Abstract

Quakerism, a Christian denomination, originated in the actions of a few radical preachers active throughout the British Isles but particularly in North West England and Bristol during the 1640s and 1650s, such as Barbara Blaugdone, possibly from Bristol (1609–1704), and George Fox from Leicestershire (1624–1691). “Friends,” as members called themselves, were initially scorned by others, and the term “Quaker,” although later used by the group themselves,was originally a formof abuse,mocking their physical shaking when divinely moved to speak. Most Quakers rejected the idea of paid ministry and traditional church hierarchies, favoring a more egalitarian structure based on spiritual maturity rather than social status, and the development of a series of testimonies, or guides to ethical living. One of the first was the peace testimony. Arising during a period of civil war in the British Isles, Quakerism was not, in the first instance, entirely pacifist: several members, including Fox, were part of the Parliamentarian army which rejected monarchy and sought a republic. Quakers spread radical new ideas, including the idea that everyone held “that of God” within them, developed from Luke 17:21. Such spiritual equality paralleled contemporary calls for political equality and was core to much early Quaker activity, but led to conflict with non-Quakers, particularly over gender and violence.