1764 PA GERMAN Ephrata GNOSTIC Pennsylvania HISTORY American ABDIAS Amish BIBLE


1764 PA GERMAN Ephrata GNOSTIC Pennsylvania HISTORY American ABDIAS Amish BIBLE

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.


Buy Now

1764 PA GERMAN Ephrata GNOSTIC Pennsylvania HISTORY American ABDIAS Amish BIBLE:
$849.99


Von der Historia des apostolischen Kampffs : zehen Bucher, wie sie der Abdias anfanglich in hebraischer Sprache beschrieben, Eutropius aber ins griechische, und Julius Africanus ins lateinische ubersetzt haben. Welchen dann Wolfgangus Lazius aus alten Scribenten auch beygefuget hat das Leben des Apostels Matthaei, und des heiligen Marci, Clementis, Cipriani und Appolinarus ... : Nebst etlichen merckwürdigen Reden Jesu ... : Auch der Marter-Geschichte der heiligen und hochberuhmten ersten Martyrin und apostolischen Jungfrau TheclaAbdias. Ephrata, Pennsylvania: Die Brudderscahfft, 1764. First US EditionThis is a rare first American edition on this work, based on the edition of Wolfgang Lazius, printed at the legendary Ephrata Cloister in PA. The Historia is a work put together in the Middle Ages, a collection of New Testament and the Apocrypha, drawing on much older Apostolic material, replete with ancient texts and traditions (many of them gnostic) from the early Christian period, and consequently of great interest to the pietistic, spiritually-minded Brethren. The interest of the work is due to what the author claims to have drawn from the ancient \'Acta of the Apostles\" and to many ancient legends\" whIch have survived only here. Arndt #284 notes that the AAS copy is incomplete. Abdias, first bishop of Babylon (Obadiah) was said to have been one of the Seventy Apostles mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 10:1-20. He was said to have been the first Bishop of Babylon, and consecrated by Sts. Simon and Jude. Nothing certain is known about him. Abdias is commemorated with a feast day of October 28.Antique volume was rebound sometime in the 20th Century in plain faux leather. Book shows no external wear. Binding is firm. Volume has new endpapers. Former owner\'s name on front paste-down. First title page supplied in facsimile, separate title page and pagination for the 2nd title, \"Des Jungers Nicodemi Evangelium\", Ephrata, 1764. 388/52 pages, paginates complete. Measures 8\" x 5.5\". Mispaginations as noted by ESTC W21010. 388; 52 pages. Colophon for Abdias on p.388. Pages exhibit minor foxing and marginal staining. Last few leaves of Nicodemus chipped, with some old repairs. Tiny hole in one leaf. Text is in German. VERY rare. Good luck!
Ephrata Cloister From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ephrata CloisterU.S. National Register of Historic PlacesU.S. National Historic LandmarkPhotograph of Ephrata Cloister buildings in December 2006Location:Jct. of US 322 and 222, Ephrata, PennsylvaniaArea:30 acres Style ListedGoverning body:Pennsylvania Historical and Museum datesAdded to NRHP:December 24, 1967[1]DesignatedNHL:December 24, 1967[2]Part of a series on theSchwarzenau Brethren(the German Baptists or Dunkers)BackgroundChristianity· Protestantism· Anabaptism· Radical Pietism· Radical ReformationDoctrinal tenetsNon-creedalism· Trine baptism· Love feast· Feet washing· Holy kiss· Free church· Anointing with oil· Non-resistance· Pacifism· The Brethren CardPeopleAlexander Mack· Louis Bauman· Conrad Beissel· Donald F. Durnbaugh· Vernard Eller· Christoph Sauer· John C. WhitcombGroupsBrethren (Ashland) Church· Brethren Reformed Church· Church of the Brethren· Conservative Grace Brethren· Dunkard Brethren· Grace Brethren· Old Brethren German Baptist· Old German Baptist Brethren· Old Order German Baptist Brethren · Old German Baptist Brethren, New ConferenceDefunct groups· Ephrata Cloister· Church of God (New Dunkers)Related movementsAmish· Bruderhof· Community of True Inspiration· Hutterites· Mennonites· River Brethren· Religious Society of Friends· Christian Peacemaker TeamsAnabaptism portal
  • v
  • t
  • e

The Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata, in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The grounds of the community are now owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and are administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Marie Kachel Bucher, the last surviving resident of the Ephrata Cloister, died on July 27, 2008, at the age of 98.[3]


History

The community was descended from the pietistic Schwarzenau Brethren movement of Alexander Mack of Schwarzenau in Germany. The first schism from the general body occurred in 1728—the Seventh Day Dunkers, whose distinctive principle was that the seventh day was true Sabbath.

