Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 9
The speaker connects the Schtabler to Hutterites as “totally pacifists” and says a “peoplehood…flowed forth from that historic crossing of a line”; what might “peoplehood” mean here beyond individual conviction, and what communal practices would have been necessary for early Christians to maintain a no-killing identity under pressure?
Another way to ask: When the speaker says “peoplehood” grew from choosing total pacifism, what does “peoplehood” mean beyond personal belief? What shared habits would a community need to keep a no-killing identity under pressure?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
“Peoplehood” seems to mean a shared communal identity formed by a decisive, practiced boundary—especially the refusal to kill—rather than just private opinions. The transcript doesn’t list specific communal practices in detail, but it implies a fellowship that stays responsible to this line, even as a minority under pressure.
- The speaker describes something deeper than personal belief: “There’s an imprint in my heart, and there is a peoplehood that flowed forth from that historic crossing of a line.”
- That “line” is concrete and communal: “willing to pay taxes, but not fight…gar optan, no killing.”
- He links the enduring stream to an identifiable group: Schtabler “would only carry a staff,” and included “Hutterites, who were also totally pacifists.”
- He emphasizes minority status: “we are a minority,” suggesting communal cohesion was necessary.
- He says the ideas “formed a fellowship in which those who remain responsible stay with it,” implying accountability within community.