Publications

Friesen: Major Publications, with reviews

· “The Marxist Interpretation of the Reformation,” Archive for Reformation History, 1973, 34-54. Requested by the editor of Soundings, Sallie Te Selle but published in the Archive for Reformation History because, as Editor Te Selle observed: “As soon as I got into it a few pages [I realized] that it is magnificent – but not for Soundings . . .” 

· Book: Reformation and Utopia: the Marxist Interpretation of the Reformation and its Antecedents, (Steiner, 1974). W. L. Morton, Manitoba’s greatest historian: “I think your book a major achievement and quite understand why it has won you the reputation it has. I make no comment on the subject, of course, but I did greatly admire the skill and control with which you developed a complex and intricate argument.”

Peter C. Erb, Director of Library and Archives, Conrad Grebel College:

“A brief personal note: My thanks for the several hours of excitement I enjoyed with your book Reformation and Utopia.”

Prof. Dr. Martin Brecht, University of Münster, Germany, March 4, 1975. Translated from the German. “While on vacation I have, in the past few days, read your beautiful nook on Wilhelm Zimmermann and The Marxist Interpretation of the Reformations. I can only congratulate you on the result and wish and hope that the work will accomplish its critical purpose.”

·       Thomas Müntzer, A Destroyer of the Godless (Univ. of California Press, 1990). Hans Hillerbrand, Duke University: “Uncommonly exciting . . .”

Review by Anthony Grafton in the New Republic, March 18, 1991: “Friesen’s book is revisionist at its core.” P. 44.

·       Erasmus, the Anabaptists and the Great Commission (Wm. B. Eerdmans 1998).

Robert H. Gundry, Westmont College:

“A world-class historian here makes a contribution that will be of great interest not only to his fellow historians but also to biblical scholars.” Wm. R Estep, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: “For anyone interested in the origins and/or the intellectual sources of sixteenth-century Anabaptism, this book is indispensable.”

·       In Defense of Privilege: Russian Mennonites and the State before and during World War I (Kindred Press, 2006. Abe Dueck, Executive Secretary Historical Commission Mennonite Brethren Churches of North America.

“This account is a truly fascinating one which will most certainly intrigue the scholar and the general reader alike.”

·       Menno Simons, Dutch Reformer between Luther, Erasmus, and the Holy Spirit (Xlibris, 2015: Paul Toews, Prof. of History Emeritus, Fresno Pacific University.

“Menno Simons has long awaited a masterful study. Friesen’s Menno Simons will quickly become the definitive intellectual biography of this important sixteenth-century reformer who has historically been misrepresented by friend and foe alike. This is a work of impressive erudition that clears away centuries of historiographical debris.” Malcolm Yarnell, Professor of Systematic theology and Director of the Oxford Study Program, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. “Menno Simons has been misrepresented for too long by too many, so much so that only a dedicated genius could untangle the convoluted historiography and properly redraw the lineaments of Menno’s life and thought. In Abraham Friesen we finally have our master. Herein a lifetime of recognized scholarship has been judiciously focused on carefully discerning and properly representing the context, life, and legacy of his subject.”

·       History and Renewal in the Anabaptist/Mennonite Tradition (North Newton, KS,       1994). The Menno Simons lectures, Bethel College, 1992.

·       Reformers, Radicals, Revolutionaries: Anabaptism in the Context of the Reformation Conflict (Elkhart, IN, 2012). The Day-Higgenbotham lectures, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008.

Caught between Christ and Christendom:

Review by John M. Lederach,  PhD

“Wow! What a book! Over the past several weeks I’ve been reading your book – sometimes closely, sometimes skipping around, reflecting and flipping back and forth through the pages. I want you to know how deeply impressed I am by the depth of your scholarship and the immense effort you poured into this work. It is nothing short of outstanding.

Thank you for sending me this rich and expansive work. Your book is a gift – filled with theological and historical insight, and written with care, clarity, and a deep love for its subject. It is truly a remarkable contribution to understanding the complexity and spirit of the sixteenth century.

Books on a shelf showcasing all the works created.