The Polish Brethren

1552 - 1658

The Polish Brethren, also known as Polish Socinians or Arians, were an alternative Christian movement in sixteenth century Poland. They believed that the bible contained divine wisdom, but that it should be understood rationally and reasonably.

Like the anabaptist movements in other parts of europe, the Polish Brethren remained separate from both the Catholic and Protestant churches. They were non-trinitarian and rejected the Catholic and Protestant teachings of eternal hellfire. They were also pacifists, and were known for carrying wooden swords instead of the obligatory szablas, a saber-like weapon. They believed in church/state separation, declined political office, were against the death penalty, and did not believe in private property. They believed in the equality and brotherhood of all people. These were revolutionary ideas for that time.

During the counter-reformation, the Roman Catholic Jesuits, through propaganda and intrigue, were able to turn the Polish government against Protestants in general, and the Polish Brethren in particular. The Brethren were viciously persecuted and hounded, and finally in July of 1658, expelled from Poland.

The legacy of the Brethren, however, lived on. Their far-sighted social and religious reforms influenced great Christian thinkers like John Locke, Isaac Newton and John Bidle. This branch of Christianity was carried on by the englishman Joseph Priestly, who emigrated to the United States and was a friend of both James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, converting the latter to non-trinitarian Christianity. Thus the ideas of the Polish Brethren had a strong influence on the early development of the United States of America--especially the principle of church/state separation and the equality and brotherhood of all.

Polish Socinians

Wikpedia

Our Unitarian Heritage

Philosophical Legacy

Socinianism

Racovian Catechism