Moravians

(mo-ra've-anz,) or UNITED BRETHREN. (Eccl. Hist.) A Christian sect of the Reformed Church which arose in Moravia and Bohemia in 1457. They seem originally to have formed a portion of that considerable body of persons who were already profe ing the doctrines of the Reformation in Bohemia, when Luther first began to preach. They are historically and ecclesiastically distinct from the society of the " United Brethren in Christ," with whom they are often confounded. In doctrine, the Moravian Church does not differ from other evangelical churches, so far as the main points of Christian belief are concerned. On minor points it allows a difference of opinion. The distinguishing characteristics of the Church relate to points of ritual and church-life. The highest legislative authority is the General Synod, which meets once in ten years. The Executive Board of the whole Church is the Elders' Conference of the Unity. Each of the three provinces (the German, British, and American) into which the Church is divided, has a Synod and Board of Elders of its own. In 1870, the Church had 15,265 communicants, of whom 7,064 belonged to the American province. The total membership, including the Foreign Mi ion Field, was 94,524. [s. 617]