See also:GERMAN BAPTIST BRETHREN, or GERMAN BRETHREN
, a
See also:sect of See also:American See also:Baptists which originated in See also:Germany, and whose members are popularly known in the See also:United States as " Dunkers," " Dunkards " or " Tunkers," corruptions of the See also:German verb tunken, " to See also:dip," in recognition of the sect's continued adherence to the practice of trine See also:immersion
.
The sect was the outcome of one of the many Pietistic movements of the 17th See also:century, and was founded in 1708 by See also:Andrew Mack of Swartzenau, Germany, and seven of his followers, upon the See also:general issue that both the Lutheran and Reformed churches were taking liberties with the literal teachings of the Scriptures
.
The new sect was scarcely organized in Germany when its members were compelled by persecution to take See also:refuge in See also:- HOLLAND
- HOLLAND, CHARLES (1733–1769)
- HOLLAND, COUNTY AND PROVINCE OF
- HOLLAND, HENRY FOX, 1ST BARON (1705–1774)
- HOLLAND, HENRY RICH, 1ST EARL OF (1S9o-,649)
- HOLLAND, HENRY RICHARD VASSALL FOX, 3RD
- HOLLAND, JOSIAH GILBERT (1819-1881)
- HOLLAND, PHILEMON (1552-1637)
- HOLLAND, RICHARD, or RICHARD DE HOLANDE (fl. 1450)
- HOLLAND, SIR HENRY, BART
Holland, whence they emigrated to See also:Pennsylvania, in small companies, between 1719 and 1729
.
The first See also:congregation in See also:America was organized on See also:Christmas See also:Day 1723 by See also:- PETER
- PETER (Lat. Petrus from Gr. irfpos, a rock, Ital. Pietro, Piero, Pier, Fr. Pierre, Span. Pedro, Ger. Peter, Russ. Petr)
- PETER (PEDRO)
- PETER, EPISTLES OF
- PETER, ST
Peter See also:Becker at See also:Germantown, Pennsylvania, and here in 1743 See also:Christopher Sauer, one of the sect's first pastors, and a printer by See also:trade, printed the first See also:Bible (a few copies of which are still in existence) published in a See also:European See also:language in America
.
From Pennsylvania the sect spread chiefly westward, and, after various vicissitudes, caused by defections and divisions due to doctrinal See also:differences, in rgo8 were most numerous in Pennsylvania, See also:Maryland, See also:Virginia, See also:Ohio, See also:Indiana, See also:Illinois, See also:Iowa, See also:Missouri, See also:Nebraska, See also:Kansas and See also:North Dakota
.
There is much uncertainty about the See also:early theological See also:history of the sect, but it is probable that Mack and his followers were influenced by both the See also:Greek Catholics and the Waldensians
.
P
.
H
.
Bashor in his See also:historical See also:sketch, read before the See also:World's See also:Fair See also:Congress of the Brethren See also:- CHURCH
- CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
- CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
- CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
- CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
- CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)
Church (1894), says: "From the history of extended labour by Greek missionaries, from the active propaganda of See also:doctrine by scattered Waldensian refugees, through parts of Germany and See also:Bavaria, from the See also:credence that may generally be given to See also:local tradition, and from the strong similarity between the three churches in general features of circumstantial service, the conclusion, without additional See also:evidence, is both reasonable and natural that the founders of the new church received their teaching, their faith and much of their church See also:idea from intimate acquaintance with the established usages of both See also:societies, and from .their amplification and enforcement by missionaries and pastors
.
.
.
. In doctrine the church has been from the first contentious for believers' See also:baptism, holding that nowhere in the New Testament can be found any authority even by inference, See also:precept or example for the baptism of infants
.
On questions of fundamental doctrine they held to the belief
I1
in one self-existing supreme ruler of the Universe—the Divine binding, tanning, See also:quarrying, and the operation of a saw See also:- MILL
- MILL (O. Eng. mylen, later myln, or miln, adapted from the late Lat. molina, cf. Fr. moulin, from Lat. mola, a mill, molere, to grind; from the same root, mol, is derived " meal;" the word appears in other Teutonic languages, cf. Du. molen, Ger. muhle)
- MILL, JAMES (1773-1836)
- MILL, JOHN (c. 1645–1707)
- MILL, JOHN STUART (1806-1873)
mill Godhead—the See also:Father, the Son and the See also:Holy Spirit—the tri-
See also:personality." Hence their practice of triple immersion, which provides that the See also:candidate shall kneel in the See also:water and be immersed, See also:face first, three times—in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
.
