Frost, J. William

English

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 Swarthmore CollegeWorks   Religion Faculty Works   1-1-2003  Review Of "The Zinzendorf-Muhlenberg Encounter: A Controversy In Search Of Understanding" By W. H. Wagner  J. William Frost Swarthmore College   Let us know how access to this work benefits you.  Follow this and additional works at: http://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-religion   Part of the Religion Commons   Recommended Citation J. William Frost. (2003). "Review Of "The Zinzendorf-Muhlenberg Encounter: A Controversy In Search Of Understanding" By W. H. Wagner". Pennsylvania Magazine Of History And Biography. Volume 127, Issue 1. 109-110. http://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-religion/101  This work is brought to you for free and open access by the Swarthmore College Libraries. It has been accepted for inclusion in Religion Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Works. For more information, please contact myworks@swarthmore.edu.   ReviewReviewed Work(s): The Zinzendorf-Muhlenberg Encounter: A Controversy in Search ofUnderstanding by Walter H. WagnerReview by: J. William FrostSource: The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 127, No. 1 (Jan., 2003),pp. 109-110Published by: The Historical Society of PennsylvaniaStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20093605Accessed: 17-05-2017 14:35 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusteddigital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information aboutJSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available athttp://about.jstor.org/termsThe Historical Society of Pennsylvania is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extendaccess to The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and BiographyThis content downloaded from 130.58.88.100 on Wed, 17 May 2017 14:35:03 UTCAll use subject to http://about.jstor.org/termsThis content downloaded from 130.58.88.100 on Wed, 17 May 2017 14:35:03 UTCAll use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms2003 BOOK REVIEWS 109 cannot disturb much of its broad and already turbulent surface, much less its depths. Consider the global ambition of a book that treats, for example, Russian expansion into Alaska, British adventures in the South Pacific, the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the ethnogenesis of the Crow Indians, the African slave trade, and the Glorious Revolution in England. Consider the organizational brilliance that it takes to pull these topics together in a manner that leaves one convinced that the new imperial approach makes sense. Taylor's new imperial focus helps not only to convene such events, so disparate in time and space, but also to combine the recent history of colonial frontiers, of which Taylor has been such a leader, with the history of the Atlantic world, a movement of no small importance among today's colonial historians. University of Michigan GREGORY EVANS DOWD The Zinzendorf-Muhlenberg Encounter: A Controversy in Search of Understanding. By WALTER H. WAGNER. (Nazareth, Pa.: Moravian Historical Society, 2002. 173p. $22.95.) Recently the Moravian Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America entered into a full communion agreement. Wagner, a Lutheran pastor and professor at the Moravian Seminary, examines the origins of the split between the two denominations symbolized by a meeting in 17 42 between the founder of the Moravians, Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf, and Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg, the pastor most influential in shaping American Lutheranism. The book's underlying theme (which is correct) is that even in the 17 40s the differences were marginal and that unification requires neither denom-ination to repudiate its heritage. Even though primary interest in the book will be to members of these churches, historians interested in religion will find it a convenient way to understand the context for the controversies that helped shape Pennsylvanian Germans' denominational history. Our only account of the meeting of the two men is a transcript written by Muhlenberg for purposes of publication. Muhlenberg went by himself to the meeting that to his surprise turned into a kind of judicial examination/ debate and there is no record of the Moravians present taking down the words. I wonder whether Muhlenberg's account is accurate enough to merit the sophisticated analysis provided by Wagner. More helpful is his careful reconstruction of the background of the two protagonists and Muhlenberg's successful strategy. The book makes clear that the issues debated in Philadelphia began in Europe and any chances of unity were slim; indeed, the University of Halle This content downloaded from 130.58.88.100 on Wed, 17 May 2017 14:35:03 UTCAll use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms110 BOOK REV1EWS January authorities neglected Pennsylvania until the Moravians appeared and then sent Muhlenberg to counter the count. Wagner provides an informative account of the debates in Germany between Lutheran scholastics and pietists over inter-preting Luther's heritage. Although Muhlenberg and Zinzendorf can be described today as Lutheran pietists, they differed significantly in their attitudes towards authority. Muhlenberg can be described as an organization man while the count ignored authority-whether family, church, or government. Although Zinzendorf's doctrinal soundness was certified by German university authorities, others opposed his mission and he never had gained formal written certification for his claim to be a minister. In addition, Zinzendorf added to Lutheran doctrine controversial emphases upon the wounds and blood of Christ and upon images of Jesus as "Brother-Husband-Father-Creator; the Spirit as the Mother" (p. 89). He had also been influenced by English spiritualist Jane Leade and her Philadelphia society. While professing to be an orthodox Lutheran minister, Zinzendorf was also a bishop of the Unitas Fratrum-a sect that under the treaty of Westphalia had no right to exist. Neither Muhlenberg nor Zinzendorf knew much about Pennsylvania, the variety of religions there, or the Lutheran congregations. Zinzendorf thought that the divisions of Christendom were a scandal and he staged a series of ecumenical conferences in Pennsylvania to bring some a unity of the "Church of God in the Spirit" even while denominational structures remained distinct. The count was used to deferential listeners, and his manner and message alienated independent-minded colonists. Because a shortage of clergy plagued German Reformed and Lutheran churches, Zinzendorf sought to place his adherents in these churches as ministers. Muhlenberg saw these Moravians as attempting to subvert Lutherans. The result was a series of bitter disputes that required the courts to decide the legal basis for ownership of church property. Wagner is a good guide to the theological issues involved, but his grasp of Pennsylvania history is problematic. He underestimates the impact of the Great Awakening on Pennsylvania, ignoring the bitter schism among the Presbyterians and the rise of the Baptists, and seems unaware of recent scholarship on the migration and culture of the Pennsylvania Dutch. The first chapter on dynastic succession in Europe will bore those who already know this history and confuse those who don't. More significant, his focus on the two clergymen slights the influence of the Lutheran and Reformed laymen who determined as much as the leaders whether Moravian, Reformed, and Lutheran would become one denom-ination or three. Swarthmore College J. WILLIAM FROST 

