Christianity: Details about 'Moravian Church'
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The Moravian church is a Protestant denomination belonging to a religious movement that originated in Moravia, Czech Republic. It is sometimes also known as the Unitas Fratrum or Unity of the Brethren, or as the Bohemian Brethren, after neighbouring Bohemia.
Origins and early history: the Czech backgroundThe Moravian movement was started by a priest named Jan Hus (alternatively known as John Hus) in the late fourteenth century. The establishment of the church as a Christian church occurred as a reaction against certain alleged errors within the Roman Catholic Church. Although Bohemia, Poland, and Moravia had been Catholic countries, Jan Hus, sensitive of the church's misconducts, simply wanted to return the practices of the church - initially just those in Bohemia and Moravia - to the purer practices of early Christianity: using liturgy in the language of the people, having lay people receive communion in both kinds, and eliminating indulgences and the idea of purgatory. The movement gained royal support and a certain independence for a while, even spreading across the border into Poland, but was eventually forced to be subject to the governance of Rome. A contingent of Hus's followers struck a deal with Rome that allowed them to realise most of their doctrinal goals, while recognising Catholicism's authority; these were called the Utraquists. The remaining Hussites continued to operate outside Roman Catholicism and within fifty years of Hus's death had become independently organized as the 'Bohemian Brethren' or Unity of the Brethren. This group maintained Hussite theology (which would later, lean towards Lutheran teachings), while maintaining the historic episcopate, even during their persecution. The Moravians were some of the earliest Protestants, rebelling against the authority of Rome more than a hundred years before Martin Luther. One unique and (for its time) shocking belief was the group's eventual focus on universal education. This development may have lead to their betrayal by many local nobles who may have been suspect of such a movement towards egalitarianism, as a potential threat to their power base. During the Thirty-Years War (1618–1648), which devastated not only the Holy Roman Empire but the whole of Eastern Europe, the Moravian church was targeted by local counter-reformation nobles, and persecuted severely in its geographical homeland. As a result the followers of the movement were, like the Moranos, were forced to operate in the Habsburg—controlled Spain and other Roman Catholic regions, eventually dispersing to other slavic lands, German states and as far as the Low Countries, where bishop Jan Comenius attempted to direct a resurgence. After 1620, due to the Counter Reformation by the Roman Catholic Church, and after being abandoned and betrayed by the local nobility which had previously tolerated or supported them, all Protestants were offered an ultimatum. They were forced to choose to either leave the many and varied principalities of what was the Holy Roman Empire (mainly Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and parts of Germany and its many states), or to practice their beliefs secretly. At this time, members were forced underground and dispersed across Northern Europe, resulting in the formation of the decentralized church of the Unity of the Brethren. The Brethren resided mostly in Poland, which had historically strong ties with the Czechs. Those who left under persecution regrouped in Germany under the influence of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf and formed the church which is now known as the 'Moravian Church' (in Nicaragua, Canada and in the United States except Texas, where they are the 'Unity of the Brethren'), 'Jednota Bratrská' (in the Czech Republic) and 'Unity of Brethren' elsewhere. In the Netherlands the brethern are known as the Evangelische Broederschap and perhaps more commonly as Herrnhutters from the main Moravian settlement at Herrnhut in Germany; they are similarily named in Sweden. Zeist is the historical centre for the Dutch brethren. From the Netherlands many of them moved south to Suriname. The Moravians in the United States and elsewhereThe Moravians who came to the United States in the early 1700s were immigrants originating from settlements on the estates of Count Nicolas Ludwig von Zinzendorf in present-day Germany. The original, failed attempt to found a Moravian community was in Georgia; the Moravians later found a home in Pennsylvania, where the colony provided a greater extent of religious freedom. The towns of Bethlehem, Nazareth, Emmaus, and Lititz, Pennsylvania were founded as Moravian communities. Later, colonies were also founded in North Carolina, where Moravians led by Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg purchased 98,985 acres from John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville. This large tract of land was named Der Wachau, or Wachovia, after Zinzendorf's family estate. Other early settlements included Bethabara (1753), Bethania (1759) and Salem (now Winston-Salem) (1766). Bethlehem emerged as the headquarters of the northern church, and Winston-Salem became the headquarters of the southern church. The Moravian denomination persists in America to this day, with congregations in eighteen states. The denomination is organized into four provinces in North America: Northern, Southern, Alaska, and Labrador. There are also congregations in three Canadian provinces, as well as about forty Moravian congregations in England. The Moravian Church in the presentThe modern Moravian church still focuses heavily on tradition in its music and forms of worship. It relies on the convention of the lovefeast, originally started in 1727, and still continues to use older and traditional music in worship. The Moravian Brothers have a long tradition of missionary work, for example in Sri Lanka and Greenland. The Moravians in Germany – whose central settlement remains at Herrnhut – are highly active in education and social work. The motto of the Moravian church is:
See alsoReferences
Morawiese kerk Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine Evangelische Broedergemeente Unuiĝo de fratoj Herrnhutism
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