Chronicon Ephratense~ A HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY m· AT Ephrata, Lancaster County, Penn'a, BY "LAMECH AND AGRIPPA." TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GJ<:RMAN DV J. MAX HARK, D. D. LANCASTER, PA. Pum.rsmm DY s. H. ZAHM & Co. 1889. Copyright, 1888, By S. H, ZAHM & CO., Lancaster, Po, ALI. RIGHTS RHSERVIID, -~i~.,_ * INTULIGENCER-~~- ~lllNT, * 1.ANCAITEll, PA, TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. In offering to the public the following translation of the Chroni­ «m Ephralense, a few words of explanation seem called for. Of the original, probably not more than twenty copies are known to be in existence i and these, with possibly a few excep­ tions, are in the hands of collecftors and antiquarians. To them its chief value lies not only in the great rarity of the work, but also in the facft that it is one of the most interesting specimens of book-making in Pennsylvania to be found anywhere, the paper, printing, and binding all being of stricftly native production, the handiwork of the Solitary Brethren of tbe Community at Ephrata whose history it so quaintly and naively nan·ates. It is believed, however, that the work has also a larger interest, and an intrinsic value of its own, as an exceedingly frank and ingenuous contribution to our knowledge of the peculiar and wholly unique social and religious condition, and entire spiritual life, of a very considerable part of the early settlers of Central and Southen1 Pennsylvania. The othenvise incomprehensibly hetero­ geneous social and religious life of that populous, prosperous, and important part of the State of which Berks, Lancaster, Lebanon, York, and Dauphin counties are the representatives; the strange variety of dialecft, dress, social habits, religious beliefs, and sec­ tarian organizations, to be met with in those counties to-day; are all readily accounted for as s0011 as we becopie acquainted with the history of the people and their surroundings, to which the Chnmi'con introduces us. Nor does the picl:ure given us of the intense moral earnestness, the power of self-denying endur­ ance, the hard-working industry and ascetic simplicity of life, the blindly stubbont pertinacity of these original II Pennsylvania Germans," leave us in much doubt as to where their successors of the present received their habits of strict economy and frugality I untiring toil, shrewd thriftiness, and patient, all­ conquering perseverance, by which they have succeeded in making "the wilderness" and "desert" of a hundred years ago to enjoy to-day the proud distinction of being '' tl•e garden spot of the State.'' To the historian and social economist, iii iv TRANSI.ATOR'S PRgFACtt. therefore, as well as to the antiquarian, this hitherto all but inac­ cessible "Chronicle of Ephrata" has more than a passing interest and no inconsiderable worth, ~ven while it appeals still more personally and directly to 'the 'tliousands of general readers throughout the State and country, whose family names show them to be related by more or less direct ties of kinship to those stern old Brethren and Sisters of a by-gone age. Who '' Lamed1 and Agrippa,'' the authors of the Chronicle, really were, is utterly unknown. From their narrative itself we lea111 that 11 Lamcch" was a member of the II domestic house­ hold," that is, a married Brother. The same is undoubtedly true also of "Agrippa,'' for the name does not occur in the list of "Solitary Brethren," or unmarried men, given it'1 the volume. As to the real identity of the two, it is a secret that has been well kept. · Tradition gives no hint or clue for our enlightenment. The future is not likely. ever to reveal it. The few foot-notes which the translator has taken the liberty of adding, are invariably distinguished from those of the authors by being enclosed in brackets. '!'he full names of persons· referred to in the text by their initials only, have for their authority the pen and ink annotations on the margins ·of one of the earliest copies of the Chro11ico11, now in the possession of Messrs. S. H. Zahm & Co. They appear to have been made by one who was contemporary and personally acquainted with most of the people and events referred to in the volume, and are unquestionably en­ tirely reliable. When we speak of 11 one of the earliest copies,'' collectors will understand that we refer to the fad that there were evidently three issues of the Chronicon : the earliest one had a blank space left on the title-page _for the seal of the Community; the next had the seal, printed on a separate piece of paper, pasted over this blank space; and the third had it printed in itc; proper plnce·directly on the title-page. A facsimile of the original of this curious old seal is given on the second title-page of the present volume. The original narrative is