ABSTRACT A distinctive feature of life in early Moravian Bethlehem was the common household or “G... more ABSTRACT A distinctive feature of life in early Moravian Bethlehem was the common household or “General Economy.” From the beginning of the General Economy in 1742 until its end in 1762, every resident of Bethlehem worked for the common good without pay. In return, the community provided food, lodging, and clothing. At its height, more than 1,000 people were part of the General Economy. Much detail is known about how the General Economy functioned. Less is known about the reasons why Moravians practiced a common household, and where the idea for the Economy originated. Through a close reading of relevant texts and by comparing Bethlehem with other Moravian communities of the time, the author argues that the General Economy was very much part of the ideology of the early Moravians who followed the example of other radical Pietists of the time by separating from the established church and striving to gather true believers and organize them according to the example set by the early Christians. Practicing a common household was considered to be a high (but not necessary) goal of true Christianity.
ABSTRACT A distinctive feature of life in early Moravian Bethlehem was the common household or “G... more ABSTRACT A distinctive feature of life in early Moravian Bethlehem was the common household or “General Economy.” From the beginning of the General Economy in 1742 until its end in 1762, every resident of Bethlehem worked for the common good without pay. In return, the community provided food, lodging, and clothing. At its height, more than 1,000 people were part of the General Economy. Much detail is known about how the General Economy functioned. Less is known about the reasons why Moravians practiced a common household, and where the idea for the Economy originated. Through a close reading of relevant texts and by comparing Bethlehem with other Moravian communities of the time, the author argues that the General Economy was very much part of the ideology of the early Moravians who followed the example of other radical Pietists of the time by separating from the established church and striving to gather true believers and organize them according to the example set by the early Christians. Practicing a common household was considered to be a high (but not necessary) goal of true Christianity.
In 1815 the Moravian women in Nazareth replaced their traditional Moravian bonnets and with more ... more In 1815 the Moravian women in Nazareth replaced their traditional Moravian bonnets and with more contemporary headgear. This article places these actions in the context of a changing Moravian Church during the early republic. The events of 1815 reveal how Moravians were becoming Americanized and how they developed different expectations regarding personal freedom versus church control. The Haube Revolt may be seen against the backdrop of a growing sense of American liberty and national pride, fed by the changing tide of the War of 1812.
Chapter Six The Role and Development of Brass Music in the Moravian Church Paul Peucker One Satur... more Chapter Six The Role and Development of Brass Music in the Moravian Church Paul Peucker One Saturday evening in 1760, a young German man named Johann Heinrich Danke was working in the fields on a farm located a mile or so south of the Moravian community of Zeist in the ...
ABSTRACT Digitization has increased the accessibility of archival holdings. At the same time, dig... more ABSTRACT Digitization has increased the accessibility of archival holdings. At the same time, digitization not only changes the relationship between the archivist and the researcher, but it also changes the way records are described. The author argues that, in order to remain relevant, archives need to different programs and develop into centers of expertise.
The Moravian Church originated in 1722, when Protestant refugees from Moravia founded the town of... more The Moravian Church originated in 1722, when Protestant refugees from Moravia founded the town of Herrnhut on the estate of Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. Herrnhut developed into an independent religious community, only loosely connected to the local Lutheran parish church under the leadership of Zinzendorf, who was not only their secular lord but also their spiritual leader. This “renewed Moravian Church” quickly spread through the European continent, Britain, and North America. Moravian missionaries went to the enslaved in the Caribbean, to the Inuit in Greenland and Labrador, to the American Indians, and to the Khoi in southern Africa. Within a few decades, Herrnhut had become the center of one of the significant religious transatlantic movements of the eighteenth century, attracting Germans, Dutch, English, Scandinavians, American Indians, and enslaved men and women in the Caribbean.
Although Moravians have traditionally been considered good record-keepers, substantial amounts of... more Although Moravians have traditionally been considered good record-keepers, substantial amounts of documents were destroyed during the decades between 1760 and 1810. When the Unity Archives was founded as the central archives for the worldwide Moravian Church in 1764, a group of specially appointed “revisers” sifted through the material and destroyed documents that did not fit the reinvented image of the Moravian Church of the post-Zinzendorf era. By controlling the content of their archives, Moravians tried to manipulate the historiography of their church. As this article will argue, the work of the Moravian archivist was not invisible; on the contrary, the archivist edited the surviving record.
ABSTRACT In 1727 Zinzendorf issued two regulatory documents for the community of Herrnhut, the Ma... more ABSTRACT In 1727 Zinzendorf issued two regulatory documents for the community of Herrnhut, the Manorial Commandments and the Brotherly Agreement, that regulated civic affairs and spiritual matters for the new town and defined the settlement as a Philadelphian community. Here an English translation of these two documents, together with the German original, is presented. The edition and translation are based on the original manuscript versions of both the Manorial Commandments and the Brotherly Agreement as found in the Unity Archives in Herrnhut, Germany.
