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The ''Familia Caritatis'', also known as the Familists, was a mystical
religious sect
A sect is a subgroup of a religion, religious, politics, political, or philosophy, philosophical belief system, usually an offshoot of a larger group. Although the term was originally a classification for religious separated groups, it can now ...
founded in the sixteenth century by
Henry Nicholis, also known as Niclaes. ''Familia Caritatis'' translates from
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
into "Family of Love", and in other languages, "Hus der Lieften", "Huis der Liefde" and "Haus der Liebe" ( en, House of Love).
History
The outward trappings of Nicholis's system were
Anabaptist
Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...
. His followers were said to assert that all things were ruled by nature and not directly by God, of denying the
dogma
Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...
of the
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
, and repudiating
infant baptism
Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. Infant baptism is also called christening by some faith traditions.
Most Christians belong to denominations that practice infant baptism. Branches of Christianity that ...
. They held that no man should be put to death for his opinions, and apparently, like the later
Quakers
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...
, they objected to the carrying of arms and to anything like an oath; and they were quite impartial in their repudiation of all other churches and sects, including
Brownist
The Brownists were a group of English Dissenters or early Separatists from the Church of England. They were named after Robert Browne, who was born at Tolethorpe Hall in Rutland, England, in the 1550s. A majority of the Separatists aboard the ' ...
s and
Barrowists.
Nicholis's message is said to have appealed to the well educated and creative elite, artists, musicians and scholars. They felt no need to spread the message and risk prosecution for
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
; members were usually a part of an otherwise established church, quietly remaining in the background, confident in their elite status as part of the Godhead. The ''
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition'' states:
Members of the Familists included cartographer
Abraham Ortelius
Abraham Ortelius (; also Ortels, Orthellius, Wortels; 4 or 14 April 152728 June 1598) was a Brabantian cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer, conventionally recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the ''Theatrum Orbis Terraru ...
and publisher
Christopher Plantin
Christophe Plantin ( nl, Christoffel Plantijn; – 1 July 1589) was a French Renaissance humanist and book printer and publisher who resided and worked in Antwerp.
Life
Plantin was born in France, probably in Saint-Avertin, near the city of ...
. Plantin worked by day as
Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
's printer of Catholic documents for the
Counter Reformation
The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...
, and otherwise surreptitiously printed Familist literature.
Nicholis's chief apostle in England was
Christopher Vitell who led the largest group of Familists in
Balsham
Balsham is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Cambridgeshire, England, which has much expanded since the 1960s and is now one of several dormitory settlements of Cambridge. The village is south east of the centre of Cambridge be ...
,
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
. In October 1580
Roger Goad
Roger Goad (1538–1610) was an English academic theologian, Provost of King's College, Cambridge, and three times Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
Life
He was born at Horton, Buckinghamshire, and was educated at Eton College and ...
, Dr Bridgewater and
William Fulke
William Fulke (; 1538buried 28 August 1589) was an English Puritan divine.
Life
He was born in London and educated at St John's College, Cambridge graduating in 1557/58.
After studying law for six years, he became a fellow at St John's College ...
engaged in the examination of John Bourne, a glover and some others of the Family of Love who were confined in
Wisbech Castle
Wisbech Castle was a stone to motte-and-bailey castle built to fortify Wisbech (historically in the Isle of Ely and now also in the Fenland District of Cambridgeshire, England) on the orders of William I in 1072, it probably replaced an earlier ...
, in the
Isle of Ely
The Isle of Ely () is a historic region around the city of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England. Between 1889 and 1965, it formed an administrative county.
Etymology
Its name has been said to mean "island of eels", a reference to the creatures that ...
. In the 1580s, it was discovered that some of the
Yeomen of the Guard
The King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a Sovereign's Bodyguard, bodyguard of the British monarch. The List of oldest military units and formations in continuous operation, oldest British military corps still in existence, it was ...
for
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
were Familists; the Queen did nothing about it, which raised questions about her own beliefs. The keeper of the lions in the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
for
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
*James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
*James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
*James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
was a Familist.
The society lingered into the early years of the eighteenth century; the leading idea of its service of love was a reliance on sympathy and tenderness for the moral and spiritual edification of its members. Thus, in an age of strife and polemics, it seemed to afford a refuge for quiet, gentle spirits, and meditative temperaments.
The Quakers,
Baptists
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
and
Unitarians may have derived some of their ideas from the "Family".
References
Further reading
* A.J. van der Aa, "Hendrik Niclaes", in ''Biographisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden'' Vol. XIII (J.J. van Brederode, Haarlem 1868
dbnl online
* J.G. Ebel, "The Family of Love: Sources of Its History in England", ''Huntington Library Quarterly'', Vol. XXX no 4 (August 1967), pp. 331–34
Jstor*
* Alastair Hamilton: ''The Family of Love''. Cambridge 1981
*
Christopher Hill: ''Milton and the English Revolution''. London: Faber (1977)
* W.N. Kerr: ''Henry Nicholis and the Familists''. Unpublished dissertation. Edinburgh 1955
* M. Konnert, "The Family of Love and the Church of England", ''Renaissance and Reformation'' Vol 27 no. 3 (1991) (New Series Vol. 15 no 2), pp. 139–172. ISSN 0034-429X:
* ---- Loafs, "Familisten", in ''
Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge'' (1898)
* C. Marsh, "A Gracelesse, and Audacious Companie? The Family of Love in the parish of Balsham, 1550–1630", Studies in Church History (Ecclesiastical History Society), Vol. 23: Voluntary Religion (1986), pp. 191–208
* Christopher Marsh: "An Introduction to the Family of Love in England", in E.S. Leedham-Green: ''Religious Dissent in East Anglia''. Cambridge 1991, pp. 29–36
* C.W. Marsh: ''The Family of Love in English Society, 1550-1630'' (Cambridge University Press 1994)
(Google)* F. Nippold, "H. Niclaes und das Haus der Liebe", in ''Zeitschrift für die historische Theologie'' (1862)
pp. 323-394(bsb-muenchen)
* N.A. Penrhys-Evans: ''The Family of Love in England, 1550–1650''. Unpublished Dissertation, University of Kent (Canterbury 1971)
* Charles Wehrenberg, ''Before New York'', Solo Zone, San Francisco 1995/2001, {{ISBN, 1-886163-16-2
External links
from ExLibris. Contains extended bibliography.
Familist from ''
Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...
'', on-line edition, free.
Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online: Family of Love
Religious organizations established in the 1530s
16th-century Christianity
Former Christian denominations
Christian radicalism
Nontrinitarian denominations