In 1732, Beissel arrived at the banks of the Cocalico creek, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Around this charismatic leader a semi-monastic community (the Camp of the Solitary) with a convent (the Sister House) and a monastery (the Brother House) was established called Ephrata. The members of the order were celibate. In addition to celibacy, the members believed in strict interpretation of the Bible, and self-discipline. Members were required to sleep on wooden benches 15 inches (380mm) wide, with wooden blocks for pillows. They slept six hours per night, from 9 P.M. to midnight, and from 2 A.M. until 5 A.M., with a two-hour break to \"watch\" for the coming of Christ. They ate one small vegetarian meal a day. The only time the followers of Beissel were permitted to eat meat was during the celebration of communion when lamb was served. The members of the cloister spent much time at work or praying privately. Services every Saturday were led by Beissel, often being several hours long.

During the time that this group formed, there was a hint of dissatisfied intellectualism of churches. Many wanted to be away from state established churches. Strict religious lives caused these brothers and sisters to come together to worship God in other ways. Instead of practicing their religion, they applied it by helping others to become more spiritual and celibate.

Among the sisterhood and brotherhood there included a married order of householders, which were families who supported and engaged in the everyday activities. Other than practicing quiet lives by praying and doing charity work,[4] the Cloisters had a duty and that duty was to keep up with the tasks of living at Ephrata. Farming and industrial work were the typical workload on a daily basis. Although the Cloisters often practiced their religion by interpreting Biblical works, they also engaged in carpentry and papermaking. Other tasks included gardening, preparing meals, and mending.[5] Not only were the cloisters famous for their writings and hymns on the printing press but they became very busy people especially when it came to chores. They manufactured clothing on a mill and kept their lives busy by creating duties and obligations.

The Cloisters had a positive outlook in life; they respected their neighbors, land and Environment. Education was also important in their society. It was important that every child maintain their education. Children that came from families were also encouraged to be educated in the German school. Educating the young was one of the charity works that the Cloisters accomplished. They also helped the poor by passing around bread to the poor families.

Other believing families settled near the community, accepted Beissel as their spiritual leader and worshipped with them on Sabbath. These families made an integral part to the cloister, which could not be self-sustaining without them. The brothers and sisters of Ephrata are famous for their writing and publishing of hymns, and the composition of tunes in four voices. Beissel served as the community\'s composer as well as spiritual leader, and devised his own system of composition. The Ephrata hymnal (words only) was printed in 1747.

The Ephrata Cloister had the second German printing press in the American colonies and also published the largest book in Colonial America. The book, Martyrs Mirror, is a history of the deaths of Christian martyrs from the time of Christ until 1660. Before the publication began at the request of a group of Mennonites from Montgomery County, it had to be translated from the original Holland Dutch into German, which was completed by Peter Miller of the Ephrata Community. Work began in 1748 and was finished about three years later. Many of the books were purchased by the Montgomery County Mennonites who had initiated the process.

The charismatic Beissel died in 1768, and this contributed to a declining membership. The monastic aspect was gradually abandoned, with the last celibate member dying in 1813. In 1814 the Society was incorporated as the German Seventh Day Baptist Church (or The German Religious Society of Seventh Day Baptists). Branches were established in other locations, some still surviving in 2009. In 1941, a 28 acres (110,000m2) Ephrata tract of land with remaining buildings was conveyed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for use as a state historical site. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission led excavations there which, among other things, uncovered of the Cloister\'s use as a Revolutionary War hospital. Of special note, the only glass trumpet of its kind in North America was unearthed by archaeologists in 1998 at the Cloister. The trumpet, which likely came from Germany, was found in excellent condition which led archaeologists to believe it was intentionally buried. The mouthpiece was the only part missing from the trumpet, so it is unknown if it has ever been played.

At its height, the Ephrata community grew to 250 acres (1.0km2) inhabited by about 80 celibate men and women. The married congregation numbered approximately 200.


