Figken, Benedikt (1625-1693)
Benedikt Figken, a Protestant clergyman in Danzig, was the author of a peculiar book, Historia Fanaticorum oder eine vollkommene Relation und Wissenschaft von den alten Anabaptisten und newen Quäkern, with a Zugabe was mit etzlichen Quäkern hiesiges Ortes . . . passiert ist (Danzig, 1664; second edition, 1701). This book is the translation of an English book by R. Blome, The Fanatic History or an Exact Relation and Account of the Old Anabaptists and New Quakers (London, 1660), the first 65 pages of which are a reprint of an anonymous booklet published in London in 1642, A Short History of the Anabaptists of High and Low Germany. This book presents utter nonsense as historical truth, relating with relish and in great detail the abominations of Münster; it does not mention Menno Simons, and barely touches Melchior Hoffman's work. It tells terrible but contradictory stories about the Mennonites in Amsterdam and Switzerland. It is incomprehensible that all of this could be printed, and it is regrettable that the book is cited and used as an authentic source.
Bibliography
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 v. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. I, 643.
| Author(s) | Christian Neff |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Neff, Christian. "Figken, Benedikt (1625-1693)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Figken,_Benedikt_(1625-1693)&oldid=94631.
APA style
Neff, Christian. (1956). Figken, Benedikt (1625-1693). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Figken,_Benedikt_(1625-1693)&oldid=94631.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 327. All rights reserved.
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