Eberhard Ludwig Gruber & Johann Adam Gruber: A Father & Son as Early Inspirationist Leaders

ALTHOUGH OBSCURE FIGURES today in both the United States and the Germanies, Eberhard Ludwig Gruber (1665-1728) and his son Johann Adam Gruber (1693-1763) were well-known sectarian leaders in the eighteenth century on both sides of the Atlantic.They collectively gave shape to the Community of True Inspiration, which burst on the religious scene in 1714 with a flare of charismatic fervor, soon enlisting numbers of devout converts from both humble and professional socio-economic backgrounds.The Grubers were active writers and publicists, known also for poetic gifts.The father became the Aufseher (superintendent) of the new Inspired movement; the son was called the "crown prince of German separatism" and the "most important figure in Colonial Pennsylvania separatism" by a leading scholar.Despite this correct appraisal of the younger Gruber as a leading separatist, he is credited with the first ecumenical appeal and association in colonial Pennsylvania in 1736.Behind their outward attainments lies a fascinating generational struggle, which caused both father and son intense emotional pain.Their close but convoluted relationship could profit from the kind of analysis Erik Erikson gave to Martin Luther and Mohandas Gandhi, but can only be sketched here.Their achievements and struggles, nonetheless, deserve renewed attention.