Durnbaugh, Donald F. (1927-2005)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2005 Sep 5 p. 6

Birth date: 1927

text of obituary:

Brethren historian of Anabaptism dies

By Robert Rhodes

Mennonite Weekly Review

HUNTINGDON, Pa. — Donald F. Durnbaugh, a Church of the Brethren historian considered the dean of scholars on Anabaptist and Pietist history, died Aug. 27 in a Newark, N. J., hospital. He was 78.

Durnbaugh, of Huntingdon, had become ill during a trip to Europe. After flying back to the United States, he went directly to a hospital, where he died of undisclosed causes.

"He was the dean and pre-eminent scholar of Brethren history," said sociologist Donald Kraybill of Elizabethtown College. "As editor of the Brethren Encyclopedia and author of many books and articles on Brethren history, he laid a solid foundation for the current generation of scholars. He developed Brethren awareness of their connectedness to the Anabaptist influences in their history."

Kraybill said Durnbaugh — who had been a professor at Juniata College, Bethany theological Seminary and Elizabethtown — was "a superb scholar and a gracious colleague who was deeply committed to the church and gave himself tirelessly for many projects to advance the historical awareness of not only the Church of the Brethren but the Anabaptist and Pietist heritage in general."

Among Durnbaugh's books were On Earth Peace, Fruit of the Vine: A History of the Brethren and The Believer's Church: The History and character of Radical Protestantism.

Durnbaugh edited the three-volume Brethren Encyclopedia, published in 1983-84. A fourth volume, co-edited by Durnbaugh, Dale Ulrich and Carl Bowman, will appear in late 2005 or 2006.

Durnbaugh taught history at Juniata from 1958-62, before teaching church history at Bethany from 1962-88. He taught religion at Juniata for another year in 1988, after which he became a professor of history and religion at Elizabethtown from 1989 until his retirement in 1993. Since then, Durnbaugh served as Juniata's archivist.

During his tenure at Elizabethtown, Durnbaugh helped establish the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, where he convened the first Brethren World Assembly in 1992.

Retired Goshen (Ind.) College history professor Theron Schlabach said Durnbaugh brought a wealth of knowledge to his work.

"He was very hard-working and thorough in his research, wrote clearly, intelligently and reliably from vast knowledge and had good contacts in Europe as well as in America," Schlabach said.

Born in 1927, Durnbaugh earned a bachelor's degree in history at Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., a master's degree at the University of Michigan and a doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania.

Durnbaugh is survived by his wife, Hedwig, two sons, Paul Berger-Durnbaugh and Christopher Raschka; and a daughter Renate Durnbaugh.

Funeral arrangements had not been announced Aug. 30.