Missionary and edificatory letters, from prison to the parish in Moravia

The Hutterite letters, of which many have survived in the codices of parishes, were used for missionary and edificatory purposes. Their contents are modelled on the letters of the New Testament.

Left: Letter of Leonhard Lochmaier to the Parish in Austria and Moravia, 1538; source: Archives of the Mennonite Church, Goshen, IN., Codex Hab 17, Reel 81 VW.

Right: Letter of Jörg Rack to the Parish in Moravia, 1561; source: Archives of the Mennonite Church, Goshen, IN., Codex III, Reel 1 VW.