ABSTRACT A distinctive feature of life in early Moravian Bethlehem was the common household or “G... more ABSTRACT A distinctive feature of life in early Moravian Bethlehem was the common household or “General Economy.” From the beginning of the General Economy in 1742 until its end in 1762, every resident of Bethlehem worked for the common good without pay. In return, the community provided food, lodging, and clothing. At its height, more than 1,000 people were part of the General Economy. Much detail is known about how the General Economy functioned. Less is known about the reasons why Moravians practiced a common household, and where the idea for the Economy originated. Through a close reading of relevant texts and by comparing Bethlehem with other Moravian communities of the time, the author argues that the General Economy was very much part of the ideology of the early Moravians who followed the example of other radical Pietists of the time by separating from the established church and striving to gather true believers and organize them according to the example set by the early Christians. Practicing a common household was considered to be a high (but not necessary) goal of true Christianity.
ABSTRACT A distinctive feature of life in early Moravian Bethlehem was the common household or “G... more ABSTRACT A distinctive feature of life in early Moravian Bethlehem was the common household or “General Economy.” From the beginning of the General Economy in 1742 until its end in 1762, every resident of Bethlehem worked for the common good without pay. In return, the community provided food, lodging, and clothing. At its height, more than 1,000 people were part of the General Economy. Much detail is known about how the General Economy functioned. Less is known about the reasons why Moravians practiced a common household, and where the idea for the Economy originated. Through a close reading of relevant texts and by comparing Bethlehem with other Moravian communities of the time, the author argues that the General Economy was very much part of the ideology of the early Moravians who followed the example of other radical Pietists of the time by separating from the established church and striving to gather true believers and organize them according to the example set by the early Christians. Practicing a common household was considered to be a high (but not necessary) goal of true Christianity.
In 1815 the Moravian women in Nazareth replaced their traditional Moravian bonnets and with more ... more In 1815 the Moravian women in Nazareth replaced their traditional Moravian bonnets and with more contemporary headgear. This article places these actions in the context of a changing Moravian Church during the early republic. The events of 1815 reveal how Moravians were becoming Americanized and how they developed different expectations regarding personal freedom versus church control. The Haube Revolt may be seen against the backdrop of a growing sense of American liberty and national pride, fed by the changing tide of the War of 1812.
Chapter Six The Role and Development of Brass Music in the Moravian Church Paul Peucker One Satur... more Chapter Six The Role and Development of Brass Music in the Moravian Church Paul Peucker One Saturday evening in 1760, a young German man named Johann Heinrich Danke was working in the fields on a farm located a mile or so south of the Moravian community of Zeist in the ...
ABSTRACT Digitization has increased the accessibility of archival holdings. At the same time, dig... more ABSTRACT Digitization has increased the accessibility of archival holdings. At the same time, digitization not only changes the relationship between the archivist and the researcher, but it also changes the way records are described. The author argues that, in order to remain relevant, archives need to different programs and develop into centers of expertise.
The Moravian Church originated in 1722, when Protestant refugees from Moravia founded the town of... more The Moravian Church originated in 1722, when Protestant refugees from Moravia founded the town of Herrnhut on the estate of Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. Herrnhut developed into an independent religious community, only loosely connected to the local Lutheran parish church under the leadership of Zinzendorf, who was not only their secular lord but also their spiritual leader. This “renewed Moravian Church” quickly spread through the European continent, Britain, and North America. Moravian missionaries went to the enslaved in the Caribbean, to the Inuit in Greenland and Labrador, to the American Indians, and to the Khoi in southern Africa. Within a few decades, Herrnhut had become the center of one of the significant religious transatlantic movements of the eighteenth century, attracting Germans, Dutch, English, Scandinavians, American Indians, and enslaved men and women in the Caribbean.
Although Moravians have traditionally been considered good record-keepers, substantial amounts of... more Although Moravians have traditionally been considered good record-keepers, substantial amounts of documents were destroyed during the decades between 1760 and 1810. When the Unity Archives was founded as the central archives for the worldwide Moravian Church in 1764, a group of specially appointed “revisers” sifted through the material and destroyed documents that did not fit the reinvented image of the Moravian Church of the post-Zinzendorf era. By controlling the content of their archives, Moravians tried to manipulate the historiography of their church. As this article will argue, the work of the Moravian archivist was not invisible; on the contrary, the archivist edited the surviving record.
ABSTRACT In 1727 Zinzendorf issued two regulatory documents for the community of Herrnhut, the Ma... more ABSTRACT In 1727 Zinzendorf issued two regulatory documents for the community of Herrnhut, the Manorial Commandments and the Brotherly Agreement, that regulated civic affairs and spiritual matters for the new town and defined the settlement as a Philadelphian community. Here an English translation of these two documents, together with the German original, is presented. The edition and translation are based on the original manuscript versions of both the Manorial Commandments and the Brotherly Agreement as found in the Unity Archives in Herrnhut, Germany.
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