A Note to the Reader As you read the text of “Our Unitarian Heritage,” you may find assumptions that are no longer generally held or well received. Earl Morse Wilbur wrote this book in 1925, and it reflects the thinking of his own time and place. While you may find it necessary to translate some of the ideas into more up-to-date notions, much of what Wilbur wrote in this text remains pioneering work. This book contains his first research on the four countries where Unitarianism was fully established in polity and organization: Poland, Transylvania, England and the United States. It is important for Unitarian Universalists to have access to this material, as all of Earl Morse Wilbur’s work has been out of print for some time. Starr King School has a special relationship with Earl Morse Wilbur, our first president (1904). Much of the educational philosophy he brought to the school remains in place today. Special thanks go to the grandsons of Earl Morse Wilbur, who generously released the copyright for “Our Unitarian Heritage” so that it could be published electronically for Unitarian Universalists everywhere. The text for our online version was taken from a 1925 Beacon Press edition of the book. A special grant from the Fund for Unitarian Universalism made it possible for us to complete this project. Contributions to further this work are welcome and most appreciated. Starr King School for the Ministry 2441 Le Conte Ave., Berkeley, Calif. 94709 Table of Contents A Note to the Reader . pg. 1 Maps . pgs. 4, 5, 6, 7 Preface . pg. 8 Important Dates in Unitarian History . pg. 10 Division I: Christianity Before Unitarianism . pg. 37 I Religion as Heritage II The Religion of the New Testament III The Development of Chirstian Doctrine Down to the Council of Nicea, 325 A.D. IV The Council of Nicea and the Development of the Trinity, to 451 A.D. V The Completion of the Orthodox Theology, to 45 A.D. Division II: Scattered Pioneers of Unitarianism in Europe . pg. 55 VI The Protestant Reformation and the Beginnings of Modern Unitarianism VII Antitrinitarianism Among the Early Anabaptists, 1517-1530 VIII Michael Servetus: Early Life, 1511-1532 IX Antitrinitarianism in Northern Italy, 1517-1553 X Antitrinitarianism in the Grisons, 1542-1579 XI Servetus in France, 1532-1553 XII The Trial and Execution of Servetus at Geneva, 1553 XIII Antitrinitarianism at Geneva after Servetus, 1553-1566 XIV Antitrinitarian Tendencies at Zurich and Basel, 1553-1572 Division III: Unitarianism in Poland . pg. 100 XV The Beginnings of Antitrinitarianism in Poland, down to 1565 XVI The Organization and Growth of the Antitrinitarian Churches in Poland, 1565-1579 XVII Faustus Socinus and the Full Development of Socinianism in Poland, 1579-1638 XVIII The Decline and Fall of Socinianism and Its Banishment from Poland, 1638-1660 XIX The Socinians in Exile, 1660-1803 XX Socinianism in Holland, 1598-1750 Division IV: Unitarianism in Transylvania . pg. 154 XXI Down to the Beginning of Unitarianism in Transylvania in 1564 XXII Francis Dávid and the Rise of Unitarianism in Transylvania, 1564-1569 XXIII Unitarianism in Transylvania, Until the Death of Francis Dávid, 1569-1579 XXIV Unitarianism in Transylvania, after Dávid’s Death, 1570-1690: A Century of Calvinist Oppression XXV Unitarianism in Transylvania under Austrian Rule, 1690-1867: A Century and a Quarter of Catholic Oppression XXVI The Unitarian Churches of Hungary in the Twentieth Century Division V: Unitarianism in England . pg. 182 XXVII The Pioneers of Unitarianism in England, to 1644 XXVIII John Bidle and His Successors, 1644-1697 XXIX Unitarianism Spreads in the Church of England: The Trinitarian Controversy, 1690-1750 XXX Unitarianism Spreads among the Dissenting Churches: The Arian Movement, 1703-1750 XXXI The Unitarian Revolt from the Church of England: Theophilus Lindsey Organized the First Unitarian Church, 1750-1808 XXXII The Liberal Dissenting Churches Become Openly Unitarian under the Leadership of Joseph Priestly, 1750-1804 XXXIII English Unitarianism in the Nineteenth Century Division VI: Unitarianism in America . pg. 234 XXXIV The Beginnings of Unitarianism in America, 1750-1805 XXXV The Unitarian Controversy in America, 1805-1835 XXXVI American Unitarianism Trying to Find Itself: Internal Controversy and Development, 1835-1865 XXXVII American Unitarianism Organized and Expanding, 1865-1925 XXXVIII The Meaning and Lesson of Unitarian History Appendix: The Three Great Creeds of Early Christianity . pg. 276 Endnotes . pg. 279 • The original 1925 book depicts two maps of (1) the lands around the Mediterranean in the Fourth Century and (2) Europe at the end of the Sixteenth Century. o Map 1, of the Mediterranean, c. 350 A.D. o Map 2, of Europe, c. 1600 A.D. o Map 2, of Europe, c. 1600 A.D. Preface The present work has been prepared by request of the Department of Religious Education as a part of The Beacon Course. No one else can regret so much as the