RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Romania s Roos
faith had not been shown him and the mother of Zion, and bade his followers wait in patience. In 1733 the mother of Zion gave birth to a son, who was baptized as Benjamin, on the basis of Ps. lxviii. 27. The child was reverenced in his cradle as the future great prophet and savior of the world, and Eller declared that his children were divinely begotten, and consequently born without sin.
By this time the number of his adherents had so increased that Eller could think of establishing a church. He accordingly divided his adherents into three classes; those of the court, the threshold, and the temple. Only the initiate were allowed to receive the complete doctrine, and they must first swear to maintain inviolable secrecy. The distinctive tenets were as follows: (1) the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Eller alone; (2) though the Bible is the Word of God, the divine annunciation to the mother of Zion that a new epoch is to begin necessitates a new revelation, this being in the booklet called Hirtentasche which was granted in secret to the select alone; (3) not only will the saints appear again on earth, but the Savior must be born again ; (4) Eller is the counterpart of Abraham, but greater than he. The person of the Father is in Abraham, of the Son in Isaac, and of the Holy Ghost in Sarah; but in Eller is the fulness of the Godhead. Hence, except through him there is no blessing or happiness from above, and those who do not follow him must face the wrath of God; (5) Eller, circumcised by God, must bear sickness and pain for the sins of the world; (6) Moses and Elijah were not only prototypes of Christ, but also of Eller, as were David and Solomon; (7) the children of Eller are begotten directly of God. Eller now sent apostles throughout Germany, Switzerland, and the northern countries; but somewhat to the detriment of his doctrine "little Benjamin" died when barely a year old. Though able to restore the confidence of his followers, the practises of his community attracted suspicion and silent investigation by the consistory from 1735, so that in 1737 he left Elberf eld, which he declared to be a second Sodom and Gomorrah ; and removed to Ronsdorf, where God had bidden the mother of Zion to build the New Jerusalem. Many of his adherents followed him, so that soon fifty houses had been erected, all facing the East toward Zion, which, as the tabernacle, was Eller's house, and his wife was the ark, the Urim and Thummim. So many funds poured in from various portions of Germany, as well as from Holland, England, and Switzerland, that not only could a new church be built at Ronsdorf, but in 1741 the Reformed preacher Schleiermacher was called from Elberfeld to be the preacher of the sect. Schleiermacher and Eller worked in harmony, and when the mother of Zion again bore a daughter, instead of the prophesied Benjamin, it was Schleiermacher who held the doubting believers together, until Eller had assembled the chief members of the sect and informed them that God had revealed to the mother of Zion that her daughter was called to do masculine deeds. Hardly had this child reached the age of two, before it received divine homage.
Meanwhile the growth of the sect in Ronsdorf rendered it possible for Eller to gain absolute con-
trol of the government; and the most unlimited license held sway in connection with the rites of the sacraments or on birthdays, Eller justifying himself boldly by the transgressions of the patriarchs, David, and Solomon. In 1744 the mother of Zion died mysteriously, after giving birth to another daughter; and Eller now declared that all which had previously applied to his wife must henceforth be understood as referring to himself, the prophet, high priest, and king. Schleiermacher, however, becoming suspicious of Eller, and horrified at his licentiousness, finally was convinced of his leader's vileness. In bitter repentance, he acknowledged his errors openly, charged Eller with wilful deceit, and sought in his sermons to undo the mischief he had wrought. Eller, in alarm, unsuccessfully forbade attendance at Schleiermacher's addresses; and then called one of his fieriest adherents, Wulffing of Solingen, to Ronsdorf as second preacher. For a time Wulffing and Schleiermacher remained on peaceable terms, but in 1749 the latter was forced to leave Ronsdorf. Rudenhaus of Ratingen was chosen in his stead, at the instance of Eller to whom he, like Wiilffing, rendered blind submission. At Eller's death the sect began to decline. Wiilffing vainly endeavored to carry on Eller's practise, aided by Johannes Bolckhaus, the son of Eller's first wife. Shortly afterward, however, Wulffing himself died, and the great majority of the villagers of Ronsdorf quickly returned to the Evangelical faith.