1748 edition; Revolutionary-era episode labeled 1776 · event
Ephrata and the German Martyrs’ Mirror
The Ephrata printing of Martyrs’ Mirror carried the memory of faithful witnesses to German-speaking readers in Pennsylvania.
Also searchable as: Ephrata Cloisters
Translation and printing at Ephrata gave German-speaking readers access to Martyrs’ Mirror. The Mennonite archival catalogue preserves descriptions of the title page, pages, and binding of the Ephrata edition dated 1748. That publication belongs to the transmission of the martyrs’ letters, testimonies, and examples across language and ocean.
The exhibit labels its Ephrata scene 1776 and then recounts a Revolutionary-era raid for paper, including copies of Martyrs’ Mirror, to make gun wadding. Its date is therefore kept separate from the book’s earlier printing date. In the panel’s account, a book preserving the witness of Christians who refused violence was drawn into the material demands of war.
The story connects the preservation of testimony to the practical history of translation, paper, printing, and reading. Ephrata is included here for that direct connection with Martyrs’ Mirror, while the complete source collection remains available for reading the accounts themselves.
Sources for this history: [1] [2]
