Facts About Friends(Quakers) #33

Are the “Quakers” different from the “Friends”?

No – “Quakers” is just a nickname for Friends. The Friends movement began in mid-17th century England. The name “Friends” comes from Jesus' statement, “I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” (John 15:15)

Early Friends also called themselves “The Children of Light,” and “Publishers of Truth.” Others nicknamed the Friends, “Quakers,” because they “quaked” (or trembled) in the power of God. They later adopted the name, “The Religious Society of Friends,” and more recently, “the Friends Church.”