September 12, 2008

ELGIN, IL – Marcus Meier's new book, "The Origin of the Schwarzenau Brethren," has been published in English as part of the Brethren Encyclopedia's Monograph Series. The book was translated from German by Dennis Slabaugh.

Meier was the keynote speaker for the international celebration of the 300th Anniversary of the Brethren movement, which took place in the village of Schwarzenau, Germany, on Aug. 2-3. Meier is a research fellow at the Institute for European History in Mainz, and a German academic authority on the early Brethren.

The book represents a continuing development in Brethren historical studies to seek original European sources of information, according to an announcement by William R. Eberly, who has edited the Brethren Encyclopedia's Monograph Series.

"Brethren historiography has gone through several phases," Eberly said. "First, M.G. Brumbaugh and other authors reconstructed Brethren history primarily from collected documents available in America.... Donald and Hedda Durnbaugh did extensive research in archives in Germany and uncovered much new information. The first Source Book, ‘European Origins of the Brethren,' was ready for the 250th Anniversary in 1958. Now, 50 years later, Marcus Meier has written about still new information on the Schwarzenau Brethren.... It is a very important book for a new era of Brethren historiography."

Order the 236-page volume through Brethren Press for $40 plus shipping and handling, call 800-441-3712.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts more than 125,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

Church of the Brethren News Service