George Fox

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George Fox (* July 1624 in Drayton-in-the-Clay, Leicestershire , today Fenny Drayton ; † January 13, 1691 in London ) was one of the founding fathers of the Quakers ("Religious Society of Friends").

George Fox

youth

He comes from the family of a wool merchant and later became a shoemaker's apprentice . According to his own testimony (G. Fox, diary), from his earliest youth he was devoted to brooding over religious objects, at the age of 19 he was overcome by mystical visions and revelations which initially plunged him into a deep spiritual crisis.

Beginning of missionary work

He first appeared in public in 1649. He gave a protest speech in a church in Nottingham , was arrested and sentenced to the first (of eight) prison terms (for blasphemy). A year later he was sentenced again to over a year in prison in Derby . In 1651, Oliver Cromwell Fox offered service in his army with the rank of captain, which he refused. The benevolent attitude of Cromwell protected George Fox from worse a few times in his later life.

Most likely, the mock name Quaker (English "tremor") went back to a speech by Fox. Fox was very pictorial and often resorted to metaphors . Here is a short excerpt from his diary (translated in 1908, translator Margaretha Stähelin):

"[...] I was driven to pray, and the power of the Lord was so mighty that it seemed as if the whole house was shaking. When I finished, some of the pious said it was just like in the days of the Apostles, since 'the house in which they were gathered moved' (Apos. 2,2). [...] "

Fox's pathos had a very charismatic effect on many, others it just incited to mockery.

In 1652 George Fox met Margaret Fell , whom he married in 1669. His wife was significantly wealthier than he was. So that he could not be accused of economic calculation, he excluded all inheritance claims in the marriage contract. In 1653 George Fox was imprisoned in Carlisle . A letter from Parliament released him again. In 1656 the conflict between George Fox and James Nayler reached its climax and led to a rift between the two, until reconciliation through the efforts of William Dewsbury three years later, shortly before the death of James Nayler.

Efforts to establish a stable community

From 1664 to 1666 Fox served a prison sentence in Lancaster and Scarborough . Despite his poor health, after his release he began to travel around the country to organize monthly meetings, which he considered essential for the continued existence of the Quakers. From 1671 he went on trips to the 13 colonies , to Holland and Northern Germany to win the Mennonites , Labadists and other Christian factions for his teaching. He died after he was still securing the existence of his community under Wilhelm III. (Orange) experienced. His grave is in Bunhill Fields in London .

Even his enemies have admitted the purity of his striving and his conduct. His writings appeared in three volumes from 1694–1706.

The Journal

  • The Journal of George Fox. A revised edition by John L. Nickalls. With an epilogue by Henry J. Cadbury and an introduction by Geoffrey F. Nuttall. Cambridge, University Press, 1952; ISBN 0-900469-16-1
  • Diary / George Fox. [Trans. by Martha Röhn]. Bad Pyrmont: Friedrich, 1950 (Journal, Ger.) - (The English edition of John L. Nickalls should be consulted when reading.)

Memorial days

literature

Web links

Commons : George Fox  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

glossary

For the technical terms used in the article, see also the article " Glossary Quakerism ".

Individual evidence

  1. ^ J. Gordon Melton: Fox, George (1624-1691) . founder of the Quaker movement. In: Encyclopedia of World Religions . Encyclopedia of Protestantism, No. 6 . Facts of File, New York 2005, ISBN 978-0-8160-5456-5 , pp. 229 (English).
  2. ↑ George Fox in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
personal data
SURNAME Fox, George
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Founding father of the Quakers
DATE OF BIRTH July 1624
PLACE OF BIRTH Fenny Drayton at Leicester
DATE OF DEATH January 13, 1691
Place of death London