A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

escribe the differences between the Baptists, the "old" Mennonite Church, and themselves. 14 A report explaining these differences was drafted and carefully studied by the entire congregation. This report was then sent to the government, together with a confession of faith chosen for this purpose. This confession was published at Basel in 1876, together with the "Explanations" (Erklaerungen). According to Ehrt, this confession was an exact reproduction of Oncken's Baptist Confession of Faith published in Hamburg in 1849, to which the publisher, elder Abraham Unger of Einlage, added the distinctively Mennonite norms of nonresistance, rejection of the oath, and footwashing. 15 According to P. M. Friesen, this confession was an adaptation of the Hamburg con- fession to Mennonite teachings. 16 The arrival of the printed confession coincided with a concerted effort on the part of the larger brotherhood to sever all relations with the Baptists. The reference to fellowship with the Baptists, as given in the CONSOLIDATION AND EXPANSION (1865-1885) 75 "Explanations," was therefore somewhat embarrassing. Thus it is not surprising that this confession was never formally adopted by the older congregation in the Molotschna. Certain statements describing the relationship to the "old" Mennonite Church also evoked considerable criticism from the very beginning. When the Baptists in Russia received official recognition as a branch of Protestantism in 1879, a government survey was made with respect to their number and place of residence. The Chortitza Colony Administrative Office in its report classified all seceded brethren with the Baptists. Unger and Lepp were commissioned by the Einlage Mennonite Brethren Church to negotiate with the government con- cerning this issue. The latter demanded a confession of faith in German and Russian. Two leading educators in the Molotschna, Johann Wieler and P. M. Friesen, were asked to assist in the translation of the confession and the revision of the "Explanations" which dealt with Mennonite-Baptist relations. In response to these documents the Department of the Interior issued a special statement on March 6, 1880, confirming the rights of the Brethren as Mennonites. Elder Abraham Unger died six days later, and it is doubtful whether he became aware of this happy ending of the prolonged struggle before his passing. In spite of certain limitations and weaknesses, Abraham Unger must be considered, next to Johann Claassen, as one of the greatest men in the early history of the M.B. Church. Greatness must be defined, according to P. M. Friesen, in terms of loyalty to one's conviction, and self- sacrifice for the ideals which one considers scriptural." 3. Developments in the Kuban The Kuban settlement, located on the Kuban river in the Northern Caucasus, was the only daughter colony established under the auspices of the Mennonite Brethren. Partly because of the oppressive