Review Of  The Zinzendorf-Muhlenberg Encounter: A Controversy In Search Of Understanding  By W. H. Wagner

 Swarthmore College
Works 
 
 
Religion Faculty Works 
 
 
1-1-2003 
 
Review Of "The Zinzendorf-Muhlenberg 
Encounter: A Controversy In Search Of 
Understanding" By W. H. Wagner 
 
J. William Frost 
Swarthmore College  
 
Let us know how access to this work benefits you. 
 
Follow this and additional works at: http://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-religion  
 Part of the Religion Commons 
 
 
Recommended Citation 
J. William Frost. (2003). "Review Of "The Zinzendorf-Muhlenberg Encounter: A Controversy In Search Of 
Understanding" By W. H. Wagner". Pennsylvania Magazine Of History And Biography. Volume 127, Issue 
1. 109-110. 
http://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-religion/101 
 
This work is brought to you for free and open access by the Swarthmore College Libraries. It has 
been accepted for inclusion in Religion Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Works. For 
more information, please contact myworks@swarthmore.edu. 
 
 
Review
Reviewed Work(s): The Zinzendorf-Muhlenberg Encounter: A Controversy in Search of
Understanding by Walter H. Wagner
Review by: J. William Frost
Source: The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 127, No. 1 (Jan., 2003),
pp. 109-110
Published by: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20093605
Accessed: 17-05-2017 14:35 UTC
 
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted
digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about
JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
 
