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The following terms reflect the culture of the Church of the Brethren, a denomination grounded on the principles of Anabaptism and founded through the Pietist efforts of Alexander Mack, in the summer of 1708 near the small German village of Schwarzenau. This resource is not an exhaustive compilation of all denominational terminology, which might also be garnered from other Brethren works, such as the Brethren Encyclopedia, Brethren Bibliography, European Origins, Brethren in America, Ephrata Cloister, 19th Century Acculturation, Brethren Timeline, Brethren Groups, and Brethren Genealogy. You are encouraged to share your comments, suggestions, or corrections with the Web Administrator.
A fortress in the German city by the same name where six Brethren men from the city of Solingen were imprisoned to hard labor for the rest of their lives for receiving adult (re)baptism. Following their arrest, they were first marched under armed guard to Dusseldorf on February 1, 1717, where they were given an opportunity to recant. Over the next several months, each man suffered gross indignities from the jailers, in the hope that their suffering would cause them to change their minds. When it became apparent that these six Brethren would not dismiss their Anabaptist beliefs, they were marched to the fortress prison at Julich. The incarceration began on December 3, 1717 with their release on November 29, 1720. See a complete account of their ordeal in: Donald Durnbaugh, “European Origins Of The Brethren,” Elgin: Brethren Press, 1958, p. 251.