Donald F. Durnbaugh's seminal work traces the history of the Church of the Brethren to its European origins in the early 18th century. Through a collection of primary sources and insightful analysis, Durnbaugh provides a comprehensive understanding of the origins and evolution of this influential religious movement. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Brethren Beginnings is a narrative story of the origin of the Brethren that most appropriately accompanies the author's popular European Origins (1958). Although the present manuscript was completed in 1960, it has been edited and supplemented with an extensive preface, which updates the scholarship on Brethren origins to 1992. Copious footnotes and a comprehensive list of sources make this volume especially valuable for advanced students and scholars. Hundreds of entries in the index make the book very useful for all readers.

Pietism is increasingly recognized as the most important movement in Protestant Christianity since the Reformation of the sixteenth century. Simply put, early Protestant reformers were concerned with reforming the doctrine and beliefs of Christians whereas the Pietiest leaders were concerned with reforming the lives and behavior of Christians. This, coupled with other disagreements, led to calls for separation, which in turn gave rise to the movement best described as radical Pietism. German Radical Pietism introduces the English reader to the research of the major contemporary scholar of radical Pietism, Hans Schneider. Originally appearing in the comprehensive study of the history of Pietism that appeared in the 1990s, Schneider's research considers historical treatment of the major figures, movements, and ideas of the radical wing of German Pietism in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. These developments are set in their historical and social contexts, thereby providing the first definitive treatment in English of this movement as a whole. Radical Pietism's seminal role in the emergence of modern religious communities—including Quakers, Brethren, and precursors of contemporary United Methodism, as well as a range of perfectionist communities in early American history—has only begun to be adequately assessed, and this study should be a critical resource in furthering that research. This work is one of the few studies available in English that addresses the important German historical work on Pietism from the late twentieth century. A definitive bibliography of recent research in radical Pietism is included to provide further reading on this important topic.