Hans Denck: Scripture, conscience, and discipleship

Hans Denck was educated in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew and worked in printing before becoming rector of St. Sebald School in Nuremberg. His understanding of faith brought him into conflict with the city’s clergy. In January 1525 he was banished after submitting confessions concerning his beliefs, including baptism and communion.

Denck later lived at Augsburg, where he became a leader among the Anabaptists and baptized Hans Hut in 1526. He emphasized the inward work of God and a life transformed in obedience, while relating outward baptism to a covenant with God. His brief life ended with the plague at Basel in November 1527. The supplied chart places his influence alongside other early teachers rather than giving his name to a surviving denomination.