Jakob Galle (1732-1801) of Uffhofen, Germany, was a preacher of the Mennonite congregation at Erbesbüdesheim 1762, elder 1767, who dedicated the new church at Sembach, 1 January 1778 (Brons, 216). He did much to sustain and revive his congregation. His son Johannes (1766-1838), "a man of zeal for the customs and discipline of the fathers" (Mennonitische Blätter), was preacher of the congregation of Oberflörsheim. He also served many years as elder of the church at Weierhof, but separated from it and the other large congregations in Hesse and the Palatinate when they began to engage educated ministers for a salary. He also opposed the introduction of the new hymnal and catechism. He apparently clung to the old Ausbund, for in his letters he frequently lamented that the martyrs' hymns were being abandoned. Van Braght's Martyrs' Mirror he valued very highly. He must have been a gifted speaker. His extensive correspondence with brethren in North America, Switzerland, Bavaria, and Alsace reveals an unusual knowledge of the Bible. His most faithful adherents he found in Heppenheim an der Wiese, Oberflörsheim, Uffhofen, Kühbörncheshof, and Neudorferhof. These five congregations formed a close union under his leadership, published the Deknatel catechism and the 35 questions and answers by Gerrit Roosen anew, held their own meetings, and energetically resisted all innovations (mixed marriages, foreign mission, etc.). After the death of Galle this division among the Palatine-Hessian congregations gradually disappeared.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 437. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

©1996-2013 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.