Harmony of the Spirits

Patrick M. Erben is associate professor of English at the University of West Georgia.

An extraordinary book. . . . Beautifully recaptures the lost voice and vision of the early American Philadelphian mystics.-Nova ReligioErben's project powerfully reconstructs another lost hermeneutic that will hopefully inspire future scholarship.-American LiteratureErben makes compelling arguments. . . . [He] successfully broadens our view of early Pennsylvanians and their efforts to create a harmony of the spirits.-Pennsylvania Magazine of History and BiographyErben brilliantly demonstrates how religion, language, and affect come together in the interrelationships among nations, faiths, and individuals. . . . [This book] redefine[s] the parameters of discussion for colonial English and Germany literary culture in early Pennsylvania.-Journal of American Studies[A] wonderfully imaginative work on language and translation. . . . A Harmony of the Spirits is thoroughly worth reading for those interested in the religious and ideological underpinnings of American colonization.-Journal of American HistoryIntriguing. . . [and] remarkably successful in helping readers understand the broader context for many of the religious groups of early Pennsylvania.-Journal of Moravian HistoryErben has masterfully translated the multilingual sectarian voices of the past into an academic treatise on spiritual cooperation.-William and Mary QuarterlyErben's work uses previously unexploited sources to give a fresh perspective on the founding and early history of Pennsylvania. . . . This is a magnificent book that deserves to be widely read and emulated.-American Historical ReviewScholars interested in transatlantic conversations and in particular Pietist and Quaker studies will find this well-researched and well-written book a welcome volume. Erben's method of providing translation and quotations invites a continued conversation among those who have a shared interest in the spiritual, social and even political life of seventeenth- and eighteenth- century Pennsylvania.-H-PietismHighly readable. . . . The book is wonderfully written and profound in its observations."" - Mennonite Quarterly Review