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Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 33, No. 2 Joseph S Ursinus College Digital Commons @ Ursinus College Pennsylvania Folklife Magazine Pennsylvania Folklife Society Collection Winter 1984 Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 33, No. 2 Joseph S. Miller Hilda Adam Kring Susan P. Martin Elizabeth M. Safanda William T. Parsons Ursinus College See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag Part of the American Art and Architecture Commons, American Material Culture Commons, Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Cultural History Commons, Ethnic Studies Commons, Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, Folklore Commons, Genealogy Commons, German Language and Literature Commons, Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons, History of Religion Commons, Linguistics Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits oy u. Recommended Citation Miller, Joseph S.; Kring, Hilda Adam; Martin, Susan P.; Safanda, Elizabeth M.; Parsons, William T.; Miller, Harold C.; and Hoover, Amos B., "Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 33, No. 2" (1984). Pennsylvania Folklife Magazine. 103. https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag/103 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Pennsylvania Folklife Society Collection at Digital Commons @ Ursinus College. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pennsylvania Folklife Magazine by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Ursinus College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Authors Joseph S. Miller, Hilda Adam Kring, Susan P. Martin, Elizabeth M. Safanda, William T. Parsons, Harold C. Miller, and Amos B. Hoover This book is available at Digital Commons @ Ursinus College: https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag/103 Q:ont~ilJuto~~ AMOS B. HOOVER, a farmer from Denver, Lan­ HAROLD C. MILLER was born in Goshen, IN, and caster County, Pa., has lived among the various groups attended Ohio State University where he received two of Mennonites for over half a century. A member of degrees in engineering. A retired United States Army the Weaverland Conference (Old Order Mennonites), he Colonel who served in Europe and in various posts in has written numerous articles on Anabaptist, Mennonite this country, he is also an accomplished lapidarist and and Amish thought, and spent 20 years collecting, woodworker. Now retired, he divides his time between editing, and interpreting documents that pertain to the homes in New Jersey and Arizona. 50 year ministry of Mennonite Bishop Jonas Martin. In 1982 he published The Jonas Martin Era, a monu­ mental work that is now a source book for other JOSEPH S. MILLER took his undergraduate degree historians. at Bethel College in North Newton, KS, and is currently a graduate student in Religion at Villanova University. HILDA ADAM KRING, Ph.D., teaches courses on He also serves as administrator for the Mennonite folklore in the Department of Literature and Commun­ Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania, the organization ications Arts at Grove City College, Grove City, PA. that operates the Mennonite Library and Archives of She has contributed several articles to Pennsylvania Eastern Pennsylvania and the Mennonite Heritage Folklije in the past, and is the author of The Harmon­ Center in Souderton, PA. He and his family live on a ists-A Folk Cultural Approach. Dr. Kring travels farm along the historic Indian Creek in Montgomery extensively and has done field work on superstitions County, PA. in Australia and New Zealand. SUSAN P. MARTIN is a senior Literature major at WILLIAM T. PARSONS, Ph.D., professor of history Grove City College, Grove City, PA. Her interest in and director and archivist of the Pennsylvania German the Amish Community began with frequent encounters Studies program at Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA, with Amish neighbors at her grandparents' farm in has lectured and written about many aspects of Penn­ New Wilmington, PA. Her grandmother's twelve years sylvania history. This present article on Francis Daniel as art instructor in the Amish schools, and her grand­ Pastorius is the result of extensive research done in father's lifelong friendship with many local Amish connection with his graduate degrees; it is, of course, families, enabled Susan to obtain the information especially timely as we now celebrate 300 years of Ger­ necessary to her study. man settlement in America. ELIZABETH M. SAFANDA and Robert Bishop pub­ lished a book on Amish quilts entitled A GALLER Y OF AMISH QUILTS: Design Diversity jrom a Plain People. In researching this book she traveled exten­ sively in Amish communities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana; as this article makes plain, she has devel­ oped a real appreciation for, and understanding of, the culture which has produced these unique "textile paintings. " EDITOR IAL COMMITTEE: Thomas E. Gallagher, J r. Richard P . Ri chter Evan S. Snyder MANAGING EDITOR : Nancy K. Gaugler EDITORIAL ADVI SO RS: Mac E. Barrick Monroe J. Fabian John B. Frantz Albert T . Gamon Mrs. Arthur D. Graeff WINTER 1983-84, VOL. 33, No.2 Howell J. Heaney Heinrich Kelz Earl F. Robacker CONTENTS Karl Scherer Antje Sommer 50 Children of the Spirit, Not of the Law: Themes Paul R. Wieand in Anabaptist Theology Don Yoder JOSEPH S. MILLER SUBSCRIPTIONS : Nancy K. Gaugler 57 Religious Symbols in a Symbol-less Society FOLK FESTIVAL DIRECTO R: HILDA ADAM KRING Mark R. Eaby, Jr. FOLK FEST IVAL PUBLI C RELATIONS: 61 Games and Activities of the New Wilmington Peg Zecher Amish School Children P ENNSYLVANIA FOLK LIFE, SUSAN P. MARTIN Winter 1983-84, Vol. 33, No.2, pub­ lished four times a year by Penn­ sylvania Folklife Society, Inc., P.O. 67 The Amish Quilts of Lancaster County 1860 to Box 92, Collegeville, Pa. 19426. 