Daniel Gerdes was born 19 April 1698 at Bremen, Germany and died 11 February 1765 at Groningen in the Netherlands. He served from 1736 until his death as professor of theology at the University of Groningen and editor of a number of theological writings. For Mennonite history he is of interest because of his disputes with Joannes Stinstra, the Mennonite minister of Harlingen, who had in 1740 published a Deductie in behalf of the freedom of Mennonites to preach without being authorized by the government. Gerdes in his Elenchus veritatum (Groningen, 1740) stated that freedom of conscience should be granted but not freedom of preaching, since teaching of false dogma means licentiousness. In his Twee Godgeleerde Verhandelingen (Groningen, 1741) Gerdes deals with Socinianism and states that Socinians cannot be considered Christians. In his De Vrijheid des Geloofs (Groningen, n.d.-1741), he directly attacks Stinstra, accusing him of anti-Christian teachings. Especially in the last-named book Gerdes proves himself an intolerant and implacable Calvinist.

Bibliography

Author(s)	Nanne van der Zijpp
Date Published	1956

Sepp, Christiaan. Johannes Stinstra en zijn tijd: eene bijdrage tot de geschiedenis der kerk en school in de 18de eeuw. Amsterdam : Sepp & zoon, 1865-1866: I & II, passim

Visscher, H. and L. A. van Langeraad. Biographisch Woordenboek von Protestantsche Godgeleerden in Nederland. Utrecht, 1903-: III, 216-222.

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Zijpp, Nanne van der. "Gerdes, Daniel (1698-1765)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 3 Dec 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gerdes,_Daniel_(1698-1765)&oldid=121082.

APA style

Zijpp, Nanne van der. (1956). Gerdes, Daniel (1698-1765). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 3 December 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gerdes,_Daniel_(1698-1765)&oldid=121082.

Gerdes, Daniel (1698-1765)

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