Unity of the Brethren

Brethren (also Moravian brothers, Czech Jednota Bratrská ) were a religious community, which occurred in the 15th and 16th centuries, especially in Bohemia and was formed from members of the encampments and Waldenses. Flag of Czech Brethren in doctrine and way of life were a -oriented early Christianity religious view, church discipline, the refusal of the performance of military service and oath and the refusal to hold public office.

History

The beginnings of Czech Brethren go back to Petr Chelčický whose followers were called Petr Chelčický brothers. Although he was a layman, Chelčický won as an important thinker in the field of theology great popularity due to its pleas for voluntary poverty. King George of Podiebrad handed his followers, the Petr Chelčický brothers, in 1457 the estate Kunwald as a residence. Despite some tracking the number of followers continued to grow, so this 1467 decided at a meeting in Lhotka near Reichenau, to give themselves an order in accordance with the apostolic model. By Los three priests from the midst of the assembly were elected; one of these, Matthias von Kunwald, was bishop. Your consecration was performed by Bishop Michael of Žamberk, which had previously been in turn consecrated by a Waldensian bishop.

Against the representatives of the strict principles soon established a group that wanted to introduce milder elements, called the Brethren ( Unitas fratrum ). At the synod of Reichenau in 1494, this group came under Lukas from Prague to power, the second was the founder of the Brotherhood. Until his death on 11 December 1528, he exerted a strong influence on the Brotherhood. Instead of a bishop for the overall management of the Bruderunität of a council of four seniors was.

The stricter Community was under the name Amositen (or even smaller party ) still about 50 more years in addition to the Bruderunität.

Neither the peaceful attempts at conversion of the Dominicans in 1500 nor the bloody persecutions of King Vladislav II ( 1503-1516 ) led the brothers back to the Catholic Church. Martin Luther, who negotiated several times with them, they could not on his side, as they insisted on the celibacy of the clergy, the seven sacraments and the eucharistic teaching of the Catholic faith and apostolic tradition.

After the death of Luke's brothers lost but more and more its peculiar character and turned to gain more recognition or to be at least tolerated, only the Lutheran and the Reformed doctrine later. 1548 many brothers had to emigrate as a result of renewed persecution by Bohemia to Poland and the Duchy of Prussia.

1557 was at the Synod of the Church of the Czech Brethren in Moravia Slezany in the Polish Province of the Moravian Church established as the third after the Moravian and Bohemian. They also included the Brethren churches in the Duchy of Prussia. George Israel was elected the first Bishop (senior) of this province, as well as a judge for the whole of Poland. He was responsible for the management of the Polish communities. Under his leadership, the Moravian Church in Poland experienced a strong upswing. 1570 joined the Brethren in Poland with Lutherans and the Reformed the Consensus of Sandomierz, by which they were included in 1573 in the "dissidents peace " of the Confederation of Warsaw.

In Bohemia, reached to the connivance of the Confessio Bohemica in 1575, which shows a comparison of the brothers with the Lutherans, the Reformed and the Calixtines. Because of this Confessio presented Emperor Rudolf II 1609 Letter of Majesty from.

During the Thirty Years' War the brothers in Bohemia were almost completely destroyed, they could only gather secretly. Your bishop John Amos Comenius had to leave his homeland in 1628.

As Brethren they experienced later in Herrnhut under Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, a second bloom, some of them settled in Berlin in 1737 at Bohemian Rixdorf. Chance of the Bohemian Brethren came under Joseph II reappeared, but had to confess to one of the two only tolerated Protestant confessions: the Augsburg ( Lutheran ) or the Helvetic ( Reformed ). In the tradition of Czech Brethren roots, also in 1918 that emerged from the union of the Reformed and Lutheran congregations in Bohemia and Moravia Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren understood.

The 1501 probably published in Prague spiritual collection of songs that were long considered first hymnal of the Czech Brethren heard more in the area of Utraquists.