1930 $2.50 for single copies, Autumn, ELIZABETH M . SAFANDA Winter & Spring. $2.00 for Summer. Yearly subscription $8.00; Back is­ 76 Francis Daniel Pastorius, Public Servant and sues (v. 21-30), $3.00 each; others Private Citizen P.O.R. MSS AND PHOTOGRAPHS: The Editor will be glad to consider 84 Life With Grandfather: Growing Up in a Plain MSS and photographs sent with Pennsylvania German Community in the 1920's a view to publication. When unsuit­ HAROLD C. MILLER able, and if accompanied by return postage, care will be taken for their return, although no responsibility 90 A tear for Jonas Martin: Old Order Mennonite for their safety is assumed. Origins in Lancaster County Editorial correspondence: AMOS B. HOOVER Nancy K. Gaugler P.O. Box 92, CONTRIBUTORS Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426 (Insidefront cover) Subscription, business correspondence: P.O. Box 92, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426 COVER: Folk Festival correspondence: Jan Luyken (1649-1712) copper etching of two young 461 Vine Lane Anabaptist women executed in the bishopric of Bamberg Kutztown, Pennsylvania 19530 in 1550. One of the important Dutch artists of his time, Folk Festival public relations: Luykens produced 104 copper etchings for the second Peg Zecher, 26 E . KnowllOn Rd ., edition (1685) of the Martyr's Mirror. These plates were Media, Pennsylvania 19063 recently rediscovered in Europe by Mennonite historian The collection of Pennsylvania German ma­ terial, housed in Myrin Library on the Ursinus Amos B. Hoover; this cover plate isfrom his Muddy Creek College campus, is under the supervision of Farm Library in Lancaster County, Pa. Dr. William T. Parsons, Archivist for Penn­ Layout and Special Photography: sylvania German Studies at Ursinus College. WILLIAM K. MUNRO Copyright 1983 Entered as seco nd class m.dter at Collegeville, Pa. Bernese Farm by Aurele Robert; Musee des Beaux Arts, Lausanne. CHILDREN OF THE SPIRIT, NOT OF THE LAW: Themes in Anabaptist Theology By Joseph S. Miller The Amish, along with their more progressive and Existential Christianity acculturated religious cousins the Mennonite, are the Except for Balthasar Hubmaier, the Anabaptists of spiritual progeny of Reformation_ radicals known as the early 1500's were not theologians. Some of the Anabaptists. I Harold S. Bender, in his 1949 mono­ leaders did have university training, but education was graph entitled "The Anabaptist Vision," says that the not part of the background of the majority of the men two major Reformers of the 16th century, Martin Luther and women who found their way into the Anabaptist and Ulrich Zwingli, chose to soften their attempts to fold. The unlettered Anabaptists felt that their Prot­ establish a true Christian Church. Bender suggested estant neighbors took the commandments of Christ too that these Reformers decided it was more practical and lightly and relied too much on God's graciousness with­ expedient to include the masses within the walls of an out earnestly trying to be worthy of His grace. 4 Dietrich established (state approved) church, rather than to form Bonhoeffer, centuries later, called this kind of theology a fellowship of true Christians only. 2 But the Ana­ "cheap grace." s baptists, who had been theologically nurtured in the The Anabaptists considered systematic theology to be bosom of Zwinglianism in Zurich, Switzerland, were a stumbling block to discipleship and not really helpful not prepared to mitigate their desire for a church com­ to a person's earthly predicament; they were in part af­ posed solely of men and women who were earnest fected by Humanism, and especially by the teachings Christians. Their new found ecclesia was predicated on and personality of the philosopher Erasmus. Conrad a new theological, social, and political order. Bender Grebel, the principal founder of the Anabaptist move­ says of the Anabaptists: "They preferred to make a ment is seen by one church historian as having moved radical break with fifteen hundred years of history and from Humanism through Zwinglianism to Anabaptistism culture if necessary rather than break with the New and fmal martyrdom. 6 The Anabaptists, while realizing Testament."3 This paper will outline several of the that humankind needed God's grace, also believed that major theological themes that the 16th century Ana­ individuals needed to take responsibility for their lives baptists believed and practiced.
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