Johan Hast (1808-1852), a German Catholic scholar, author of Geschichte der Wiedertäufer zu Münster von ihrem Entstehen zu Zwickau in Sachsen bis auf ihren Sturz zu Münster in Westfalen (Münster, 1836). The reader who judges from the title of the book that this is a traditional treatment of the subject is pleasantly surprised by the contents. Even if the author incorrectly derives the Anabaptists from the Zwickau "prophets" and logically has them end in the Münster revolt, he nevertheless shows an admirable understanding and evaluation of this religious movement, tries to interpret it in the light of its noble religious motives, and describes it (from a Catholic point of view) in a highly objective manner, on the basis of sources, which he, however, unfortunately sometimes fails to cite.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 677. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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