Jonas Stutzman & Eschatology

[Valerie]

Who's familiar with Jonas Stutzman's story?

http://historyinstone.blogspot.com/2015 ... -1788.html

We went through the German Cultural Museum in Walnut Creek (Holmes County OH) and even though we had heard of Jonas Stutzman before, it's difficult for me to see how his Amish community at the time he was sharing his 'revelation & visions' about Christ return, and even building a big chair for Christ to sit in when He came- would have not had some serious issues with this- well at least I cannot picture any Amish community today allowing this (unless they believed his revelations were true)- quite interesting, it made me wonder about Anabaptist eschatology or what may have been going on with that, during his lifetime or if he was completely alone in his belief- but he is somewhat exalted in Walnut Creek to a certain degree from the honor they give him- yet obviously his revelation/vision was a false prophecy-
Just seemed really unusual for an Anabaptist, the spiritual climate in that period of time may have allowed it?
Interesting.

[Neto]

It was an era when millennialism was at a high point, and I've been told by one of the tour guides from Behalt that this phase of his life was in his older years, and that his family attempted to have him declared incompetent. We Dutch Mennonites also have a heretic in our past (Claus Epp), although he is not celebrated the way this one is today.

[Valerie]

It was an era when millennialism was at a high point, and I've been told by one of the tour guides from Behalt that this phase of his life was in his older years, and that his family attempted to have him declared incompetent. We Dutch Mennonites also have a heretic in our past (Claus Epp), although he is not celebrated the way this one is today.

Thanks Neto
Ohhh- our tour guide at Behalt hadn't mentioned that part (we've brought people through Behalt before but didn't really know the details about Jonas at the time). There are probably reasons he is celebrated but not for his revelations (false) & visions (apparently false) as he was the first Amish man to arrive & settle in the area- kind of called 'the founder of Amish Country' in Ohio it seems. I didn't think Anabaptists were really into millennialism so it did catch me off guard and made me wonder about what all was going on in that time period.

Of course Evangelicals wouldn't want Harold Camp to be their identifier in eschatology beliefs either-
Had not heard of Claus Epp. TODAY, I cannot imagine any Bishop of any Amish community not insisting that an Amish person dressing in all white like this, give that up- I mean people have been put in the Bann for much less (from what I've heard)

[Neto]

It was an era when millennialism was at a high point, and I've been told by one of the tour guides from Behalt that this phase of his life was in his older years, and that his family attempted to have him declared incompetent. We Dutch Mennonites also have a heretic in our past (Claus Epp), although he is not celebrated the way this one is today.

Thanks Neto
Ohhh- our tour guide at Behalt hadn't mentioned that part (we've brought people through Behalt before but didn't really know the details about Jonas at the time). There are probably reasons he is celebrated but not for his revelations (false) & visions (apparently false) as he was the first Amish man to arrive & settle in the area- kind of called 'the founder of Amish Country' in Ohio it seems. I didn't think Anabaptists were really into millennialism so it did catch me off guard and made me wonder about what all was going on in that time period.

This was in a personal conversation. And I think I recall him saying that Jonas was not actually the first person to settle in this larger area (I think it was Jonas' uncle, if I recall correctly), but perhaps the first right in the Walnut Creek area. Others may have more accurate info - it doesn't really interest me that much who was first here, etc., so I didn't pay close attention to that part.

[Josh]

The Amish were very different 200 years ago. Consider that most of the Amish back then converted to evangelicalism. The descendants today who are still Amish are descended from just a small fraction of the Amish back then.