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David Nitschmann's Bishop's Ordination, 1735 Moravian Archives, Bethlehem, Pa. Issue 51 March 2010 David Nitschmann’s Bishop’s Ordination, 1735 On March 13, 1735, David Nitschmann was ordained as the first bishop of the renewed Moravian Church. Though not much publicity was given to it at the time, this ordination had major consequences for the later development of the Moravian Church. During the 1730s the Moravian movement spread beyond the original community of Herrnhut. With Moravians working as mis- sionaries on various Caribbean islands, in Copy of the ordination certificate, David Nitschmann Papers, Moravian Archives. Bethlehem. Greenland and in Lapland, it became neces- sary to ordain missionaries as ministers so He was born in Zauchtenthal (Suchdol) in Herrnhut. Unlike the bishops of the Unitas they could baptize and administer Holy Moravia in 1696. After he joined the com- Fratrum, however, Moravian bishops did not Communion. Herrnhut was officially part of munity of Herrnhut in 1724 he undertook have any administrative authority. According the Lutheran parish of Berthelsdorf during several trips to Moravia to visit with other to his ordination certificate David Nitsch- these years, so the Berthelsdorf minister Protestants. Zinzendorf sent him on mis- mann’s main responsibility was to visit and was responsible for administrating the sacra- sions to England (1728) and Livonia (1729), to ordain “Pastors and Servants of the ments. Beyond Herrnhut this was different. and he accompanied Zinzendorf to the Church.” Until this day, Moravian bishops What were the missionaries to do when coronation of the King of Denmark in 1731. are primarily responsible for ordinations and they needed to baptize someone? Moravian Together with Leonhard Dober, Nitsch- for the pastoral care of the ministers. missionaries were mostly craftsmen and not mann went to the Caribbean island of St. Nitschmann left for Georgia in August of ordained theologians. In order to be able to Thomas in 1732 and he investigated possi- that year. After his return to Europe he ordain missionaries, a bishop was needed. bilities to settle Moravians in northern Ger- assisted Jablonski at the ordination of many in 1734. Furthermore, Nitschmann, One possibility could have been to ask bish- Zinzendorf as second bishop of the renewed who was a carpenter and not an academi- ops from other denominations to ordain Moravian Church in 1737. The decision to cally trained theologian, met the apostolic Moravian missionaries. However, Zinzen- have Moravian bishops was significant for ideal of the craftsman preacher and mission- dorf chose a different solution. He knew the further development of the church; it ary, who had no education but an awakened that Daniel Ernst Jablonski, Reformed minis- meant that the community of Herrnhut heart. ter in Berlin and grandson of Johann Amos considered itself to be a distinct denomina- Comenius, had a positive opinion of the In March of 1735 Zinzendorf requested tion. The transferral of the episcopate from Herrnhut community. Jablonski was also a Jablonski to ordain David Nitschmann as the Polish branch of the Unity also enforced bishop of the Polish branch of the Unity and “Senior and Overseer” and to avoid any the idea that the church in Herrnhut was Zinzendorf wanted Jablonski to transfer the publicity. So when Jablonski performed the the continuation of the old Unitas Fratrum. apostolic succession to the renewed Mora- ordination on March 13th it was conducted vian Church. not in a church but in Jablonski’s office. The Sources It is not completely clear why Zinzendorf only witnesses present were two members of the Bohemian congregation in Berlin. Büdingische Sammlung (1742); E. Beyreuther, selected David Nitschmann to be ordained a Zinzendorf und die Christenheit (1961), 91-93. bishop. Nitschmann, who was 38 years old With Nitschmann’s ordination, the episco- at the time of his ordination, must have pate of the Unitas Fratrum was transferred proven his usefulness on many occasions. to the renewed Moravian Church of www.moravianchurcharchives.org .
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