Daniel Gerdes () (19 April 1698,

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

– 11 February 1765) was a German Calvinist theologian and historian. He became professor at the

University of Duisburg The old University of Duisburg was a university in Duisburg, Germany. History Its origins date back to the 1555 decision to create a university for the unified duchies at the Lower Rhine that were later to be merged into Prussia. After the foundati ...

in 1726, and at the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; , abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen, Netherlands. Founded in 1614, th ...

in 1736. While broadly supporting Protestant

freedom of conscience Freedom of conscience is the freedom of an individual to act upon their moral beliefs. In particular, it often refers to the freedom to ''not do'' something one is normally obliged, ordered or expected to do. An individual exercising this freedom m ...

, Gerdes drew a line in his attacks on the

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

minister Johannes Stinstra. In that case Gerdes used the views of Samuel Werenfels, tolerant and well thought of by

Benjamin Hoadley Benjamin Hoadly (14 November 167617 April 1761) was an England, English clergyman, who was successively Bishop of Bangor, Bishop of Hereford, of Hereford, Bishop of Salisbury, of Salisbury, and finally Bishop of Winchester, of Winchester. He i ...

, to condemn Stinstra.

Works

*''Historia Reformatis'' (4 vols., 1744–52) *''Scrinium Antiquarium'' (4 vols., 1749–65) *''Specimen Italiae Reformatae'' (1765)

Notes

External links

WorldCat pageCERL page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerdes, Daniel 1698 births 1765 deaths German Calvinist and Reformed theologians 18th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians Academic staff of the University of Groningen 18th-century German Protestant theologians German male non-fiction writers Writers from Bremen (city) 18th-century German male writers