Eberhard Arnold’s deep interest in church history and world religions was likely kindled by his father, Carl Franklin Arnold, who was a professor of church history at Breslau University. From his conversion at sixteen to the end of his life, Eberhard drew on the witness of movements from the past to inform his own faith.

Early in his studies Eberhard encountered the Anabaptist movement of the sixteenth century, which he saw as offering a way of true discipleship. “They strived to live as close as possible to the way the early church had lived,”^[1] he concluded. Eberhard was particularly interested in the writings of Anabaptist leaders such as Jakob Hutter, Sebastian Frank, Peter Riedemann, Hans Denck, Peter Walpot, Hans Hut, and many others.

He was equally enthusiastic in his study of early Christian sources, culminating in his book published in 1926, The Early Christians, with selections from Tertullian, Origen, Iraneus, Hermas, Ignatius, Justin, and others. He saw this nascent, apostolic Christianity as truer to Christ’s calling than the forms it would later take, while holding out a “paradigm” for renewal: what was given to the early church through the Spirit can be and is given again and again to those who seek it.

In his treatment of forerunners to the Anabaptists, Eberhard made reference to the “apostolic brothers,” a loose connection of figures and movements that precede and flow into the radical Anabaptist movement of the sixteenth century. They include Arnold of Brescia, Peter Waldo and the Waldensians, the Poor in Christ, Francis of Assisi, Thomas à Kempis, Meister Eckhardt, Jacob Böhme, the Beguines and Beghards, Jan Hus and the Bohemian Brethren, the Unitas Fratrum and Moravian church, and the Brethren of the Common Life.

Eberhard argued that these various strands exemplified “a mysterious organic unity.”^[2] Prior to the nineteenth century, many of them had been discounted by historians as “heretics” or wayward sects. Following the lead of several scholars of his day, however, Eberhard said that these witnesses testify most radically and faithfully to the gospel, to “the words of Jesus, especially the Sermon on the Mount, his life and the redemption he brought. Their freedom was based on the gospel; they desired no other freedom. Therefore their watchword was the imitation of Christ, the discipleship of Christ.”^[3] 

In Eberhard’s frequent reference to these witnesses, Francis of Assisi – with his apostolic poverty and his love of the poor and of nature – stands out especially. Eberhard appreciated and respected the Catholic tradition of monastics, and sometimes referred to the Bruderhof as “Protestant monasticism.”

On the other hand, Martin Luther was central to Eberhard’s theological training as well as his faith journey. Although Eberhard departed from Luther’s Reformation, siding with the Anabaptists, Luther’s understanding of sin and the cross were formative in Eberhard’s understanding of God’s grace. He was also influenced by Caspar Schwenckfeld, another leader of the Protestant Reformation. While rejecting the authority of the Catholic pope, Schwenckfeld warned against turning the Bible into a paper pope. He emphasized the workings of the Holy Spirit in granting faith and understanding.

The Moravian tradition of pietism gave rise to many thinkers who had a deep impact on Eberhard: Philip Spener, Hermann Francke, Johann Arndt, and especially the father and son Johann Christoph and Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt. Another important influence was Nikolaus von Zinzendorf, a bishop in the Moravian church whose Herrnhut community helped inspire the first Bruderhof settlement.

Eberhard also greatly admired George Fox and the first Quakers, comparing them to the Anabaptists of the sixteenth century: “Both movements want inspiration, guidance by the Holy Spirit, instead of the outward letter. Both movements believe that the church becomes unanimous by the inner infusion of the Holy Spirit, so that as a result of the inner voice of the Spirit in hearts the church unites in a common faith, a common resolve, and a common message.”^[4]

Eberhard emphasized the importance of the Old Testament prophets and their prophetic spirit because they represent God’s will for justice and the eschatological longing for the peaceable kingdom. “The mystery of the church transcends time,”^[5] he wrote. In every age there exist prophets, although what was given to the Old Testament prophets was a unique vision of the coming Messiah.

Eberhard believed that God revealed himself in many ways outside the Bible. While such revelation was partial, unfulfilled, and inadequate, he believed witnesses of truth exist in every age. He often referenced Zoroaster, Buddha, Socrates, and Lao Tzu. As sacred as the Scriptures are, Eberhard believed they should be read from within a larger context of God’s general revelation in nature and prior revelation to humanity. Only then can we truly grasp the Bible’s significance. Yet the ultimate goal was clear: “The further we would go in this search from person to person, from heart to heart, the clearer it will become to us that Jesus is unique.”^[6]

1. Eberhard Arnold, “The Hutterian Brothers” (EA 31/29), 1931.

2. Eberhard Arnold, “The Mystery of the Early Church” (EA 20/10), 1920.

3. Eberhard Arnold, “The History of the Anabaptist Movement in Reformation Times” (EA 504), 1935.

4. Eberhard Arnold, “Concerning Original and Modern Quakerism” (EA 358), 1935.

5. Eberhard Arnold, “Prophets” (EA 25/09), 1925.

6. Eberhard Arnold, “Humanity and Community” (EA 21/26), 1921.