I am often asked what the most important item is in the Robert R. Newlen ’75 & John C. Bradford Special Collections at Bridgewater College. The possible candidates make it difficult to pick only one item. A Paleo-Indian stone spear point collected in Bridgewater is probably the oldest artifact in the collection. Another contender is the “Venice Bible,” a beautiful three-volume work and one of the first books printed in 1482 and 1483. Beyond those there are the important and rare Christopher Sower Press imprints, regional and world art, historian John W. Wayland’s papers and the College archives. However, the personal Bible of Alexander Mack Sr. is one item that stands out because of its interesting provenance, or history.
Considered the founder of the various Brethren denominations, Alexander Mack Sr. lived from 1679-1735. He was born in Schriesheim, near Heidelberg in what is now Germany, and worked as a miller in his early life before being forced to flee his home village. Influenced by Pietist and Separatist teachers, Mack left the established religion of the time and became a leader in a small faith movement that expressed their beliefs in part through adult baptisms. The group came to be known as the Schwarzenau Brethren or Schwarzenau Baptists.
In search of better economic prospects, Mack and other Brethren moved first to the Netherlands, then to Germantown, Pa., where Mack emerged as the vibrant and influential leader of the American Brethren. His teachings—which included personal holiness, pacifism, plain living, community, trine adult baptism through immersion and reliance on the New Testament—still influence the Church of the Brethren today.
The small, leather-covered pocket Bible that belonged to Mack is a German translation by Martin Luther, which was printed in 1723 in Lemgo, Germany, and published by the company of the late Heinrich Meyer.
The book is well-read; it shows wear from handling. Crude black thread stitches were applied at one time to hold on the front cover. You can see where Mack and others over the years used the book, leaving large stains and wearing away parts of the binding.
The wonderful marginalia in the Bible include Mack’s many notes in German. His reflections give evidence to Mack’s piety and innovative thinking and show his exploration of concepts such as salvation, baptism and plain living. In his writings, Mack reflected on divine grace, repentance, baptisms recorded in the scriptures, the renunciation of worldly wealth and even natural history.
One of my favorite passages that Mack wrote in his Bible explores how the sun and planets reflect the glory and goodness of God. Another favorite passage, written in response to Psalm 104:27, can be translated as, “It is Almighty God, who created all nature, people, and even animals, and when nature suffers, God her Creator takes pity and provides for her wants… Oh wonderful, eternal and almighty Creator and Preserver of all angels, people and all creatures, Hallelujah!”
In addition to Mack’s writings, his son Alexander Mack Jr. recorded the family’s genealogy in the Bible. And Brethren publisher Henry Kurtz, who published some of Mack’s translated notes in 1852, also wrote notes in German in the early part of the book.
So how did the Mack Bible come to Bridgewater? Records state that the book was given to Alexander Mack Jr. after his father’s death in 1735, who then left the Bible to the Germantown (Pa.) congregation of the Church of the Brethren. The Germantown congregation gave the Bible to Elder Philip Rothenberger, who gave it to Henry Kurtz in 1841. After Kurtz left the Bible to his family, Elder Jacob H. Kurtz came into possession of the Bible and gave it to BC President Dr. John S. Flory in 1911.
For many years the Mack Bible was displayed under glass in the Brethren Room of the Alexander Mack Memorial Library. To better preserve and care for the Bible, it was moved into Special Collections secured storage prior to the renovation and expansion of the Mack Library that created the John Kenny Forrer Learning Commons.
You can now see more of the Mack Bible than ever before. The Special Collections online catalog has many photographs of the Bible, including the writings found inside. Researchers and other visitors may view the Bible by appointment in the Newlen-Bradford Special Collections. Contact me at sgardner@bridgewater.edu or call (540) 828-8018 to schedule an appointment.
– Stephanie S. Gardner
Special Collections Librarian
9/23/24
