Brothers

FRATELLI. – 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 Darbists (v.), the other sects bearing this name may 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 or River Brethren (United Brethren in Christ or River Brethren), namely: a) the Brethren in Christ (Brethren in Christ); b) the York Brethren or Brethren of the Old Order (Old Order or Yorker Brethren); c) the United Sion’s Children (United Sion's Children).

I. THE DUNKERS

During the Pietist movement (v. PIETISTO), one of the students at the school of Halle, E. C. Hochmann, withdrew to Schwarzenau and devoted himself to preaching with Alessandro Mack. 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 this Mack baptized all the others, and together they organized a new sect which, because its founders were perhaps the first German Protestants baptized by triple immersion, was called the Taufers, Tunkers, Dunkers, Dunkards, Dompelaars (“immersers”), or also the German Baptist Brethren or the Church of the Brethren. This sect disregards apostolic succession, has no written “creed,” is strict in the conduct of its members, considers the three immersions in Baptism necessary, practices the commandment to wash the feet before Communion, retains Extreme Unction, and is opposed to oaths, war, and the use of liquor. The Dun-
FRATELLI - FRAT. DELL'ISTRUZIONE CRIST. DI S. GABRIELE 1706

The Dunkers were persecuted from their first appearance by the official German Churches. A group of them emigrated to the English colonies of America and settled in 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 formed the sect of the Seventh-day Baptists, so called because they believed that Saturday, rather than Sunday, was the day of rest, the Dunkers remained united for more than a century. The sessions took place chiefly for reasons of discipline. In 1848, in the State of Indiana, the New Dunkers and the 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 largest was that of the primitive Dunkers, which had taken the name Conservative Dunkers.

II. UNITED BRETHREN

The United Brethren in Christ originated among the Swiss Mennonites. In 1751, thirty Mennonite families from Basel, weary of the persecutions they were suffering, 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), Filippo G. Otterbein, a missionary of the German Reformed Church, also arrived there. After studying the new field of activity, he abandoned his sect and, together with the Engle brothers and the two preachers Boehm and Bocham, led the “Great Awakening” of 1770 in the colony of Pennsylvania. Because they were settled on the banks of the Susquehanna River, their followers were called River Brethren and Brethren of the River, although their official name was United Brethren in Christ. Their distinctive doctrine is to regard Jesus Christ as the Prince of Peace and his kingdom as the Kingdom of Peace; consequently, everything that might disturb peace, such as war, etc., must be avoided. Because of certain disagreements concerning this doctrine and 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, led by Maria Brimer, separated from them and called themselves the United Children of Zion. Those who remained faithful to Otterbein’s principles and doctrines retained the name Brethren in Christ. In the official statistics of the United States, the three sects are grouped under the name River Brethren, and all together in 1926 scarcely numbered 6,000 members.