author that the preparation of it has been so long protracted; but the collection and working over a vast amount of material in nine different languages, which was essential to a satisfactory product, has involved great difficulties, and the whole has had to be done subject to the prior demands of an exacting office. The work is primarily designed for the use of young people presumed to be sixteen or seventeen years of age, and this fact has of course dictated scope, selection of materials, and method of treatment. It has been necessary to study the utmost compression consistent with a just treatment of the subject, and even now the work is longer by half than would have been desirable. Much more space should be given to the doctrinal element which has bulked so large in the actual movement, but this would not have been to the purpose intended. It would also have been desirable to quote generously from authorities used, to give full references to sources, and to state convincing reasons for positions taken; but these things would have served another public than the one for which the work was designed. Despite these limitations, however, the author would say that he has written as far as possible directly from the sources, and has used every endeavor to make his work as careful and accurate as if its display of scholarship were greater. In the nearly forty years since the publication of Professor Allen’s Historical Sketch (the only work hitherto that could make any real claim to being a history of Unitarianism), many new sources have been brought to light, and much has been published bearing especially on the European phases of the subject. The present work is therefore able to give for the first time in English much interesting and important material; and in spite of its being somewhat elementary in scope and popular in form, the author ventures to hope that it may be found quite the most adequate treatment of the subject as yet produced. If permitted, however, to continue his studies in this field, he hopes some years hence to present a work much more complete, and duly fortified with all the authorities that a history should give. For assistance given him the author is indebted to more kind friends than can be named here; but he wishes especially to acknowledge his obligation to the following persons who have read one or other of the several divisions in manuscript, and have made many helpful suggestions: the Rev. William Laurence Sullivan of New York; the Rev. Alexander Gordon of Belfast, Ireland; Professor George Rapall Noyes of the University of California; Professor Stanislaw Kot of the University of Krakow, Poland; Professor George Boros of the Unitarian College, Kolozsvar, Transylvania; Professors J. Estlin Carpenter and James Edwin Odgers of Manchester College, Oxford; and the late Rev. William Channing Gannett of Rochester, N. Y. It is hoped that the Index will facilitate the use of the work, and especially the pronunciation of the large number of foreign names occurring in the text. – E.M.W. Rome, March 7, 1925 IMPORTANT DATES IN UNITARIAN HISTORY THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH c. 160 Apostles’ Creed composed. c. 260 Paul of Samosata and Sabellius flourish. 318–380 The Arian Controversy. 325 Council of Nicaea: the Nicene Creed adopted. 380 Theodosius makes acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity compulsory. 381 Council of Constantinople adopts the revised Nicene Creed. 388 Arianism suppressed in the Western Roman Empire. 431 Council of Ephesus. 451 Council of Chalcedon. c. 460 ? Athanasian Creed composed. THE REFORMATION AGE: PIONEER UNITARIANS 1509 Calvin born. 1510 Francis Dávid born. 1511 Servetus born. c. 1515 Biandrata born. 1516 Erasmus’s Greek New Testament. 1517 Beginning of the Protestant Reformation. 1525 Rise of Anabaptism. 1526 Equal toleration granted in the Grisons to Protestants and Catholics. 1527 Cellarius publishes the earliest book against the doctrine of the Trinity. 1530 Diet of Augsburg; the Augsburg Confession. 1531 Servetus publishes De Trinitatis Erroribus. 1532 Servetus publishes Dialogues on the Trinity. 1539 Order of Jesuits founded. Faustus Socinus born. 1542 Italian Inquisition established. 1550 Anabaptist Council at Venice accepts humanity of Christ. 1553 Servetus publishes Chriatianismi Restitutio: condemned to death at Vienne; burned at the stake at Geneva, October 27. 1562 Laelius Socinus dies at Zurich. 1563 Ochino publishes Dialogues and is banished from Zurich. 1564 Calvin dies at Geneva. Ochino is banished from Poland and dies in Moravia. 1566 Helvetic Confession adopted by the Swiss churches. Gentile beheaded at Bern. POLAND AND SOCINIANISM 1546 Antitrinitarianism first appears in Poland. 1555 Gonesius attacks the doctrine of the Trinity of Secemin. 1558 Biandrata comes from Geneva to Poland. Pinczow Reformed Church becomes Antitrinitarian. 1563 Biandrata leaves Poland for Transylvania.