Nanne van der Zijpp

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Nanne van der Zijpp (born April 2, 1900 in Warns , Friesland , † January 22, 1965 ) was a Mennonite theologian and church historian .

Life

Nanne van der Zijpp graduated from the humanistic grammar school in Sneek, Frisia, and studied theology from 1920 to 1925 at the Theological Seminary of the Dutch Mennonites and at the University of Amsterdam . He then worked as a pastor in the Mennonite parishes in Zijldijk (1926–1928), Joure (1928–1940), Almelo (1940–1946) and Rotterdam (1946–1964). Already in his early days as a pastor he made contact with Quakers and American Mennonites and began to address the issue of Christian pacifism and to get involved in the Dutch peace movement. In 1928 he published his first study on the early Anabaptists and their relationship to military service ( De Vroege doopsgezindenen en de krijgsdienst ). In the following years he concentrated increasingly on his historical work, especially on Menno Simons . In 1936 he gave one of the main speeches at the Mennonite World Conference on Menno Simons held in Amsterdam . Van der Zijpp was also involved in the drafting of the Mennonite Lexicon , to which he himself contributed several articles. Later he was also involved in the work on the North American Mennonite Encyclopedia . During the Second World War , van der Zijpp developed an extensive archiving system that formed the basis for many of his later publications. After the war he was chairman of the community assembly movement for some time. In addition, he was committed to Russian Mennonite refugees and youth work. In 1948 van der Zijpp joined the Mennonite Theological Seminary and gave lectures on the history of the Anabaptist movement and Mennonites. In 1952 he wrote a monograph on the history of the Dutch Anabaptists ( Geschiedenis der doopsgezinden in Nederland ), which was the first work of this kind. Two years later, his position was converted into a permanent lectureship, which in turn became a professorship in 1964. However, shortly before his inaugural lecture, van der Zijpp died unexpectedly after an operation that had recently been carried out.

Nanne van der Zijpp had been married to Antje Alberda since 1925 and had three children. Throughout his life he had a strong bond with his Frisian homeland. As an Anabaptist researcher, he wrote no fewer than 500 articles and scriptures.

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personal data
SURNAME Zijpp, Nanne van der
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Frisian theologian and church historian
DATE OF BIRTH April 2, 1900
PLACE OF BIRTH Nijefurd , Friesland
DATE OF DEATH January 22, 1965