Which Bible do Amish use? Typically, the Amish use the German Martin Luther version, particularly for church readings. For an English version, the most favored translation is the King James edition (KJV). Some Amish use the New International Version (NIV) as well. Often, the Bible Amish read in the home will have a dual format-German on one side of the page, English on the other….
The Swartzentruber Amish are among the most tradition-minded Old Order peoples The Swartzentruber Amish affiliation came about in Ohio in 1917. Today Swartzentruber Amish are considered among the “lowest” of Amish affiliations. Swartzentruber communities can be found in over a dozen states, though their population is highest in Holmes County, Ohio, where they live side-by-side with more progressive Amish. Facts about the Swartzentruber Amish: Swartzentruber…
Today we have a winner for the New York Amish book contest, and a short excerpt from the book. Thanks to all that participated. Before announcing the winner I just wanted to let you know about our next giveaway. Amish Grace authors Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher have written a new book called The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World. The…
The Amish community at Ethridge is one of a handful in Tennessee, and at ten church districts, the largest Amish settlement in the South. The Amish here are of the Swartzentruber “lineage”, meaning low levels of technology, numerous farms, and buggies lacking the Slow Moving Vehicle triangle. Ethridge is unusual as a sizeable and long-established Southern community, with most Amish settlements in the South being…
A Swartzentruber Amish woman in Wayne County, Ohio.
Dear email subscribers (God bless ya!)—for the time being, please click through the blue post link to access full posts direct from the blog–as you may know the email subscription service is cutting off the post for some reason. That is why you only see a few lines, and no photos are visible in the email. I am trying to fix it, but it may…
Karen Johnson-Weiner, professor of Anthropology at SUNY-Potsdam and author of Train Up a Child: Old Order Amish and Mennonite Schools, has a new book coming out this summer, called New York Amish: Life in the Plain Communities of the Empire State. To my knowledge this will be the first book-length treatment of Amish in New York, and it comes at a fitting time, with the…
In the previous post, SUNY Potsdam Professor Karen Johnson-Weiner answered questions on Amish settlements in New York state. Today she shares her knowledge of the Swartzentruber Amish. Amish America: Could you explain who exactly the term ‘Swartzentruber’ refers to? In what ways do the Swartzentruber Amish differ from ‘mainstream’ Amish? Professor Karen Johnson-Weiner: The Swartzentruber Amish, arguably the plainest of the “Plain People,” originated in…
A Swartzentruber Amish home in Wayne County, Ohio.
I attended the funeral of an Old Order Amish man while in the Holmes County settlement over the weekend. A few observations: Around 200 attendees, mostly Amish, with all four major affiliations represented: Old Order, New Order, Andy Weaver (aka ‘Dan church’) and Swartzentruber. There were only a handful of non-Amish present–mainly consisting of a few plain Mennonites. The Amish funeral takes place in the…