Roosen, Gerrit (1612-1711)Gerrit Roosen (1612-1711)
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Gerrit Roosen, (Gerhard; he signed one of his writings as Geeritt Roosen), born at Altona, near Hamburg, Germany, on 8 March 1612, died there 20 November 1711, a wealthy businessman; one of the industries in which he was dominant was whaling in the waters of Greenland. He lived on Blömken Street in Hamburg. In 1640 he married Maria (Mayken) Amoury, the daughter of the Mennonite deacon and merchant Hans Amoury. His grandmother had had personal contact with Menno Simons. Through his life of nearly a century Gerrit Roosen spent much of his time, devotion, and money for the Mennonite congregation of Hamburg-Altona. He was chosen as deacon in 1649 and as preacher in 1660. For 50 years he served as preacher and from 1664 as elder, delivering over 700 sermons, and defending his flock in all internal controversies and against all attacks by the Lutheran clergy. At the age of 96 he still administered communion. He began a church record of Hamburg-Altona in 1650 and continued it until he was 88 years old. Besides caring for his own congregation, he gave much attention to the brotherhood in general, traveling through Holstein and the Netherlands and in 1676 visiting the churches in Prussia and Poland with Preacher Jan Sibes Potbacker of Harlingen. During their stay of 42 days they visited the congregations of Orloff, Nieschewski, Montau, Kassou(?), Lunau, Markushof, and Danzig. In all these congregations they administered communion and in some of them they baptized. Roosen was interested in the difficulties of the oppressed Mennonites in Switzerland and the fate of the refugees in the Palatinate. He seems to have promoted the idea of colonizing the Swiss Mennonites in Prussia.

Roosen was a man of deep piety and moderate views. He preached in the Dutch language, but gave his catechetical instruction in German. He published a catechism, Christliches Gemüths-Gespräch von dem geistlichen und seligmachenden Glauben (1st edition 1702; it went through at least 22 editions, from 1857 also in English; see Christliches Gemütsgespräch). It was much used in the congregations of Germany as late as the 19th century. He also published a defense of Mennonitism, which had erroneously been accused of Münsterite tenets. This book bears the title Unschuld und Gegen-Bericht der Evangelischen Tauff-gesinneten Christen, so Mennonisten genandt werden (Ratzeburg, 1702). Parts of this book were published in the Dutch language in Schijn-Maatschoen, Geschiedenis III. This same volume also contained a confession of faith in twelve articles drawn up by Roosen from the Dutch Algemeene Belydenissen. Besides this Roosen published Predigt.. . gehalten am Sonntage nach Ostern in der Tauffgesinneten Gemeine (zu Altona) (Ratzeburg, 1702).

Roosen retired in 1708. On his 98th birthday he presented a manuscript to his relatives and the ministers of the Hamburg-Altona Mennonite congregation, a kind of spiritual testament, in which he rendered an account of his church leadership. Unable to write because of poor vision he dictated it to a friend. This writing was also reproduced by Schijn-Maatschoen, Geschiedenis III.

Roosen made several liberal endowments to the congregation, but he did not forget his home town, partly financing, for example, the tower of St. Michael\'s church (Lutheran) at Hamburg.

Bibliography

Dollinger, Robert. Geschichte der Mennoniten in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg und Lübeck. Neumünster, 1930.

Doopsgezinde Bijdragen (1881): 36 ff., (1882): 41 f.

Doopsgezind Jaarboekje (1840): 64.

Friedmann, R. Mennonite Piety Through the Centuries. Goshen, 1949: 142-51, discusses Gerrit Roosen\'s writings, their background and significance.

Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III, 533 f.

Roosen, B. C. Gerhard Roosen. Hamburg, 1884.

Roosen, B. C. Geschichte der Mennoniten Gemeinde zu Hamburg und Altona I. Hamburg, 1886: 30, 33 f., 41, 44, 46, 55, 57, 61, 64, 73 f.

Hoop Scheffer, Jacob Gijsbert de. Inventaris der Archiefstukken berustende bij de Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente to Amsterdam, 2 vols. Amsterdam: Uitgegeven en ten geschenke aangeboden door den Kerkeraad dier Gemeente, 1883-1884: v. I, Nos. 1357, 1422.

Schijn, Hermann. Aanhangzel Dienende tot den Vervolg of Derde Deel van de Geschiedenis der Mennoniten .. . in het welke noch Negentien Leeraars der Mennoniten . . . Amsterdam: Kornelis de Wit, 1745: 320-431 (with portrait).


1764 PA GERMAN Ephrata GNOSTIC Pennsylvania HISTORY American ABDIAS Amish BIBLE:
$849.99

Buy Now