George Rapp - WikiHQ

John George Rapp (; November 1, 1757 – August 7, 1847) was the founder of the religious sect called the Harmony Society and associated communes.

Born in Iptingen, Germany, Rapp became inspired by the philosophies of Jakob Böhme, Philipp Jakob Spener, and Emanuel Swedenborg, among others. In the 1780s, Rapp began preaching and gathering a group of followers. His group officially split with the Lutheran Church in 1785 and was promptly banned from meeting. The persecution that Rapp and his followers experienced caused them to leave Germany and come to the United States in 1803. Rapp was a pietist, and many of his beliefs were shared by the Anabaptists and Shakers.

Early life

thumb|upright|Church at Iptingen, Rapp's home village

Rapp was born on November 1, 1757, to Rosine Berger and Hans Adam Rapp (1720–71) in the village of Iptingen, northwest of Stuttgart in the Duchy of Württemberg. Rapp was the second child and oldest son of the family. His brother Adam (born March 9, 1762) and three sisters Marie Dorothea (born October 11, 1756), Elise Dorothea (born August 7, 1760), and Maria Barbara (born October 21, 1765) later followed him to America; however, Adam died at sea.

Rapp learned the art of wine making from his father, a farmer. After his father's death in 1771, Rapp trained as a journeyman weaver. He also developed an interest in preaching.

Harmony Society

In 1791 Rapp said, "I am a prophet and I am called to be one" in front of the civil affairs official in Maulbronn, Germany, who promptly had him imprisoned for two days and threatened with exile if he did not cease preaching. To the consternation of church and state authorities, Rapp had become the outspoken leader of several thousand Separatists in the southern German duchy of Württemberg. Reichert organized the relocation of Rapp's followers from Württemberg to Pennsylvania in 1804 and supervised the immigration of others to the United States. Reichert, who became known as Frederick Rapp, was the business leader and public spokesman for the Harmony Society, drew up the town plan for its Indiana location in 1814 and served as one of the delegates to the Indiana Territory's Constitutional Convention in 1816. Frederick Rapp also helped choose the site for the permanent seat of government of Indiana in 1820 that was later named Indianapolis and held leadership roles in several Indiana banks. After the Harmonists sold their Indiana land in 1824, he relocated with other members of the society to Economy, where he died in 1834.

Religious views

thumb|Map of Harmony (1833)

Rapp and his followers believed Christ would return in their lifetime to help usher in a thousand-year kingdom of peace on earth. The purpose of the community was to be worthy of Christ and prepare for his return. They were nonviolent pacifists, refused to serve in the military, and tried to live by Rapp's philosophy and literal interpretations of the New Testament. Rapp believed that the events and wars going on in the world at the time were a confirmation of his views regarding the imminent Second Coming of Christ, and he viewed Napoleon as the Antichrist. Rapp produced a book with his ideas and philosophy, Thoughts on the Destiny of Man, published in German in 1824 and in English a year later.

thumb|250px|left|[[Sophia (wisdom)|Virgin Sophia design on doorway in Harmony, Pennsylvania, carved by Frederick Reichert Rapp (1775–1834).]]

The Harmonites were Millennialists. This is perhaps why they believed that people should try to make themselves "pure" and "perfect", and share things with others while willingly living in communal "harmony" (Acts 4:32-37) and practicing celibacy. They believed that the old ways of life on earth were coming to an end, and that a new perfect kingdom on earth was about to be realized. They practiced socialism within their community but traded their exotic agricultural goods (including lemons and figs grown in movable greenhouses) with others.

Harmonites practiced forms of esoteric Christianity and Christian mysticism, and Rapp often spoke of the virgin spirit or goddess named Sophia in his writings. Rapp was influenced by the writings of Jakob Böhme, According to this view, when the female portion of Adam separated to form Eve, disharmony followed, but one could attempt to regain harmony through celibacy.

Controversy and problems

Rapp and the Harmony Society were involved in protracted legal cases: many relating to the monetary claims by former society members who did not feel properly compensated for their time and labor, other cases concerned the ownership and sale of property society members left in Württemberg, and legal complications from fines and payments made to avoid militia service. Rapp was called a tyrant and society members his slaves. During elections, the society was seen as a monolithic voting block which caused political ill feelings and generated animosity against Rapp. He was accused of killing his son Johannes.

Rapp predicted that on September 15, 1829, the three and one half years of the Sun Woman would end and Christ would begin his reign on earth.

The Harmonite commune ultimately failed because the policy of celibacy prevented new members from within, and the majority of the outside world had no desire to give up so much to live in a commune. The society was formally dissolved in 1906.

Notes

References

Arndt, Karl J. R., George Rapp's Harmony Society 1785–1847, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1965.
Arndt, Karl J. R., Harmony on the Connoquenessing 1803–1815, Worcester, Mass. Harmony Society Press, 1980.
Duss, John S., The Harmonist: A Personal History, Harrisburg, PA, the Pennsylvania Book Service, 1943.
Stewart, Arthur I. and Veith, Loran W., Harmony: Commemorating the Sesquicentennial of Harmony, Pennsylvania, Harmony, PA., June 1955.

External links

with further reading.
Johann Georg Rapp in the German-language in ADB volume 27 page 286 - 289 with further reading.