Gary K|a2_last= |a2_first= }}
 [[Category:Persons]]
 [[Category:Elders]]
 [[Category:Sixteenth Century Anabaptist Leaders]]

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 <em>Doopsgezinde Bijdragen</em> (1864): 136; (1867): 59, 62 f.; (1873): 61; (1876): 26 ff., 38; (1881): 75; (1884): 2, 10, 15, 17, 20; (1887): 101 f.; (1893): 5, 12-14, 16, 50, 52-77, 88; (1894): 18-59 <em> passim; </em> (1903): 11, 21 f., 39, 41 f.; (1905): 106 ff.
-Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. <em>Mennonitisches Lexikon</em>, 4 vols. Frankfurt &amp; Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III, 368.
+Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. ''Mennonitisches Lexikon'', 4 vols. Frankfurt &amp; Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III, 368.
 Hoop Scheffer, J. G. de. <em>Inventaris der Archiefstukken berustende bij de Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente te Amsterdam, </em>2 vols. Amsterdam, 1883-1884: v. I, No. 620.

@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 Dirk Philipsz, <em> Enchiridion, or Hand Book..., </em> trans. A. B. Kolb. Aylmer, ON: Pathway Publishing Corp., 1966.
-Doornkaat Koolman, J. ten. "The First Edition of Dirk Philips' <em> Enchiridion.</em>" <em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em> 38 (1964): 357-360.
+Doornkaat Koolman, J. ten. "The First Edition of Dirk Philips' <em> Enchiridion.</em>" ''Mennonite Quarterly Review'' 38 (1964): 357-360.
 Doornkaat Koolman, J. ten. <em> Dirk Philips: Vriend en Medewerker </em> van <em> Menno Simons, 1504-1568</em>. Haarlem: H. D. Tjeenk Willink en Zoon, 1964.
@@ Line 72: / Line 72: @@
 Keeney, William E. "The Incarnation: A Central Theological Concept." in <em>A Legacy of Faith, </em> ed. Cornelius J. Dyck. Newton, 1962: 55-68.
-Keeney, William E. "The Writings of Dirk Philips." <em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em> 32 (1958): 298-306.
+Keeney, William E. "The Writings of Dirk Philips." ''Mennonite Quarterly Review'' 32 (1958): 298-306.
 Keyser, Marja. <em> Dirk Philips, 1504-1568. </em> Nieuwkoop: B. De Graaf, 1975.

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	[[File:Philips.jpg\|300px\|thumb\|right\|''Dirk Philips (1504-1568).<br />		[[File:Philips.jpg\|300px\|thumb\|right\|''Dirk Philips (1504-1568).<br />
	Source: [http://dpc.uba.uva.nl/cgi/i/image/image-idx Bibliotheek van de Universiteit van Amsterdam: Doopsgezinde Prenten]'']]		Source: [http://dpc.uba.uva.nl/cgi/i/image/image-idx Bibliotheek van de Universiteit van Amsterdam: Doopsgezinde Prenten]'']]