Peter Nead (7 January 1796 – 16 March 1877) was an American preacher in the German Baptist Brethren church that descended from the

Schwarzenau Brethren The Schwarzenau Brethren, the German Baptist Brethren, Dunkers, Dunkard Brethren, Tunkers, or sometimes simply called the German Baptists, are an Anabaptist group that dissented from Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed European state churches ...

. He wrote several theological works, which were (and remain) influential in the

Old German Baptist Brethren The Old German Baptist Brethren (OGBB) is a Schwarzenau Brethren denomination of Anabaptist Christianity. It emerged from a division among the Schwarzenau Brethren in 1881 and is aligned with Old Order Anabaptism. The Schwarzenau Brethren trad ...

and related churches, perhaps the most prominent being "A Vindication of Primitive Christianity."

Life

Nead was born in

Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. The population was 43,527 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland's List of municipalities in Maryland, sixth-most popu ...

, and was raised as a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

. His family wanted him to become a Lutheran preacher, but he instead chose to learn the trade of a tanner. He later converted to the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

church, but then after reading a pamphlet from the Brethren church converted to that faith, and soon took up preaching. In 1825 he married Elizabeth Yount, originally of

Rockingham County, Virginia Rockingham County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 83,757. Its county seat is the Independent city (United States), independent city ...

. He resided at the Tunker House until 1839. He later relocated to

Augusta County, Virginia Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and ...

, then

Botetourt County Botetourt County ( ) is a US county that lies in the Roanoke Region of Virginia. Located in the mountainous portion of the state, the county is bordered by two major ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. Botetourt Co ...

, and finally settled in 1850 near

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, where remained until his death, preaching at the Lower Stillwater church.

Ministry

Nead was known as the "English preacher" because of his ability to preach in English. Ultimately his greatest impact was in his writings, as books and pamphlets could travel many places where he could not. In 1833 he published "A Vindication of Primitive Christianity," which was widely read. In 1845 he published "Baptism for the Remission of Sins." Both of these works were published together in 1850 as "Nead's Theological Works." His last book, "The Wisdom and Power of God, as Displayed in Creation and Redemption," was published in 1866. He assisted in launching and was a frequent contributor to the church periodical ''The Vindicator,'' which was largely devoted to advocating against progressive reformation of the Anabaptist church.

Citations

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nead, Peter 1796 births 1877 deaths 19th-century Anabaptist ministers American Brethren American people of German descent American theologians Anabaptist theologians Anabaptist writers Clergy of Brethren denominations People from Hagerstown, Maryland