The Moravians of yesterday ...

Contemporary culture and the western church both have much to learn from the early Moravians. This would include their care and nurture of the unborn. 

As a matter of faith the early Moravians asserted that infants and even embryos have some capacity of faith. Thus the process of socialization and instruction in the Christian faith began in utero. 

When the pregnancy reached an advanced state the pregnant woman moved into a dormitory set aside for the pregnant sisters. During this time the sisters encouraged each other - and focused their devotional life on the pregnancy of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  

As with so many areas of life the early Moravians had  foresight. Concerning the subject at hand they had the farsightedness to establish a means of caring for the emotional - intellectual - physical - and importantly - the spiritual needs of women with child. In no sense of the word did the early Moravians seek to hurt let alone kill the life in process. 

Bethabara - the first Moravian settlement in NC.

 

A Moravian sister

 A closer look at the Moravian sister …

A Moravian sister …

 A Moravian sister locks up the home for the day. This photo was taken at the 1771 Miksch House, the oldest single family home in Salem. 

The Light

 

Brief view of Moravian history

Christ the King

Sunday, November 23rd, The Solemnity of Christ the King - For those who observe the Christian year it is the last Sunday before Advent begins. As such, it helps worshipers who are already thinking about Christmas to remember that the event of Christmas is about more than a baby in a manger—it's about the sovereign Christ - the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. 

Advent/Christmas Pyramid

The early Moravians brought rich Christmas traditions to the English colony of Pennsylvania and the Wachovia of North Carolina. One of their traditions was the Christmas pyramid. These four-sided, pyramid-shaped frame structures had a long history in northern and eastern Germany.

The pyramids were placed on tables and hung with cookies, candies and fruit - and featured a nativity scene or Putz. At least as early as 1748, the Christmas pyramid was in use in Bethlehem. On Dec. 25 of that year, the Bethlehem Diary recorded the following:

"Quite early, the little children enjoyed a delightful festal occasion. Their brethren had decorated various pyramids with candles, apples and hymn stanzas and, also, drawn a picture in which the children were represented as presenting their Ave to the Christ-Child …"

The Christmas pyramid is a combination of whimsy and piety. The middle shelf is traditionally where the Nativity Scene or Putz was placed. The image above is my 2017 Christmas Pyramid. 

I put up my pyramid at the beginning of the Advent season. Historically the Moravians put up theirs on Christmas Eve - and took it down a day or two after Christmas. 

Two Interesting Characters

Snapped at the 2019 annual rendezvous reenactment at Yadkin County, NC.

Historically the rendezvous was a time for fur trappers, long hunters and Indians to gather to buy, trade and sell their wares. It was both a commercial enterprise and a time for loose living. The last rendezvous was held about 1840.

Note the hat worn by the male pictured above. In short, he is wearing his wealth in silver. It is on his hat for two reasons: first, it showed that he had the resource to make purchases; second, if he desired the serves of a scarlet women his money was safe from theft being sewn on his hat. 

In real life the woman above is his wife. As a reenactor she is "his woman." 

Tough Love

The Episcopal Church puts forward 1 John 2:18-29 as one of the daily readings for the day I am writing and posting. 

I have a particular affection for 1 John. When studying Koine Greek, the medium of the New Testament, in graduate school we began with 1 John. It is the easiest text to translate. The first word we learned was teknion - “little children.” 

The Apostle John is addressing churches of Asia Minor. His goal is to give direction to believers,  the teknion, that faced dramatic challenges to their faith - even as we do in our day and in our denomination. John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes against the false teachers that had infiltrated the church of his era. Would that contemporary clergy speak as boldly to the issue of false teaching in the contemporary church. Alas!

Specific the text we are working with today wants the reader - the hearer to understand the dramatic difference between those that deny Jesus the Messiah - and those acknowledge Him in faith. In short, those who deny Jesus do not have God - the only God - the Holy, Holy, Holy God. This is a New Testament wide message. That is a tough love teaching by John. The Apostle offers the message because he loved his recipients. I am grateful that the Episcopal Church appoints this reading for this day. It is timely. 

Guess what I dreamed - or die!

Daniel was deported from Israel to Babylon. Shortly after he arrived he faced execution. The back story is that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had a most disturbing dream. That dream would affect the lives of a number of men in his court. 

Wanting to know the meaning of the dream he summoned those that might be up to the task - his magicians, soothsayers, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers. The complication was that the king wanted more than interpretation - he wanted them to tell him the dream itself - or be executed. Because Daniel and his friends were numbered among the wise men they faced the same dire outcome.

Arioch, commander of the king’s guard went about fulfilling the king’s awful wishes. He thus searched for Daniel. 

The commander of the king’s guard was not a man to mess with. He had a fancy title but his job description was brutal. Among other tasks he was responsible for the execution or deportation of citizens of conquered cities - as well as the dismantling of the city. Sixth century Jerusalem itself would feel the wrath of one bearing this title. Thus to understand Arioch - understand his function. 

Here is the takeaway - when Arioch came to scoop up Daniel, the text tells us, Daniel spoke to the functionary with wisdom and tact. That impresses me. We probably will not have to deal with one coming to take us for execution - unless the Lord deems it best. But, we all deal with difficult people of a lesser stripe. Words of wisdom and tact may salvage an otherwise grim encounter.

"Take - Eat"

“For, as any ancient Jew would have known, the Passover sacrifice was not completed by the death of the lamb, but by eating its flesh. Five times the Bible states that they must “eat” the lamb; five times it emphasizes the sacrificial meal. 

The Passover was not completed by the death of the victim, but by a “communion” of sorts—by eating the flesh of the sacrifice that had been killed on your behalf.” 

— “Jesus and the Jewish roots of the Eucharist.” Brant Pieter

This has profound implications for the Holy Eucharist. “Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Let us keep the feast.”

The whipping and dismissal from the community

The Single Brother's House - Salem

A means of punishment was the whipping. As I read the records of the Moravians I do not get the impression that it was often used. Certainly it was not overused.

"this evening the Hat-maker Meyers' stepson was brought here (Bethabara). Last night he stole Schor's plowshare and coulter from his plough near the Village. He was whipped and ordered to leave the neighbourhood within 14 days, which he willingly promised to do." February 23, The Bethabara Diary

December 31, 1785

Moving from one year to the next was an opportunity for the Moravian communities to stop and consider the goodness of the Lord. Thus December 31st, new year's eve, was a unique day on the Moravian calendar. Consider the following notation in the Bethabara Diary on the last day of 1785.

"When the changing year was announced by the trombonists we fell on our knees and thanked our dear Lord for all the mercy and goodness vouchsafed us during the year just passed. Then the daily text was read ... and the service closed with the Old Testament benediction."

Change

In 1781 the Moravians received a letter from the Elders conference in Europe. It was addressed to all Moravians around the world. 

The Elders called for selfless dedication of all members, and reminded them that they belong not to themselves, but to God. The Elders also warned against fancy clothes and furniture - and allowing their children to marry outside the church.

This shows that it was not only the American Moravians that were questioning earlier values and attitudes. Indeed these issues would perplex both European and American Moravians well into the next century.

Smallpox

The Moravians in 1781 were not only harassed by nearby warfare and passing troops, but the Moravian communities suffered an outbreak of smallpox.

Friedberg fared the worst with 96 cases reported. Two families in Friedland and Bethania caught the disease. Fortunately Bethabara and Salem inoculated against it, and largely escaped its effects.

Good works by the Moravians

1781 were days of darkness and terror for Moravian towns in North Carolina. In that year American army and militia units repeatedly passed through Salem committing the familiar excesses and seizures of property and supplies.

The British and American armies collided at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (in present day Greensboro) on 15 March 1781. 

Following the relatively short but important battle the Moravians were called to send rags to be used as bandages for the wounded of both the British and American armies. Their friend, the American Major John Armstrong, was concerned to hear reports that the Moravians were aiding the British. As he heard more on their good deeds he approved this act of compassion and was relieved to learn that all they had done was sent bandages.

The Moravians in Salem received several Virginia soldiers wounded in the fighting in Guilford County. Brother Peter gave this summary account:

"The good care taken of them and the sympathy shown, and the successful, even remarkable service given to them by Brother Bonn, Salem's physician, together with the good treatment given to troops quartered in Salem, in January, finally, through God's leading, gave us a good reputation with the officers of the Continental Army, which counteracted the prejudice against us..."

In 1781 a number of Virginia soldiers wrote letters of appreciation for the ministrations of Salem and it's physician Brother Bonn.

Brandy and Bro C.F.

Brandy shall be kept away from Brother C. F., who does not know how to use it in moderation, and who must therefore remain away from the Lord Supper. November 2, 1785 - Minutes from Salem Board.

Boys - hunting and guns

The Salem Gunsmith

A desire to shoot his increasingly among us. If a master deliberately gives his journeyman time off for hunting he is doing him a real injury, for we have seen that gradually a man grows eager for hunting and neglects his regular work, and is difficult to bring him back to orderly ways. 

Masters must not put muskets into the hands of their boys nor go hunting with them, because of evil results. August 4, 1785 - Minutes of the Salem Board. 

Boys and Jew's Harps

"The boys in Behabara have procured Jew's Harps, which they are playing on the streets. There shall be a conference with their parents concerning their duty of looking after their children and preventing such unseemly things and other disorders which may lead to more serious results." July 13, 17