THE MENNONITE BROTHERHOOD IN RUSSIA (1789 - 1910), P. M. Friesen, 1911

oubtful). Further 4) the “episcopal” Methodist Church of North America (without claim to apostolic succession in the Catholic sense of the term: Wesley, himself only an Anglican presbyter who recognized only the Anglican Church, ordained the first bishop for America out of necessity) and a few others. The Roman and Greek churches, for whatever reasons, do not recognize the succession of the first two above-named churches in spite of the fact that those churches believe they can prove it, since some of their bishops joined the Reformation. We cannot see anything else in ordination than the prayerful confirmation of the person being ordained in his position, to which he has been called upon the desire of the congregation, by the man (or men) which the congregation deems most appropriate according to the apostolic example, not order. Otherwise we would reach the point where it would be necessary to create a tradition, that is, prove an apostolic succession, and then create a “Mennonite succession,” accept it at face value, and raise it to the level of an article of faith! Menno is quite silent regarding this matter: apparently it did not concern him (as also the form of baptism, even though he rigorously demanded the presence of faith before baptism, without which baptism has no meaning for him— cf. XX: “Baptism” etc.). Menno cannot therefore be called for a canonization of ordination (or for a particular form of baptism). B. The Tsar’s Gracious Visit to the Molotschna Mennonite Colony 83 (Taken from Abram Kroeker’s Familien-Kalender, 1900 [Family Almanac 1900] in a free rendering, partially abbreviated and partially supple- mented.) a) The Rev. David Hiebert, Lindenau (founded in 1804/05), great-grandfather of the Almanac's author, relates the following in a manuscript he left behind: Four weeks before the 21st of May, 1818, the day on which His Majesty, the “blessed” Emperor Alexander I, arrived, an officer from 174 IN RUSSIA 1789-1860 Orechov, a small country town in the District of Berdiansk, came to Hiebert’s house and said to his wife that the emperor would breakfast with them. This appeared well-nigh unbelievable to them. After eight days the same officer returned and ordered that four hundred horses be made ready for the imperial procession. The colony’s administrative office in Halbstadt issued one order after another to clean and beautify houses, yards and gardens. The necessary quota of horses was met through daily requisitions (and although His Majesty graciously recognized the zeal of the Mennonites, he would be driven only by Russians). The streets were swept and decorated with sand and flowers. Guards stopped everyone who wanted to drive or ride on them. The weather was beautiful the day His Majesty arrived and “a great crowd had gathered in order to see our noble monarch.” The Mennonites were stationed in a row on the left side of the street, the Lutherans from the neighbori