The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1889-01-25
THE UNITAs FRATRUM OR MO-
RAVIAN CHURCH.

The name MOravian is derived from the
country of Morayia in Austria, where the
church formerly had some of it's princi-
pal seats. The Moravians consist of a
band of Christian workers, small in num-
bers, comparing them with its sister
churches, but firm in its faith, steady in
the performance of its missionary work,
in which it leads all other denominations
or churches, is second oldest of Protest
ant churches in it's episcopacy and re-
plete with wonderful events in its his
tory. Bishop J. F. Hurst, LID, says ):
They have always been distinguished for a
certain calm and peaceful spirit and demean-
OF. One might think it a religious exterior
born of a resigned and even temper. But it
is more than that. 1t is nature which came
to them under the lash of prosecutions, when
they were hunted and tortured in Bohemia.
They learned early to make no reply, but to
go right on, without varying a hairs breadth
from their path. One sees the very same gen
tleness in our day, whether the shores of
Greenland or n the jungles of India
This article will attempt merely to give
the main points of Morayian history and
origin, setting forth ssWho were the Mo
rayians ?" and, in the future, another ar
ticle will be given on, stWho are the Mo
rayiansf'
Primarily, the Moravians, or Bohe-
milan Brethren, were Reformed church
long prior to the Reformation. All
Protestant churches lay great stress up
on the antiquity of their sects and strive
to trace back their origin to the remotest
periods, as is especially done by the An
glican church, which assumptively
claims its foundation by Augustine, even
going back to Apostolic times.
Far above franks the once numerous
| Vaudois or Waldensian church (other-
wise also known as Piedmontese, Lol-
lards, Lyonists, Humiliatists, etc.,
found in the modern Kingdom of Italy,
whose ancient history and that of the
Bohemian Brethren and Moravians are
| importantly interviewer. Their claims
of antiquity of regular succession of
ministry have never been overthrown and
it is indisputable that they can trace
back their origin farther than any other
Protestant church, as is proved by
| the testimony of their enemies amongst
Roman Catholic writers. An instance of
this was the inquisitor, Reinerius, who,
in 1850, wrote:
"The persons who claim to have existed
from the time of Pope sylvester were the
| Waldenses."
Claude Scyssel, Archbishop of Turin,
in the latter end of the 18th century,
said:
"The waldenses of Piedmont took their
origin from person named Leo, who, in the
time OF the Emperor Constantine, execrating
the ayarice of Pope Sylvester and the immod
crate endowment of the Roman Catholic
church, seeded from the communion and
! drew after him all those who entertained
right sentiments concerning the Christian re-
ligion."
The testimonies of Marco Aurelius
Rorenco, Cassini, yoltaire, Beza, Beattie,
Pitt, Holmes, Baird, Macintosh and
others all point the same way. This
church maintains, and has done so from
the date of its earliest history, that its
ancestors inhabited the country which
they now occupy and held the faith
which they hold, since the days of the
| IA
Tnrin, SIS A. D., according to the in
quisitor, Rorenco, they had already be
come prominent. They suffered almost
incredible prosecutions from the Romist
church, although the main charge
brought against them was simply, "Hat
; ing the Romish Catholic church ant
clergy The Roman Lateran council.
under Alexander Ill and Innocent I'll
pronounced bans and anathemas in 1116
1881 and 1857 against them, prior to tn.
institution of the Inquisition 1200). Th,
remnant, after "a crusades against them
I formed what, for time, was known a
the French Church, which continue,
through the Waldenses to the time o
!. the Hussites and the Reformation. TIL
t leader of this remnant left his countr,
and passed into Germany and long sc
h iourned amongst the Vaudalic States an
finally settled in Bohemia in 1176. Her
he came into contact and soon formed
! union with those ancient Bohemia
e Brethren and Moravians who had seps
e rated from the Roman Catholic church
Leger assumes the identity of the Wa
l. denses and Bohemian Brethren as form
ing one and the same church, althoug
d this is denied by Bohemian historian
g The arrival of these pious and scripture
Is " educated Waldenses was a source {
: the happiest consequences to the Bob
milan Brethren. Errors and supersti
ious rites had crept into the Greek churc
and the Brethren, by their adherence
7 it, would have been envel0ped in its gel
eral corruption and degeneracy, had nj
God ordained a delivery for them fro
this danger by causing the persecution
or in France and Italy to lead the Waldo
ses to emigrate into Bohemia. The
q impaired to the Moravians and Bohemis
IL Brethren clearer views of the gospe
which caused a revival of purer religit
toward the close of the 18th centur
Differences springing up caused theI
9, however, to drift apart from one anothe
y every one retaining their own peculi
ts tenets and views and, therefore, did n
he amalmagate together. The office
ne bishop is rarely found in Waldensi
= histories, with the notable exception
Bishop Stephen, through whom W
n transmitted the episcopal succession
y the present Moravian church. He W
able legitimately to transfer it, since,
d the Summer of 1434, two priests, Fred,
lex Nemez and John Wlach, were sent
les Balse, where the council was at op
variance with the Pope and, in full &C
vocation Of clergy, they were consecr,
ed bishops by bishops Of the Rom