Dirk Philips (1504–1568) was an early

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...

writer and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. He was one of the peaceful disciples of

Melchior Hoffman Melchior Hoffman (or Hofmann; byname: ''Pel(t)zer'' "furrier"; c. 1495c. 1543) was an Anabaptist prophet and a visionary leader in northern Germany and the Netherlands. Life Hoffman was born at Schwäbisch Hall in southwest Germany before 15 ...

and later joined

Menno Simons Menno Simons (1496 – 31 January 1561) was a Roman Catholic priest from the Friesland region of the Low Countries who was excommunicated from the Catholic Church and became an influential Anabaptist religious leader. Simons was a contemporary o ...

Gunnar Westin, ''Vapaan kristillisyyden historia'', s. 203. in laying out practical doctrines for what would become the

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

church.

Biography

Dirk Philips was born in

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 123,107 (2019). It is the provincial capital and seat of the ...

in 1504, the son of a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

(it was not uncommon at the time for a priest to have unofficial wives and families). He was a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

friar. He joined the

Brotherhood in 1533 and became an elder in 1534. In 1537, he was named one of the outstanding Anabaptist leaders. In 1561, he was described as an old man, not very tall, with a grey beard and white hair. He died in Het Falder in 1568.

Beliefs

He was the leading

of his time among

Dutch Mennonites Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

. He was known to be very systematic in his thinking, and very strict and unwavering in his beliefs. There were two key themes to his theology: the word of

scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

, and the word

incarnate Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. Like other Anabaptists, he gave Christ pre-eminence. He was not as charming or friendly as Menno Simons. He identifies seven ordinances of the church: *Pure

doctrine Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...

*Scriptural use of the

sacraments A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the real ...

* Washing the feet of the saints *Separation (the ban and

shunning Shunning can be the act of social rejection, or emotional distance. In a religious context, shunning is a formal decision by a denomination or a congregation to cease interaction with an individual or a group, and follows a particular set of rule ...

) *Command of love *Obedience to the command of Christ *Suffering and

persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

He believed in strict adherence to the ban or shunning. This is when open

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

ners are expelled from the church until they

repent Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...

. He felt this was necessary in order to maintain the purity of the church. His emphasis on the ban and the purity of the community makes Dirk Philips' writings more popular with the

Old Order Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite church ...

. He believed in the absolute opposition between the church and the world, and therefore that believers should expect

References

External links

Philips: The Sending of Preachers or Teachers
- essay by Dirk Philips on Anabaptist evangelism

in ''Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Philips, Dirk 1504 births 1568 deaths Dutch Protestant theologians People from Leeuwarden Dutch Anabaptists Dutch Mennonites Dutch Christian pacifists 16th-century Protestant theologians 16th-century Anabaptist ministers

Biography

Beliefs

See also

References

External links