(From this practice the sect received the less commonly used See also:nickname " Dompelaers," meaning " tumblers.") They accept implicitly and literally the New Testament as the infallible See also:guide in spiritual matters, holding it to be the inspired word of See also:God, revealed through Jesus See also:Christ and, by See also:inspiration, through the Apostles
.
They also believe in the inspiration of the Old Testament
.
In their celebration of the communion service they aim exactly, to imitate the forms observed by Christ
.
It is celebrated in the evening, and is accompanied by the See also:ancient love feast (partaken by all communicants seated at a See also:common table), by the ceremony of the washing of feet and by the salutation of the holy See also:kiss, the three last-named ceremonies being observed by the sexes separately
.
They pray over their sick and, when so requested, anoint them with oil
.
They are rigid non-resistants, and will not See also:bear arms or study the See also:art of See also:war; they refuse to take oaths, and discountenance going to See also:law over issues that can possibly be settled out of the courts
.
The taking of See also:interest was at first forbidden, but that See also:prohibition is not now insisted upon
.
They " testify " against the use of intoxicating liquor and See also:tobacco, and See also:advocate simplicity in See also:dress
.
In its earlier history the sect opposed voting or taking any active See also:part in See also:political affairs, but these restrictions have quite generally disappeared
.
Similarly the earlier See also:prejudice against higher See also:education, and the See also:maintenance of institutions for that purpose, has given See also:place to greater liberality along those lines
.
In 1782 the sect forbade slaveholdizg by its members
.
The church See also:officers (generally unpaid) comprise bishops (or ministers), elders, teachers, deacons (or visiting brethren) and deaconesses—chiefly aged See also:women who are permitted at times to take leading parts in church services
.
The bishops are chosen from the teachers; they are itinerant, conduct See also:marriage and funeral services, and are See also:present at communions, at ordinations, when deacons are chosen or elected, and at trials for the ex-communication of members
.
The elders are the first or See also:oldest teachers of congregations, for which there is no See also:regular See also:bishop
.
They have See also:charge of the meetings of such congregations, and participate in See also:excommunication proceedings, besides which they preach, exhort, baptize, and may, when needed, take the offices of the deacons
.
The teachers, who are chosen by See also:vote, may also exhort or preach, when their services are needed for such purposes, and may, at the See also:request of a bishop, perform marriage or baptismal ceremonies
.
The deacons have general oversight of the material affairs of the congregation, and are especially charged with the care of poor widows and their See also:children
.
In the See also:discharge of these duties they are expected to visit each See also:family in the congregation at least once a See also:year
.
The See also:government of the church is chiefly according to the congregational principle, and the women have an equal See also:voice with the men; but See also:annual meetings, attended by the bishops, teachers and other delegates from the several congregations are held, and at these sessions the larger questions involving church polity are considered and decided by a See also:committee of five bishops
.
An early See also:secession from the general See also:body of Dunkers was that of the Seventh Day Dunkers, whose distinctive principle was that the seventh day was the true See also:Sabbath
.
Their founder was Johann See also:Conrad Beissel (1690-1768), a native of See also:Eberbach and one of the first emigrants, who, after living as a See also:hermit for several years on Mill See also:Creek, See also:Lancaster See also:county, Pennsylvania, founded the sect (1725), then again lived as a hermit in a See also:cave.' (formerly occupied by another hermit, one Elimelech) on the Cocalico Creek in Pennsylvania, and in 1732-1735 established a semi-monastic community (the " See also:- ORDER
- ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
- ORDER, HOLY
Order of the Solitary ") with a See also:convent (the " See also:Sister See also:House ") and a monastery (the " See also:Brother House ") at Ephrata, in what is now Lancaster county, about 55 M
.
W. by N. from See also:Philadelphia
.
Among the See also:industries of the men were See also:printing (in both See also:English and German); See also:book-
a bark mill, and perhaps a pottery; the women did See also:embroidery, quilting, and See also:engrossing in a beautiful but See also:peculiar See also:hand, known as Fracturschrift.' The monastic feature was gradually abandoned, and in 1814 the Society was incorporated as the Seventh Day Baptists, its affairs being placed in the hands of a See also:board of trustees
.
