Hans Denck
Encyclopedia
Hans Denck was a German theologian and Anabaptist
leader during the Reformation
.
Denck was born in 1495 in the Bavaria
n town of Habach
. After a classical education, he became headmaster at the St. Sebaldus
school in Nuremberg
in 1523. He became involved in the trial of the artist brothers Sebald
and Barthel Beham
, who were expelled from the city in 1524 at the instigation of Andreas Osiander
.
In 1525 he went to Augsburg
and from there he fled to Strasbourg
in 1526 where he stayed with Ludwig Haetzer
, a like-minded Anabaptist. He was also expelled from there, and after a long time of wandering in Southern Germany
and Switzerland
he found refuge with Johannes Oekolampad in Basel
. After attending the Martyrs' Synod
in Augsburg, he returned to Basel where he died in 1527 of bubonic plague
. In his writings he fiercely attacked the reformers; together with Haetzer he translated The Prophets into German (Worms 1527).
as a human product, the individual books being different witnesses of one truth. He did not value the scripture as the source of all true religious knowledge, but also the spirit that spoke from within each person. For Denck the sacrament
s were only symbols: baptism
was a sign of commitment, communion
a ceremony of remembrance.
Denck held that Christ
is the embodiment the perfect person, yet has never separated from God, because he has always done God's will, and serves as model. Luther's
teaching that Christ's death on the cross was for salvation from sins, is in opposition to Denck's world view which saw this as essentially not necessary, because God's perfect love allows all to become blessed.
It it is not clear if Denck's Anti-Trinitarian theology was Arian
, Socinian or Unitarian
in nature.
Joachim Vadian
and Johann Kessler accused Denck of Universalism, but this is unlikely.
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
leader during the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
.
Denck was born in 1495 in the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n town of Habach
Weilheim-Schongau
Weilheim-Schongau is a Kreis in the south of Bavaria, Germany. Neighboring districts are Landsberg, Starnberg, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Ostallgäu.-Geography:...
. After a classical education, he became headmaster at the St. Sebaldus
St. Sebaldus Church
St. Sebaldus Church is a medieval church in Nuremberg, Germany. Along with Frauenkirche and St. Lorenz, it is one of the most important churches of the city, and also one of the oldest. It is located at the Albrecht-Dürer-Platz, in front of the old city hall...
school in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
in 1523. He became involved in the trial of the artist brothers Sebald
Hans Sebald Beham
Hans Sebald Beham was a German printmaker who did his best work as an engraver, and was also a designer of woodcuts and a painter and miniaturist...
and Barthel Beham
Barthel Beham
Barthel Beham was a German engraver, miniaturist and painter.The younger brother of Hans Sebald Beham, he was born into a family of artists in Nuremberg...
, who were expelled from the city in 1524 at the instigation of Andreas Osiander
Andreas Osiander
Andreas Osiander was a German Lutheran theologian.- Career :Born at Gunzenhausen in Franconia, Osiander studied at the University of Ingolstadt before being ordained as a priest in 1520. In the same year he began work at an Augustinian convent in Nuremberg as a Hebrew tutor. In 1522, he was...
.
In 1525 he went to Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
and from there he fled to Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
in 1526 where he stayed with Ludwig Haetzer
Ludwig Haetzer
Ludwig Haetzer was an Anabaptist.Born in Bischofszell, Thurgau, Switzerland, he wrote an article against the uses of images in worship, translated some Latin evangelical texts regarding the conversion of Jews, together with Hans Denck he translated the prophets of the Bible into German and...
, a like-minded Anabaptist. He was also expelled from there, and after a long time of wandering in Southern Germany
Southern Germany
The term Southern Germany is used to describe a region in the south of Germany. There is no specific boundary to the region, but it usually includes all of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, and the southern part of Hesse...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
he found refuge with Johannes Oekolampad in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
. After attending the Martyrs' Synod
Martyrs' Synod
The Martyrs' Synod took place in Augsburg from 20 to 24 August, 1527. The purpose of this meeting, attended by about sixty representatives from different Anabaptist groups, was to come to an agreement over the differences related to the central Anabaptist teachings among the Swiss and south German...
in Augsburg, he returned to Basel where he died in 1527 of bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
. In his writings he fiercely attacked the reformers; together with Haetzer he translated The Prophets into German (Worms 1527).