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
http://about.jstor.org/terms
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend
access to The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
This content downloaded from 130.58.88.100 on Wed, 17 May 2017 14:35:03 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
This content downloaded from 130.58.88.100 on Wed, 17 May 2017 14:35:03 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
2003 BOOK REVIEWS 109 
cannot disturb much of its broad and already turbulent surface, much less its 
depths. Consider the global ambition of a book that treats, for example, Russian 
expansion into Alaska, British adventures in the South Pacific, the Spanish 
conquest of Mexico, the ethnogenesis of the Crow Indians, the African slave 
trade, and the Glorious Revolution in England. Consider the organizational 
brilliance that it takes to pull these topics together in a manner that leaves one 
convinced that the new imperial approach makes sense. Taylor's new imperial 
focus helps not only to convene such events, so disparate in time and space, but 
also to combine the recent history of colonial frontiers, of which Taylor has been 
such a leader, with the history of the Atlantic world, a movement of no small 
importance among today's colonial historians. 
University of Michigan GREGORY EVANS DOWD 
The Zinzendorf-Muhlenberg Encounter: A Controversy in Search of 
Understanding. By WALTER H. WAGNER. (Nazareth, Pa.: Moravian 
Historical Society, 2002. 173p. $22.95.) 
Recently the Moravian Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of 
America entered into a full communion agreement. Wagner, a Lutheran pastor 
and professor at the Moravian Seminary, examines the origins of the split 
between the two denominations symbolized by a meeting in 17 42 between the 
founder of the Moravians, Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf, and Heinrich 
Melchior Muhlenberg, the pastor most influential in shaping American 
Lutheranism. The book's underlying theme (which is correct) is that even in the 
17 40s the differences were marginal and that unification requires neither denom-
ination to repudiate its heritage. Even though primary interest in the book will 
be to members of these churches, historians interested in religion will find it a 
convenient way to understand the context for the controversies that helped shape 
Pennsylvanian Germans' denominational history. 
Our only account of the meeting of the two men is a transcript written by 
Muhlenberg for purposes of publication. Muhlenberg went by himself to the 
meeting that to his surprise turned into a kind of judicial examination/ debate 
and there is no record of the Moravians present taking down the words. I 
wonder whether Muhlenberg's account is accurate enough to merit the 
sophisticated analysis provided by Wagner. More helpful is his careful 
reconstruction of the background of the two protagonists and Muhlenberg's 
successful strategy. 
The book makes clear that the issues debated in Philadelphia began in 
Europe and any chances of unity were slim; indeed, the University of Halle 
This content downloaded from 130.58.88.100 on Wed, 17 May 2017 14:35:03 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
110 BOOK REV1EWS January 
authorities neglected Pennsylvania until the Moravians appeared and then sent 
Muhlenberg to counter the count. Wagner provides an informative account of 
the debates in Germany between Lutheran scholastics and pietists over inter-
preting Luther's heritage. Although Muhlenberg and Zinzendorf can be 
described today as Lutheran pietists, they differed significantly in their attitudes 
towards authority. Muhlenberg can be described as an organization man while 
the count ignored authority-whether family, church, or government. Although 
Zinzendorf's doctrinal soundness was certified by German university authorities, 
others opposed his mission and he never had gained formal written certification 
for his claim to be a minister. In addition, Zinzendorf added to Lutheran 
doctrine controversial emphases upon the wounds and blood of Christ and upon 
images of Jesus as "Brother-Husband-Father-Creator; the Spirit as the Mother" 
(p. 89). He had also been influenced by English spiritualist Jane Leade and her 
Philadelphia society. While professing to be an orthodox Lutheran minister, 
Zinzendorf was also a bishop of the Unitas Fratrum-a sect that under the treaty 
of Westphalia had no right to exist. 
Neither Muhlenberg nor Zinzendorf knew much about Pennsylvania, the 
variety of religions there, or the Lutheran congregations. Zinzendorf thought 
that the divisions of Christendom were a scandal and he staged a series of 
ecumenical conferences in Pennsylvania to bring some a unity of the "Church of 
God in the Spirit" even while denominational structures remained distinct. The 
count was used to deferential listeners, and his manner and message alienated 
independent-minded colonists. Because a shortage of clergy plagued German 
Reformed and Lutheran churches, Zinzendorf sought to place his adherents in 
these churches as ministers. Muhlenberg saw these Moravians as attempting to 
subvert Lutherans. The result was a series of bitter disputes that required the 
courts to decide the legal basis for ownership of church property. 
Wagner is a good guide to the theological issues involved, but his grasp of 
Pennsylvania history is problematic. He underestimates the impact of the Great 
Awakening on Pennsylvania, ignoring the bitter schism among the Presbyterians 
and the rise of the Baptists, and seems unaware of recent scholarship on the 
migration and culture of the Pennsylvania Dutch. The first chapter on dynastic 
succession in Europe will bore those who already know this history and confuse 
those who don't. More significant, his focus on the two clergymen slights the 
influence of the Lutheran and Reformed laymen who determined as much as the 
leaders whether Moravian, Reformed, and Lutheran would become one denom-
ination or three. 
Swarthmore College J. WILLIAM FROST 


https://works.swarthmore.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1100&context=fac-religion

Review Of The Zinzendorf-Muhlenberg Encounter: A Controversy In Search Of Understanding By W. H. Wagner

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