Muckers
Encyclopedia
Muckers is the nickname given to the followers of the teaching of Johann Heinrich Schönherr (1770–1826) and Johann Wilhelm Ebel
(1784–1861).
Schönherr, the son of a non-commissioned officer at Memel in Prussia
, was educated at the university of Königsberg
, where at that time the theological faculty, under the influence of Kantian
idealism
, was strongly rationalist in tendency. The lad, who was miserably poor, was dissatisfied with a philosophy
which stopped short of an explanation of the "thing in itself
," and, having been reared in the strictest orthodoxy
, set to work to develop, with the aid of the Bible
, a philosophy of his own. In the end he believed himself to have reached ultimate knowledge, and became the prophet
of a dualistic theosophy
so closely analogous to Gnosticism
that it might have been taken for a deliberate revival, had not Schönherr's lack of study in such theology precluded any such idea.
Among his converts was Ebel, who from 1810 onwards gained a great reputation in Königsberg as an earnest preacher of the orthodox doctrines of "sin
, grace
and redemption, and in 1816 was appointed "archdeacon
," i.e. principal pastor, at the old church in Königsberg. In the pulpit he was orthodox; but he gathered about him a select circle of the initiated, to whom in private he taught Schönherr's doctrines. Schönherr himself sank into the background, and eventually died in 1826. But Ebel continued his teaching, and was joined in 1827 by Heinrich Diestel, also a Lutheran pastor of Königsberg. They became father confessors to a wide circle of fashionable people in the Prussian capital. In view of their peculiar teaching as to "the purification of the flesh," which involved the minute regulation of the intercourse of married people, scandal was inevitable. Matters came to a head in 1835, when Count Finckenstein, himself formerly an initiate, denounced the two pastors and accused them of immorality.
Diestel wrote two violent tirades against the count, who brought an action for slander and won it. The group itself was dissolved in 1839. The evidence taken in the case was then laid before the consistory, and proceedings followed which became famous as the Königsberger Religionsprozess (1835–1841), ending in sentences of deprivation on both Ebel and Diestel. The charges of actual immorality were dismissed; but there is no doubt that some of their followers established practices akin to those of the Agapemone
and the Perfectionists
. Some of them migrated to Brazil
, where in 1874 at Porto Alegre
a company of them came into collision with the military.
http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/muckers.html
Johann Wilhelm Ebel
Johann Wilhelm Ebel was a German Lutheran clergyman and teacher.Ebel was born in Passenheim , East Prussia, becoming a pastor in Königsberg. He was one of the founders of the Mucker Society, a group with pronounced similarities to earlier Gnostic groups...
(1784–1861).
Schönherr, the son of a non-commissioned officer at Memel in Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, was educated at the university of Königsberg
University of Königsberg
The University of Königsberg was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as second Protestant academy by Duke Albert of Prussia, and was commonly known as the Albertina....
, where at that time the theological faculty, under the influence of Kantian
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
idealism
Idealism
In philosophy, idealism is the family of views which assert that reality, or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. Epistemologically, idealism manifests as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing...
, was strongly rationalist in tendency. The lad, who was miserably poor, was dissatisfied with a philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
which stopped short of an explanation of the "thing in itself
Noumenon
The noumenon is a posited object or event that is known without the use of the senses.The term is generally used in contrast with, or in relation to "phenomenon", which refers to anything that appears to, or is an object of, the senses...
," and, having been reared in the strictest orthodoxy
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
, set to work to develop, with the aid of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, a philosophy of his own. In the end he believed himself to have reached ultimate knowledge, and became the prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
of a dualistic theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
so closely analogous to Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
that it might have been taken for a deliberate revival, had not Schönherr's lack of study in such theology precluded any such idea.
Among his converts was Ebel, who from 1810 onwards gained a great reputation in Königsberg as an earnest preacher of the orthodox doctrines of "sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
, grace
Divine grace
In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
and redemption, and in 1816 was appointed "archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
," i.e. principal pastor, at the old church in Königsberg. In the pulpit he was orthodox; but he gathered about him a select circle of the initiated, to whom in private he taught Schönherr's doctrines. Schönherr himself sank into the background, and eventually died in 1826. But Ebel continued his teaching, and was joined in 1827 by Heinrich Diestel, also a Lutheran pastor of Königsberg. They became father confessors to a wide circle of fashionable people in the Prussian capital. In view of their peculiar teaching as to "the purification of the flesh," which involved the minute regulation of the intercourse of married people, scandal was inevitable. Matters came to a head in 1835, when Count Finckenstein, himself formerly an initiate, denounced the two pastors and accused them of immorality.
Diestel wrote two violent tirades against the count, who brought an action for slander and won it. The group itself was dissolved in 1839. The evidence taken in the case was then laid before the consistory, and proceedings followed which became famous as the Königsberger Religionsprozess (1835–1841), ending in sentences of deprivation on both Ebel and Diestel. The charges of actual immorality were dismissed; but there is no doubt that some of their followers established practices akin to those of the Agapemone
Agapemone
Agapemone, or "The A" was a Christian religious group and community founded in 1846 by Reverend Henry Prince in Spaxton, Somerset, England. He had been fired earlier in his career for his 'radical teachings'. The Agapemonites predicated the imminent return of Jesus Christ...
and the Perfectionists
Perfectionism (psychology)
Perfectionism, in psychology, is a belief that a state of completeness and flawlessness can and should be attained. In its pathological form, perfectionism is a belief that work or output that is anything less than perfect is unacceptable...
. Some of them migrated to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where in 1874 at Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
a company of them came into collision with the military.
1911 Britannica References
- J. I. Mombert, Faith Victorious (London, 1882).
- Hepworth Dixon, Spiritual Wives (1868).
- Paul Tschackert, article on Schönherr, by in Herzog-Hauck, Realencyklopädie (3rd. ed., Leipzig, 1906), xvii. 676.
http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/muckers.html