'Origin of the Schwarzenau Brethren' is offered in English translation.

Marcus Meier's new book, "The Origin of the Schwarzenau Brethren," has been published in English as part of the Brethren Encyclopedia's Monograph Series. The book was translated from German by Dennis Slabaugh.

Meier was the keynote speaker for the international celebration of the 300th Anniversary. He is a research fellow at the Institute for European History in Mainz, and a German academic authority on the early Brethren. The book represents a continuing development in Brethren historical studies to seek original European sources of information, according to an announcement by William R. Eberly in the Brethren Encyclopedia newsletter.

"Brethren historiography has gone through several phases," Eberly wrote. "First, M.G. Brumbaugh and other authors reconstructed Brethren history primarily from collected documents available in America.... Donald and Hedda Durnbaugh did extensive research in archives in Germany and uncovered much new information. The first Source Book, 'European Origins of the Brethren,' was ready for the 250th Anniversary in 1958. Now, 50 years later, Marcus Meier has written about still new information on the Schwarzenau Brethren.... It is a very important book for a new era of Brethren historiography."

Order the 236-page volume through Brethren Press for $40 plus shipping and handling, call 800-441-3712.

Source: 9/12/2008 Newsline Extra