The Sabbatarian interpretation of Christianity has deep roots in both the history and theology of Protestantism. Drawing on sources which have been largely overlooked, Liechty presents a compelling outline of sixteenth-century Sabbatarian thought and practice as an extension of the Reformation urge to restore the church to its foundations in biblical and primitive Christianity. More than simply a historical relic, sixteenth-century Sabbatarianism is profoundly instructive for modern Christians who have become sensitive to the sordid history of Christian persecution of Judaism.

A follow up to his 1988 book Andreas Fischer and the Sabbatarian Anabaptists, Liechty examines an almost unknown phase of Reformation history. He considers two distinct Sabbatarian groups: the radical wing of Anabaptism, and a radical wing of Unitarianism in Transylvania. This work is of special interest to 16th-century historians, persons interested in Christian/Jewish issues and Reformation history, and modern Sabbatarians such as Seventh-day Adventists.