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

and Penner in the Old Colony Church, a church which had existed, formally, since the spring of 1862. (Wieler was a Mennonite from the Chortitza District, a student of Heinrich Franz, who, as a result of his affiliation with the brethren, had lost his teaching position in Liebenau in the Molotschna and had been forced to go to Einlage in the winter of 1861-62 [see “Documentary Supplements,” #167, for more about Wieler]) . The work of these brethren resulted in the worst possible confusion within the church. Claassen, too, was opposed to Reimer for a time because he considered him to be “too rational” and because Reimer (for selfish reasons, in Claassen's opinion) had not participated in the Kuban settlement. Brother Reimer, on the other hand, accused Brother Claassen of having been lenient too long toward the "excessive expressions of joy” and of frequently being too “domineering” in church matters. Later, however, they were reconciled. See “Documentary Supplements,” #193. §120 7. Spiritual Despotism. In the meantime, a frightful spiritual despotism developed in the two M.B. congregations in the Molotschna Free and Exuberant Movement 275 and in the Old Colony (Chortitza-Einlage). It was led by B. Becker, Bernard Penner, and Gerhard Wieler who promoted the excessive exuberance, and by those who followed them for reasons of sympathy or fear. This conscience-frightening, even enslaving and torturing despotism had already begun during the period of the doctrine of freedom, during the “sordid” year from the fall of 1861 until the spring of 1862. The teaching consisted of merciless condemnation and mockery of every personal conviction, culminating in the feared “ban” (excommunication), in which dissidents were “delivered over to Satan.” “Because silence also speaks,” even those not participating in expressions of exuberance, which developed into formal dancing accompanied by wild music and the beating of drums, were excommunicated (as happened to Jakob Reimer, Gnadenfeld). Religious books, which had earlier been treasured and which later were again accepted within the church as containing materials useful for study and devotion, even if not absolutely free of error, were burned. In the same way this dictatorship forbade members having any friendly association with people who thought otherwise. Even a hearty greeting of closest relatives was forbidden since that constituted “fellowship with the world.” The same system prevailed in the M.B. Churches in the Molotschna and in the Chortitza area. Threats and letters of excommunication were also sent to the Kuban, especially to Claassen, mainly by Benjamin Becker who, like G. Wieler, had bestowed upon himself the rank of apostleship! Claassen was bitterly accused of forcing reconciliation with W. Bartel, Heinrich Bartel, Abraham Comelssen and those like-minded upon the church, after his return from St. Petersburg. He was called a “smearer” too (as W. Bart