Colberg, Ehregott Daniel (1659-1698)

Ehregott Daniel Colberg (born 26 January 1659 in Kolberg, Germany, died 30 October 1698 in Wismar, was professor of theology at the university of Greifswald. He wrote a voluminous book with the title, Das Platonisch-Hermetische Christentum begreifend die historische Erzählung vom Ursprung und vielerlei Sekten der heutigen fanatischen Theologie unterm Namen der Paracelsisten, Weigelianer, Rosencreutzer, Quäker, Wiedertäufer, Bourignisten, Labadisten und Quietisten (Leipzig, 1710). Chapter IX, 330-386, of this book deals with the Anabaptists. What the learned author repeats here as supposedly the result of scholarly research in Mennonite history is completely without value. He reveals neither the least familiarity with the matter nor any understanding of this great spiritual movement. We find the then current conception of their origin, character, and development as a sect dangerous to the state and to the soul presented without critical examination. Some headings of the ten paragraphs will be evidence of this: (1) "Die Weigelianer und Rosencreutzer sind subtile Wiedertäufer—Warum die Weigelianer und heutigen Wiedertäufer nicht  Aufruhr  anrichten?" He answers this question briefly to this effect: because they do not have the power. (2) "Ursprung der Wiedertäufer. Claus Storch, Thomas Müntzer, Henr. Pfeiffer." (5) "Die Wiedertäufer sind vielerlei Art: Münzerianer,  Huttiten, Augustinianer, Hofmannisten, Mennonisten, und Gabrieliter." The Augustinians, he says, derive from a certain Bohemian name  Augustin, who was concealed for a time under the name of the Hussites, but finally broke out. He defended above the common Anabaptist errors the doctrine that the souls of believers will not see God until the Judgment Day, and that until then heaven is closed. (8) "Andere wiedertäuferische Sekten der Apostolischen, Geistlichen, Schweigenden, Betenden, Adiaphoristen, Enthusiasten, Adamiten, Grubenheimer, Libertiner, Familisten, A-B-C-Schüler." The Apostolics, he explains, also called footwashers, had as their ancestor Matth. Servatus (Servaes?), claimed to be the true followers of Christ, forsook their wives, children, and business, went without shoes, purses, and money, preached from the housetops, and had all things in common. Modern Anabaptists are almost all footwashers, as Joh. Hoornbeek shows from their writings.

Bibliography

Colberg, Ehregott Daniel. Das Platonisch-Hermetisches Christenthum, Begreiffend Die Historische Erzehlung vom Ursprung und vielerley Secten der heutigen Fanatischen Theologie, unterm Namen der Paracelsisten, Weigelianer, Rosencreutzer, Quäcker, Böhmisten, Wiedertäuffer, Bourignisten, Labadisten, Und Quietisten. Leipzig, 1710. Available in full electronic text at http://www.digital-collections.de/index.html?c=autoren_index&l=en&ab=Colberg%2C+Ehregott+Daniel

Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. I, 367.

Author(s)	Christian Neff
Date Published	1953

Cite This Article

MLA style

Neff, Christian. "Colberg, Ehregott Daniel (1659-1698)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Colberg,_Ehregott_Daniel_(1659-1698)&oldid=107325.

APA style

Neff, Christian. (1953). Colberg, Ehregott Daniel (1659-1698). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Colberg,_Ehregott_Daniel_(1659-1698)&oldid=107325.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, pp. 634-635. All rights reserved.

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