Scripture, Piety, and Christian Community in the Thought of the Polish Brethren
November 2024
| Chapter
| Antitrinitarianism and Unitarianism in the Early Modern World
Scripture was fundamental to the religious culture of the Polish Brethren or Socinians; for them, the Christian religion can only be known from the scriptures. It is the scriptures which provide the crucial inspiration and encouragement to the believer and Socinian piety is focused on reading and studying the scriptures. It is, however, important to recognise that for them this process of engagement cannot be done in isolation and that Christianity can never be a solitary affair. Although Socinianism has often been associated with an individualistic approach to Christianity, one in which public worship and liturgy plays at best a supporting role, the texts of the early community tell a rather different story. From these writings, we can see that the Socinians were keen to emphasise the communal dimension to their relationship with scripture, an emphasis which shaped their religious culture and ecclesiology in important ways. Indeed, they believed that shared reflection on scripture in the form of study and prayer was necessary if human beings were to obey the commands of God revealed in this sacred text.