The Schleitheim Text
Brotherly Union of a number of children of God concerning Seven Articles
The Cover Letter [Introductory]
May joy, peace, mercy from our Father, through the atonement of the blood of Christ Jesus, together with the gifts of one Spirit - who is sent by the Father to all believers to [give] strength and consolation and constance in all tribulation until the end, Amen, be with all who love God and all children of light …"
"The articles we have dealt with, and in which we have been united, are these: baptism, ban, the breaking of bread, separation from abomination, shepherds in the congregation, the sword, the oath."
"Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord: these are the articles which some brothers previously had understood wrongly and in a way not conformed to the true meaning."
"Since the almighty eternal and merciful God has made His wonderful light break forth in this world and [in this] most dangerous time, we recognize the mystery of the divine will …"
At the time this article was written (1973) John Howard Yoder was teaching at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries, in Elkhart, Indiana. He translated and edited material for The Legacy of Michael Sattler, copyright Herald Press, 1973.
The copyright to the English version of the Schleitheim Text is held by Herald Press, Scottdale, PA 15683; they have kindly granted permission to make this available on the Web. The Schleitheim text is also available in booklet form through bookstores (ISBN 1831-6 at $2.99) or by calling (US) 1-800-759-4447.
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