Beissel, Johann Conrad, a German minister, was born at Eberbach, in the Palatinate, in 1690. He studied at Halle, but, having joined the Dunkers, was obliged to remove to America, and came to Pennsylvania in 1720. He there became the founder of a religious community at Ephrata, Lancaster Co., over which he presided about thirty years. He established the new sect of Seventh-day Dunkers or German Seventh-day Baptists. Among his publications are hymn-books in German and Latin, and ninety-nine mystical oracles. He died at Ephrata in 1768.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More