Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/797

 Labadists, a pietist sect of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries founded by Jean de Labadie, who was born at Bourg, near Bordeaux, 13 February, 1610, and died at Altona, 13 February, 1674. He was edu- cated by the Jesuits at Bordeaux, joined their order in 1625, and was ordained ten j'ears later. Having left the Society of Jesus in 1639 he preached successfully at Bordeaux, Paris, and Amiens, where in 1640 he was appointed canon and professor of theology. He exer- cised his priestly functions at Abbeville also, and in 1049 withdrew to the Carmehte monastery of Gra- ville, near Ha\Te, to avoid a confhct with the eccle- siastical and ci\il authorities. In 1650 he joined the Reformed Church at Montauban, where he was ap- pointed professor of theology. In 1657 he took up pastoral work at Orange on the Rhone, became extraor- dinary preacher at Geneva in 16.59, and seven years later accepted a call to the French-speaking congre- gation at Miildellnirg, Holland, where he refused to subscribe to the Belgian Confession or to recognize the authority of the Reformed Church and founded a sep- arate sect, whereupon he was expelled from the city. He then endeavoured to organize a community first in the neighbouring town of Veere, then at Amsterdam, where he permanently won over to his cause the learned Anna Maria van Schurman. On the invita- tion of the princess-abbess, EHzabeth, he removed in 1670 with some fifty-five followers to Herford in West- phalia. Having been banished also from this place in 1672, the congregation settled at Altona where De Labadie died. Shortly after his death, his followers, to the number of one hundred and sixty-two finally migrated from Altona to Wiewert in \\'est Friesland. Here they reached the highest point of their pros- perity, but even then did not number more than about four hundred. In 16S0 they accepted an invitation from the governor of the Dutch colony of Surinam to establish a missionary settlement in his dominions. But the colony of '' Pro\ddence " which they founded disappeared in 16SS. A similar attempt at New Bo- hemia on the Hudson in the State of New York also ended in failure. The congregation of ^^'iewert itself dispersed in 1732. In their doctrinal teaching, the Labadists laid great stress on the necessity of interior illumination by the Holy Ghost for the understanding of the Bible. The Church for them was a community of holy persons who have been born again from sin. These alone are entitled to the reception of the sacra- ments. Hence they frowned upon infant baptism, seldom celebrated the Lord's Supper, and declared that marriage with an unregenerate person is not binding. They held property in common, after the example of the primitive Church, supported them- selves by manual labour and held very lax views re- garding the observance of Sunday.

Van BERKU.M. De Labadie en de Labadislen (Sneek. 1851); Heppe, Geschichte des Pietismus der reformierten Kircke (Ley- den, 1879), 241-374: Goebel-Frank in Realenci/k. fiir prat. Theol., s. V. Labadie; Birch, Anna van Schurman l London, 1909).

N. A. Weber.

Laban (p^, Aa/Sdv), son of Bathuel, the Syrian (Gen. xx\-iii, 5; cf. xxv, 20); grandson of Nachor, Abraham's brother (xxii, 20, 23; cf.xxix, 5, where he is called "son of Nachor"); brother of Rebecca (xxiv, 29, 55; XXV, 20; xxvii, 43; xxviii, 5); uncle of Jacob (xxviii, 2; xxix. 10) and also his father-in-law (xxix, 25; XXX, 25; xxxi, 20; cf. xxix, 12, 15; xiii. 8, where he is called his " brother") ; the father of Lia and Rachel (xxix, 16) and of several sons (xxx, 35; xxxi, 1). Laban's home was in Haran (xxvii, 43; xxix, 4), the

city of Nachor (xxiv, 10), in Mesopotamia of Sj'ria (xxviii, 2, 5) where Nachor, his grandfather, remained when Abraham and Lot migrated tn Chanaaii (xi, 31; xii, 4). Hence Laban is also called "the Syrian" or "Aramaean" (xxv, 20; xxxi, 20, 24; Heb.). It was here in Mesopotamia that Laban met Abraham's ser- vant and consented to Rebecca's departure to become the wife of Isaac (xxiv, 29, sqq.) (see Abr.\haii). The subsequent history of Laban is intimately connected with that of Jacob, his sister's son (Gen., xxix, 10- xxxi, 55) (see Jacob). The latter having arrived in Haran was met by Rachel who notified her father Laban of his brother's (sic) arrival. Laban goes forth to meet Jacob and offers him the hospitality of his home (xxLx, 10-14). After a month's time Lalian in- vites his nephew to remain permanently with him, even allowing him to fix his own wages. Jacob agrees to work seven years for his uncle, and his wages were to be the hand of Rachel, Laban's yovmger daughter (xxix, 14-18). These terms appeared satisfactory' to Laban, who, at the end of seven 3'ears, prepared the marriage feast, but, instead of giving his younger daughter Rachel to Jacob, he gave him his elder daughter Lia whom Jacolj, however, failed to recog- nize until after the marriage (xxix, 18-24). Wien Jacob remonstrated with his uncle, Laban agreed to give him his younger daughter on the sole condi- tion that Jacob serve him seven more years. Jacob agreed to this, and at the end of seven years Laban gives his younger daughter Rachel to Jacob (xxix, 24-29).

Having received the wife whom he sought, Jacob re- solved to return to his own home, but Laban, wishing to retain the profitable services of liis nephew, once more prevailed upon Jacob to remain with him (xxx, 25-2$). The terms stipulated by Jacob this time ap- peared most advantageous to Laban, but he and his sons soon discovered that Jacob had outwitted them in this last agreement, which procured for Jacob a large increase of flocks (xxx, 29—43). Laban and his sons then began to despise Jacob, who, noticing their change of attitude towards him, and dissatisfied with the treatment accorded him bj' his uncle, who had changed his wages ten times, secretly departed together with his wives and possessions (xxxi, 1-20). 'Three days later, Laban, apprized of Jacob's flight, and hav- ing remarked the loss of his idols, which Rachel had taken with her, goes in pursuit of the fugitives. After seven days Laban overtakes Jacob near the mount of Galaad, but during the night he is warned in a dream not to inflict any harm on Jacob (xxxi, 21-25). The next day Laban meets Jacob and remonstrates with him on his ungrateful and foolish action, accusing him at the same time of taking his idols (xxxi, 25-31). Laban is then in\'ited by Jacob to search for his idols, and when he fails to find them, thanks to Rachel's shrewdness, he is vigorously upbraided by Jacob (xxxi, 31^2). Laban and Jacob then enter into an agreement whereby Jacob is not to harm Laban's daughters, and neither party is to pass with hostile intent the limits set by a heap of stones called "the witness heap ". Laban then takes leave of his sons and daughters and returns home, never to be heard of again in history (xxxi, 42-55).

Fr.\ncis X. E. Albert.

Labarum, the name by which the military standard adopted by Constantine the Great after liis celebrated vision (Lactantius, "De mortibus persecutorum ", c. xli v), was known in antiquity. The original labarum,