written in a Gennan so peculiar. as almost to deserve to be called a distind dialect It has, of course, been impossible to reproduce in English all the involved sentences, ungrammatical coustruc'lions, local idioms, mystical expressions, and ecclesiastical words and phrases, peculiar to the Ephratq. Com­ munity, and conveying a meaning to them often quite foreign to that which ordinary corred usage gives· them. The translator has, howev\!r, attempted-he fears with but very partial success- TRANSLATOR'S PRltFACE, V to render them into a correspondingly quaint, antiquated and un­ natural style and language, to make his version as curiously un­ English as the original is un-Gennan, so far as this· might be without becoming wholly unintelligible. He has been at special pains to reproduce the literal meaning of the original with scrupu­ lous fidelity ; if he has also to any appreciable degree preserved its peculiar "fla\'or.'' he will be content, even though for this he had to sacrifice every trace of literary elegance and grace. J.M. H. LANCASl'UR, PA,, AUGUST, 1889. CONTENTS. TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE, ................................................... Page iii CONTENTS, ...., ........................................................................ Page vi AUTHORS• PREPACE, ............................................................ Page xii CHAPTnR I. C0t'CltRNING Tmt AWAKICNING AMONG 'l'Hlt PIJtTISTS, BAPTISTS, AND INSPIRJtD j THK SUPICRINTIUfDKNT'S BIR.'l'H, HIS BRINGING•UP, CON• VitRSION, B're., .......•.........................•.........................•.............. Page 1 CHAPTnR II. THa SUPitRINT8NDltN'l' IS BANISHHD FROM TRR PAI.ATINATR, AND COl\lRS TO THI( INSPIRATIONISTS, ......... ·······~···· ...................................... page 7 CHAP'tgR Ill. Tea SUPRRUlTICNDJtNT 'rRAVIU.S IN PENNSYI.VANIA, AND LIVJtS TUER& IN S01'ITUJ>E, ....•.........................•..•••••.....•.••.......•.•..•.•...•..••••.• Page 13 CHAPTgR IV. THB SUPBRINTENDRNT IS BAPTIZRD IN TH:rt APOSTOI,IC MANNHR ; AND SOON AJt'l'R:R FOLI.OWS THK SltPARA'I'I0N PROM TBH BAPTIS'l'S JN GKR• MANTOWN, ••..•••••..••••.••.............•....•..•••...•••..••.•.•••.•.••.•.•.•••••••••• Page 21 CHAP'tltR V. THR Naw C0NGRltGA'I'ION ESTABI,ISH:BS ITSJU,F UPON THR DOCTRINH oit . THU HOLY AP0STI,It-,, AND Er.acrs 'I'HR SUPltRINTBNDitNT AS ITS TICACHltR, .•..••.•.•••••...........................•..•..•......•••.•.....•....•. , ...... Page 31 CHAPTER VI. CoNC8RNING A Naw 1\WAKRNING IN FAI.CKNER1S SWAMP, AND THR TRANSAcTI0NS WI'l'H TH~ BAPTISTS CoNNlicTRD THltR:KWITH,·i•Page 38 CHAP'I'l\R VII. Tait SABBA'l'H JS IN'I'R0DUCRD IN THE C0NGRltGATION ; WHRlU(FORlt THR LATl'RR IS BROUGH'l' UNDER 'I'HE JUDGMBNT OP THE WORLD j BRSIDRS MANY OTHER DISTURBANCRS, .................................................. Page 44 CHAPTER VIII. THE Two BAPTIST CONGREGATIONS SltPARA'l'E RNTIRBLY; AND THK . Biun'HRKN AT C0NltSTOGA uva THRIR BAPTISM BA~K AGAIN TO THK OTB~ks, .......••......................................... ll •• ·······················--Page 48 vi CONTltNTS, vii CHAPTJtR IX. THE Naw CONGREGATION, IMl'Rl.,I.1?0 BY H0I,Y Z1ur., GROWS, AND 'l'HK SWJutT SAVOR OF ITS \VAI.K AND CONVHRSA'l'ION IS SPREAD ABROAD, .••••.••••••••••••••..•..•• .- ••.....• •...•..•....•..•....•...•.•••••••.••.••.••• ,Page S3 CHAPTJtR X. THE T1ni1P1'.RR Tams 1'0 IN~TIGAT!t A PHRSJ!CUTI0N BY RAISING A CRY OF IMMORAI.,ITY, .....................•.•..•...•••.••..••.••.•• ·····•••••••••·•··•• •.. Page 57 CHAP'I'UR XI. C0NCltRNING 'l'HH SUPKRIN'l'RNDJ!NT'S OPFICIAL COURSE IN THE CON• GREGATION, UNTIi., THE FotJNDING Ott EPHRATA, ........................ Page 61 CHAPTltR XII. How EPHRATA WAS FOUNDED, AND ORDAINED FOR THl:t SHTTI.EMHNT o!.1 '1'112 S01,1TAR.V, •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Page 64 CHAPTSR XIII. CONCURNING A Naw AWAKENING AT TuI,PF.HOCKJtN, .................. Pagc 70 CHAPTnR XIV. EPHRATA ~s Occupn.m DY 'tH~ SOLITARY OP DOTH Suxas; DIVINH WORSHIP IS INSTITUTltD, AND THR COMMUNAi., LIPH INTRO• DUClti>, ··•··•••••••••••·•·•••·•••• ........................................................ page 76 CnAP'tUR XV. Naw PERSECUTIONS ARK C0MMRNCBD; IN PART BY THH MUMBHRS OP THB CoNGRRGATION, ............................................................... Page 8:z CHAPTnR XVI. THI~ Housit OF TIIB S0I,ITARV IS so CONSTITU'titn AS TO OPPOSB THit \VORI,D IN EVERYTHING. A VISITATION 01' THg BAPTISTS ARRIVKS A1' THit Sgnr.,~MUN'l',-·····························••·········•·····•··•··········Page 88 CHAPTitR XVII. AN AWAKENING TAKKS PI.,.-\CR IN THR CONGREGATION OF BAPTISTS AT GHRMANTOWN, THK MOST OF Wnosg MIU,fB]{RS JOIN IN 'tHRAWAKUN• ING AT EPHRATA,······•·•················~···············•·••···•·•··•··········••··Page 95 CHAPTnR XVIII. THit DR0THURS' CONVBNT, NAMED ZION, IS DuII,T, ....................