Brothers

BROTHERS. - A name common to numerous Protestant sects. Besides the Bohemian Brethren (v.), the Moravian Brethren (v.), the Brethren of Christ or Christadelphians (v.) and the Plymouth Brethren or Darbyites (v.), the other sects bearing this name can be divided into two groups: 1st group: those deriving from the German Baptist Brethren (German Baptist Brethren or Dunkers), namely: a) the Church of the Brethren (Church of the Brethren, Conservative Dunkers); b) the Old German Baptist Brethren (Old German Baptist Brethren); c) the Brethren Church (The Brethren Church, Progressive Dunkers); d) the Church of God (Church of God, New Dunkers); e) the Seventh Day Baptists (Seventh Day Baptists); 2nd group: those deriving from the United Brethren in Christ (United Brethren in Christ) or River Brethren (River Brethren), namely: a) the Brethren in Christ (Brethren in Christ); b) the Yorker Brethren or Old Order Brethren (Old Order or Yorker Brethren); c) the United Sion's Children (United Sion's Children).

I. THE DUNKERS

During the Pietist movement (v. PIETISM) one of the students of the school of Halle, E. C. Hochmann, withdrew to Schwarzenau, and together with Alexander Mack devoted himself to preaching. In 1908 eight companions of Mack went with him to the banks of the river Eder (Westphalia); and one of them, chosen by lot, led Mack to the river and immersed him three times, baptizing him in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. After that Mack baptized all the others, and all together they organized a new sect, which, from the fact that its founders were perhaps the first German Protestants baptized with the triune immersion, was called that of the Taufers, Tunkers, Dunkers, Dunkards, Dompelaars ("dippers"), or also German Baptist Brethren or Church of the Brethren. This sect disregards apostolic succession, has no written "creed," is strict in the conduct of its members, believes the three immersions in Baptism to be necessary, practices the mandate of washing the feet before Communion, retains Extreme Unction and is opposed to oaths, to war and to the use of liquor. The Dunkers from their first appearance were persecuted by the official German Churches. A group of them emigrated to the English colonies of America, and settled at Germantown in the colony of Pennsylvania (1719). Ten years later it was followed by another group led by Mack, and the sect disappeared from Europe. Except for a small group, which in 1728 separated and forms the sect of the Seventh Day Baptists, so called because they believed that Saturday and not Sunday was the day of rest, the Dunkers remained united for more than a century. The secessions occurred above all for reasons of discipline. In 1848 in the State of Indiana the New Dunkers and Church of God separated, in 1881 the Old Order German Baptist Brethren, and in 1882 The Brethren Church Progressive Dunkers. In 1926 all these sects had only 158,248 members, and the most numerous was that of the primitive Dunkers, which had taken the name of Conservative Dunkers.

II. UNITED BROTHERS

The United Brethren in Christ originated from the Swiss Mennonites. In 1751 thirty Mennonite families of Basel, weary of the persecutions they suffered, moved first to England and the following year to North America, where, led by the Engle brothers, they settled near the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. In the same year (1752) Philip G. Otterbein, a missionary of the German Reformed Church, also arrived there. After studying the new field of action, he abandoned his sect, and in union with the Engle brothers and with the two preachers Boehm and Bocham, he directed the "great awakening" of 1770 in the colony of Pennsylvania. Their followers, because they were settled on the banks of the Susquehanna River, called themselves River Brethren and Brethren of the River, although the official name was United Brethren in Christ. They hold as a special doctrine that of considering Jesus Christ as the Prince of Peace and his kingdom as the Kingdom of Peace, so that everything that might disturb peace, such as war, etc., must be avoided. Because of certain discrepancies over this doctrine and over the manner of administering Baptism, in 1843 some separated and formed the sect of the York Brethren or of the old order; and in 1853 others separated from it, led by Maria Brimer, who called themselves United Children of Zion. Those who remained faithful to the principles and doctrines of Otterbein kept the name Brethren in Christ. The three sects, in the official statistics of the United States, are grouped under the name River Brethren, and all together in 1926 they barely reached 6000 members.

Camillo Crivelli