More important in the history of the See also:modern church was the secession, in the See also:decade between 188o and 1890, of the Old Order Brethren, who opposed See also:Sunday See also:Schools and the missionary See also:work of the Brethren, in See also:Asia See also:Minor and See also:India, and in several European countries; and also in 1882 of the radicals, or Progressives, who objected to a distinctive dress and to the See also:absolute supremacy of the yearly conferences
.
Higher education was See also:long forbidden and is consistently opposed by the Old Order
.
The same See also:element in the Brethren opposed a See also:census, but according to See also:Howard See also:Miller's census of 188o (See also:Record of the Faithful) the number of Dunkers was 59,749 in that year; by the United States census of 1890 it was then 73,795; the figures for 1904 are given by See also:- HENRY
- HENRY (1129-1195)
- HENRY (c. 1108-1139)
- HENRY (c. 1174–1216)
- HENRY (Fr. Henri; Span. Enrique; Ger. Heinrich; Mid. H. Ger. Heinrich and Heimrich; O.H.G. Haimi- or Heimirih, i.e. " prince, or chief of the house," from O.H.G. heim, the Eng. home, and rih, Goth. reiks; compare Lat. rex " king "—" rich," therefore " mig
- HENRY, EDWARD LAMSON (1841– )
- HENRY, JAMES (1798-1876)
- HENRY, JOSEPH (1797-1878)
- HENRY, MATTHEW (1662-1714)
- HENRY, PATRICK (1736–1799)
- HENRY, PRINCE OF BATTENBERG (1858-1896)
- HENRY, ROBERT (1718-1790)
- HENRY, VICTOR (1850– )
- HENRY, WILLIAM (1795-1836)
Henry See also:- KING
- KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
- KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
- KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
- KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
- KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
- KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
- KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
- KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
- KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
- KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
- KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)
King See also:Carroll in his " See also:Statistics of the Churches " in the See also:Christian Advocate (See also:Jan
.
5, 1905): Conservatives, or German Baptist Brethren, 95,000; Old Order, 4000; Progressives or Brethren, 15,000; Seventh Day, 194; See also:total, 114,194
.
In 1909 the German Baptist Brethren had an estimated membership of approximately 1oo,000, and the Brethren of 18,000
.
The See also:main body, or Conservatives, support schools at See also:Huntingdon, Pennsylvania; Mt
.
See also:Morris, Illinois; Lordsburg,- See also:California; McPherson, Kansas; See also:Bridgewater, Virginia; See also:Canton, Ohio; See also:Chicago, Illinois; North See also:Manchester, Indiana; See also:Plattsburg, Missouri; Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania; See also:Union See also:Bridge, Maryland; and Fruitdale, See also:Alabama
.
They have a See also:publishing house at See also:Elgin, Illinois, and maintain See also:missions in See also:Denmark, See also:Sweden, See also:France, See also:Italy, India and See also:China
.
The Progressives have a See also:college, a theological See also:seminary and a publishing house at See also:Ashland, Ohio; and they carry on missionary work in See also:Canada, See also:South America and See also:Persia
.
AuTHoruTIEs.—See also:Lamech and See also:Agrippa, Chronicon Ephratense, in German (Ephrata, See also:Penn., 1786) and in English (Lancaster, 1889) ; G
.
N
.
Falkenstein, " The German Baptist Brethren, or Dunkers," part 8 of " Pennsylvania: The German See also:Influence in its See also:Settlement and Development," in vol. x. of the Pennsylvania German Society, Proceedings and Addresses (Lancaster, Penn., 1900); See also:Julius See also:Friedrich Sachse, The German Sectarians of Pennsylvania, 1742–z800: A See also:Critical and Legendary History of the Ephrata See also:Cloister and the Dunkers (Philadelphia, 1900) ; and See also:John See also:Lewis Gillin, The Dunkers: A Sociological See also:- INTERPRETATION (from Lat. interpretari, to expound, explain, inter pres, an agent, go-between, interpreter; inter, between, and the root pret-, possibly connected with that seen either in Greek 4 p4'ew, to speak, or irpa-rrecv, to do)
Interpretation (New See also:York, 1906), a See also:doctor's dissertation, with full bibliography
.
End of Article: