National Republican., 1888-04-29
Was ADAM A WOMAN?
4 SINGULAR OHIO COMMUNITY
WHO BELIEVE HE WAS.
\ Most Curious Sect of German Mys-
tics and Communicative zoaritcs
Of ohio, and the Founder of the
Faith.
Copyright 1855 by Geoftrey willistou
Christina


ZoAR, ONO, Apr. 25, ss.-This Buckeye
state has many claims to renown, but per-
haps the most remarkable Of them all is that
1t contains, within this primitive village, a
most curious sect of German mystics and
communists--ca Ioarites from the name
Of their town, which they built, own, aud
occupy wholly by themsolves-who firmly
hold, MS the principal doctrine of their most
curious religious creed, that good old
Father Adam was a woman. To explain
their unique ideas on this subject and their
reasons for entertaining them it will be
necessary to give some account of their
origin.
In the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Ger
many, near the close OF the eighteenth CEN
turv, there was q young school teacher
named Joseph NJ Bimelcr, who afterward
became the founder of the Zoarite faith.
Having an active and inquiring mind, and
being also Of a strongly religious turn, he
studied the Bible-especially the New Tes-
tamcnt--closely, and soon became convinced
that the established church Of which he was
a member did not inculcate the doctrines,
duties, or practices Of Christ and his apos-
ties.
About this time there came into his pos
session the works of Jacob Bohme or Boell-
men, the founder of one of the most pro-
found schools of mystical German thou ght.
II would be almost impossible TO over-csti-
mate the influence Of Boehmen's life aud
writings upon the minds Of his countrymen.
Nor did that influence pass away with the
century in which he lived. Among the re-
ligious peasantry of his native land, in many
II humble farm house and secluded village,
his works, preserved as the most precious
Of family heirlOoms, have been thumbed and
pondered over by successive generations
from their first publication in 1910 down to
the present time Nor have only the oh.
scure and rninstructed reverenced his
genius. Sir Isaac Newton and Charles !
were among his diligent readers and adj
mirers, while Coleridgc, the great philoso-
phcr and poet, has written "My obligations
TO Boehmen have been direct. / owe him
debt of gratitude
Born Of poor country people ut Altseiden-
| burg, Upper Lusatia, in the year 1915,
BCehmen was first shepherd, and after
ward shoemaker. From his earliest child
hood he claimed to see, both by night and
day, strange visions from the spiritual
world. Though he was wholly illiterdte,
except for such culture us he had acquired
| by intimate association with certain ply
works abound In sublime conceptions, but
the reader will soon find himself carried out
into distant nebulOus regions Of thought.
where he will be lost IN q fog cloud OF words
hard to be understood. Some idea of the
| mystical nature of his productions may be
derived from the title Of his first published
| work. which was, "Morning Dawn in the
East That is the Root or Mother of Pho-
sophia, Astrologia, and Theologia."
From Boehmen's writings Bimeler de
rived the strange idea that Adam was u
woman, or rather that God had created him
| both a male and female in one person, and
that therefore he was a. dual being.
"Adam," as lie expressed it, 'was mascu
line maiden possessing beth the male aud
female elements Of generation He be-
! lieved that the separation of the feminine from
the masculine Of Adams nature was due 10
| a desire Oh his part forsuch aconsrmmation
| when the various animals were made topass
before him and he beheld them all in pairs.
| lie thus became discontentcd with the con-
dition in which God had placed him and
abused his freedom of will by yielding to
ans worry Of mind RS Sscad Was the
physical cause of the deep sleep that fell
upon him, during which the female element
Of his being was taken from him in the
form Of one of his ribs and fashioned into
Eve.
Bimeler believed, with Jacob Boehmen and
the theosOphists of his school, that had this
separation of the dual parts Of Adams ma
ture never occurred there would have taken
place, at particular times, with Gods imme-
date appreciation and in manner incom-
prchensiblc to us, certain holy comming-
ling Of the male and female elements of
| mans being which would in some way have
caused the development OF new creature
from his person without physical pain, and
that thus would have been fulfilled the
command given to Adam by God Genesis,
!, 2S) before the creation Of Eve, BE fruit,
ful and multiply and roplenish the earth"
This strange idea that Adam was origin
ally half feminine and that the separation
and distinct NATURALIZATION of his fem.
ininty in the person of Eve was contrary t.
Gods first intention led Bimeler to regaJ
the married state as impdre and unb> al
TO deem it the duty of all ChristiS y, and
a celibate life. -, to lead
From Boehmen's ~"
strong sOcalis' ..ltings he also derived
He belle" ,,l,. and communistic opinions
munis' we'd that both socialism and com
! an were enioined by the New Testa
lent In the strongest possible manner. Alb
sOlute community of goods he deemed q
normal, fundamental principle in the or
ganizatlon Of the Christian church, believ
ing that the gospel required the abnegatiol
, of all selfish feelings, and above all the pur
,, suit or personal gain.
When not much more than % years o
age Bimecr began to eXpound his peculiar
religious views once or twice every Sunday
TO such of his friends and neighbors as carct
to assemble in bis own house to listen I,
him. The number of his hearers steadil,
: increased until they amounted to more tina,
800.
, Bimeler and his adhereuis now not onl
. withdrew themselves from the cstablishe,
church, but they denounced both churcl
: and state as constituting that great Baby
:, lOnn which was to be destroyed. Thci
views In many respects rcsembed those o
the Friends, or Quakers, and being, lik
i them, opposed to war, they refused to pei
I form military duty. They also declined u
/ pay any dues to the church and to addres
|. The nobility or magistracy by any title
0 save "theen and "thou," which, like tn
Quakers, they always used. They thu
r brought upon themselves severe penalties
n Bimelcr himself escaped Imprisonment onl
n by removing from place to place and b.
g living In the utmost privacy.
u Johannes Goesele. another of their leader
- who was second in importance only
a Bimeler himself, was arrested and held
n prisoner for nine years The Duke q
Wurtemberg took n strong interest In hi
captive aud paid him frequent visits at tn
q fort where he and other Ioarites were col
}. fined. In the frequent conversations whic
,. took place between them, Goeselc, Quake
a like, refused to take off his hat to the duk,
7 always addressed him with the disrespectfr
" ''thee" or ''thoun of the German, aud freel
e denounced him for his sins. The gooC
n0tured old duke took all this in good par
, and on one occasion, while receiving Wis
e from Napoleon !, he took that man
n destiny to see Goesele, who had hecom
Is somewhat famous, But the sturdy Xoarit
+, treated the emperor with no more respeC
5. than he had previously accorded TO I'll
70 duke. lie boldly warned the illustrou
~ Frenchman of the dread account he shoul
have TO render on the judgment day for II
. multitude of souls he was hurrylng int
" eternity by his bloody wars. Napoleon wa
!. provoked and desired to have the man pun
a. ished for his insolence. But as soon as III