Theology
For Denck the living, inner word of God was more important than the letters of the Scripture. He thought of the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
as a human product, the individual books being different witnesses of one truth. He did not value the scripture as the source of all true religious knowledge, but also the spirit that spoke from within each person. For Denck the sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
s were only symbols: baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
was a sign of commitment, communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
a ceremony of remembrance.
Denck held that Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
is the embodiment the perfect person, yet has never separated from God, because he has always done God's will, and serves as model. Luther's
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
teaching that Christ's death on the cross was for salvation from sins, is in opposition to Denck's world view which saw this as essentially not necessary, because God's perfect love allows all to become blessed.
It it is not clear if Denck's Anti-Trinitarian theology was Arian
Arian
Arian may refer to:* Arius, a Christian presbyter in the 3rd and 4th century* a given name in different cultures: Aria, Aryan or Arian...
, Socinian or Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
in nature.
Joachim Vadian
Joachim Vadian
Joachim Vadian , born as Joachim von Watt, was a Swiss Humanist and scholar and also mayor and reformer in St. Gallen.-Biography:...
and Johann Kessler accused Denck of Universalism, but this is unlikely.
Selected works
- Von der wahren Liebe. Reprint of the edition Worms 1527. Nördlingen: Uhl 1983.
- Alle Prophetenn Nach Hebräischer Sprache verdeutscht. Translation: Ludwig Hätzer u. Hans Dengk. Augspurg 1530.
-
- Microfiche-edition: The radical Reformation microfiche project [Mikroform]. Section 1, Mennonite and related sources up to 1600. Zug: InterDocumentation Comp., 19XX.
- Micha der Prophet auss rechter Hebraischen sprach verteutsch und wie den H. D. auf diese letste Zeit verglichen hat. Strassburg, circa 1535.
Sources of Anabapist history
- Georg Baring (Hrsg.): Schriften Hans Denck Teil 1. Bibliographie. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann 1955.
- Walter Fellmann (Hrsg.): Schriften Hans Denck Teil 2. Religiöse Schriften. Gütersloh: Bertelsman 1956.
- Walter Fellmann (Hrsg.): Schriften Hans Denck Teil 3. Exegetische Schriften, Gedichte und Briefe. Gütersloh: Mohn 1960.
Denck material
- Ludwig Keller: Ein Apostel der Wiedertaeufer. Leipzig: Hirzel 1882.
- Gerhard Haake: Hans Denk, ein Vorläufer der neueren Theologie: 1495 - 1527. Soltau: Norden 1897.
- Hans Pöhlmann: Die Reformation, das Volk und die Schwarmgeister in Nürnberg: (Hans Sachs, Hans Denk, Sebastian Franck). Nürnberg: Selbstverlag der Vereinigung ev. Akademiker in Nürnberg, Kommissionsverlag der „Fränkischen Wacht“, (1925). Serie Die Reformation in Nürnberg. Vier Vorträge gehalten in der Vereinigung evangelischer Akademiker in Nürnberg. (S. 50 - 64.).
- Otto Erich Vittali: Die Theologie des Wiedertäufers Hans Denck. Offenburg, 1932 (Dissertation Freiburg 1930).
- Georg Baring: Bibliographie der Ausgaben der „Theologia Deutsch“ (1516 - 1961); Ein Beitrag zur Lutherbibliographie mit Faksimileabdruck der Erstausgabe. Baden-Baden: Heitz 1963.
- Clarence Baumann: The spiritual legacy of Hans Denck : interpretation and translation of key texts. Leiden [u.a.]: Brill, 1991. ISBN 90-04-09291-9
- E. J. Furcha: Selected Writings of Hans Denck, 1500-1527 (Texts and Studies in Religion) ISBN 0-88946-833-8
- Rufus M. Jones: Hans Denck and the Inward Word ISBN 1-4253-3586-1
- Selected Writings of Hans Denck ISBN 0-915138-15-8
External links
- Denck, Hans (ca. 1500-1527) in Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online