Jacob Amman
Encyclopedia
Jakob Ammann (c. 1656–c. 1730) was an Anabaptist
leader and namesake of the Amish
religious movement.
, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
, but later moved to Alsace
as part of a wave of Anabaptist emigration from the Canton of Berne. His exact date of birth is unknown. Some believe he is the Jakob Ammann who was born on 12 February 1644, to Michael and Anna Rupp Ammann of Erlenbach. Ammann lived in the region of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines
, Upper Alsace, in 1696. On February 27 of that year, he signed a petition against compulsory military service. He was probably leader of that congregation until his death. Ammann's date of death is also unknown, though records indicate it occurred after 1708 and before 1730. Ammann's name is found on a 1708 list that Mennonites were required to sign by Alsace authorities. An Erlenbach record of his daughter's baptism in 1730 mentions that he had died prior to the event.
leaders Hans Reist
and Benedict Schneider over what he saw as a lack of overall discipline in the Mennonite congregations. This lack of discipline was exemplified by the lapse of the ban
(or meidung) against those who left the church after being baptized into it. In 1693 disagreements over the implementation of the ban would come to a head between Hans Reist and Jakob Ammann and this would result in the Jakob Ammann faction splitting from the Mennonites. Ammann was highly influenced by Dutch Mennonite beliefs, and instituted the practice of feet washing
in connection with communion, which was not practiced by the Swiss Mennonites. He also increased communion to twice a year, instead of the Swiss practice of annual communion services. Later in life, Jakob Ammann came to regret his actions, and made attempts to reunify the Amish with the Mennonites, even apparently offering to ban himself from his own congregation in order to show his regret for the disunity that he believed he had helped cause. Despite admissions of being rash and overzealous, the Amish would not give up the belief of practicing the ban. Because of this, the main body of Amish and the Swiss Mennonites were never able to reconcile.
Most of the Amish remaining in Europe after the American migration reunited with the Mennonites. Some joined other bodies. The Amish no longer exists as a European body.
It may not be enough to say that Ammann's faction split with the Mennonites. For one, Hans Reist's faction would not have called themselves Mennonites. They would most likely have referred to their group as the Swiss Brethren
. The factions were both sizable, and had different geographic makeups. Therefore, Ammann's group did not simply break off from a main body; it was a fairly even split. Also, there are many other issues and factors that contributed to the split.
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
leader and namesake of the Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
religious movement.
Birth and death
Jakob Ammann was born in 1656, in Erlenbach im SimmentalErlenbach im Simmental
Erlenbach im Simmental is a municipality in the district of Niedersimmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Erlenbach im Simmental has an area, , of . Of this area, or 50.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 37.9% is forested...
, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, but later moved to Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
as part of a wave of Anabaptist emigration from the Canton of Berne. His exact date of birth is unknown. Some believe he is the Jakob Ammann who was born on 12 February 1644, to Michael and Anna Rupp Ammann of Erlenbach. Ammann lived in the region of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines
Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines
Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-Geography:Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines nestles in the massif of the Vosges Mountains, where it occupies the beautiful V-shaped valley of the Lièpvrette...
, Upper Alsace, in 1696. On February 27 of that year, he signed a petition against compulsory military service. He was probably leader of that congregation until his death. Ammann's date of death is also unknown, though records indicate it occurred after 1708 and before 1730. Ammann's name is found on a 1708 list that Mennonites were required to sign by Alsace authorities. An Erlenbach record of his daughter's baptism in 1730 mentions that he had died prior to the event.
Amish schism
In 1693, Jakob Ammann took issue with Swiss MennoniteMennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
leaders Hans Reist
Hans Reist
Hans Reist was an elder of the Swiss Brethren, an Anabaptist group.Nothing is known of Reist's background or birthplace. He was probably from the Sumiswald region of Emmental in the Canton of Berne...
and Benedict Schneider over what he saw as a lack of overall discipline in the Mennonite congregations. This lack of discipline was exemplified by the lapse of the ban
Shunning
Shunning can be the act of social rejection, or mental rejection. Social rejection is when a person or group deliberately avoids association with, and habitually keeps away from an individual or group. This can be a formal decision by a group, or a less formal group action which will spread to all...
(or meidung) against those who left the church after being baptized into it. In 1693 disagreements over the implementation of the ban would come to a head between Hans Reist and Jakob Ammann and this would result in the Jakob Ammann faction splitting from the Mennonites. Ammann was highly influenced by Dutch Mennonite beliefs, and instituted the practice of feet washing
Feet washing
Foot washing or washing of feet is a religious rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. The name, and even the spelling, of this practice is not consistently established, being variously known as foot washing, washing the saints' feet, pedilavium, and mandatum.For some...
in connection with communion, which was not practiced by the Swiss Mennonites. He also increased communion to twice a year, instead of the Swiss practice of annual communion services. Later in life, Jakob Ammann came to regret his actions, and made attempts to reunify the Amish with the Mennonites, even apparently offering to ban himself from his own congregation in order to show his regret for the disunity that he believed he had helped cause. Despite admissions of being rash and overzealous, the Amish would not give up the belief of practicing the ban. Because of this, the main body of Amish and the Swiss Mennonites were never able to reconcile.
Most of the Amish remaining in Europe after the American migration reunited with the Mennonites. Some joined other bodies. The Amish no longer exists as a European body.
It may not be enough to say that Ammann's faction split with the Mennonites. For one, Hans Reist's faction would not have called themselves Mennonites. They would most likely have referred to their group as the Swiss Brethren
Swiss Brethren
The Swiss Brethren are a branch of Anabaptism that started in Zürich, spread to nearby cities and towns, and then was exported to neighboring countries...
. The factions were both sizable, and had different geographic makeups. Therefore, Ammann's group did not simply break off from a main body; it was a fairly even split. Also, there are many other issues and factors that contributed to the split.
Further reading
- Letters between Ammann and Reist factions translated by John D. RothJohn D. RothJohn D. Roth is the current editor of the Mennonite Quarterly Review. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago. His books include Beliefs: Mennonite Faith and Practice, Choosing Against War: A Christian View, and Stories: How Mennonites Came to Be. He discussed his book on war in several...
of Goshen CollegeGoshen CollegeGoshen College, is a private Mennonite liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana, USA with an enrollment of around 1,000 students. The college is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities...
. - Unser Leit, The Story of the Amish by Leroy Beachy
External links
- Jakob Ammann at the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
- Amish division at the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online