Many Aspects of German
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Pohlsander Old Lutherans_Steinwehr.qxd 12/23/2011 11:44 AM Page 59 Old lutherans frOm Prussia tO america any aspects of German- 1, 1539, did he take communion in American culture and both kinds, and his church ordi - Mhistory cannot be appre - nance of 1540 retained many tra - ciated or understood without trac - ditional liturgical embellish - ing their beginnings back to past ments. 3 The vast majority of peo - times and to Ger many itself. Thus ple in Brandenburg were Lu - the present discussion will span therans, but there was also a nearly five centuries and take the Calvinist presence. Differences, in reader from Brandenburg/Prussia both belief and observance, bet - to Buffalo and Missouri. Political ween Luther ans and Calvinists history, history of religion, and find expression even today in the biography conspire to tell a interior of Lutheran and Calvinist remarkable story of conflicts, (Reformed) churches respectively. struggles, successes, and failures. On Christmas Day of 1613 The Background the Elector John Sigismund took communion according to the The Protestant Reformation, be - Calvinist rite, signifying his con - gin ning with Luther’s posting of version to the Calvinist faith, and the Ninety-five Theses in 1517 in so doing creating a division and his famous stand at the Diet of between the bulk of the population Worms in 1521, did not follow the in the Electorate, who were same course in all the German Lutheran, and the ruling dynasty. 4 lands. It was introduced in the A few months later, in 1614, he Mar graviate of Brandenburg ra - defended his move in a document ther late and only gradually by the known as the Confessio Sigis - Elector Joachim II Hektor (r. mundi and at the same time 1535– 1571) and took a rather con - announced a policy of toleration. 5 servative course, leaving behind His and his successors’ efforts to some “strands of papalism,” to the bring about a “Se cond Refor ma - dismay of the Calvinists. 1 The tion” were to encounter many dif - elector did not abandon his devo - ficulties. One such difficulty lay in tion to relics, 2 for instance, and in the fact that the religious peace of other ways was far removed from Augsburg, in 1555, had extended fully embracing Lutheranism. recognition to Lutheranism and Only on All Saints Day, November Catho licism, but not to Calvinism. Pohlsander Old Lutherans_Steinwehr.qxd 12/23/2011 11:44 AM Page 60 OLD LuTHERANS Only the Peace of Westphalia in had prevailed between the 1648 was to do that. 6 Another dif - Lutheran and Cal vinist confes - ficulty lay right in the Hohen - sions in Branden burg-Prussia for zollern family itself. the two centuries prior. He did so John Sigismund’s wife, Anna when, on September 27, 1817, the of Prussia, was a strong defender tercentenary year of Luther’s of Lutheranism, even after her Ninety-five Theses, he announced husband’s conversion; separate that he intended to merge the two 11 Lutheran services were held for confessions in a single church. her in the chapel of the castle. 7 The text of the proclamation sug - While John Sigismund’s succes - gests that he underestimated the sors adhered to the Calvinist faith, differences between the two con - they generally married women of fessions. On Octo ber 31, 1817, the Lutheran faith. Reformation Day, he and his fam - ily took communion in the Court- In 1788, King Frederick and-Garrison Church in Pots - William II, nephew and successor dam. 12 The next day he attended of Frederick the Great, issued an service in Wit tenberg and laid the edict which affirmed the right of foundation stone for Johann the three major Christian confes - Gottfried Schadow’s monument to sions to the protection of the Martin Luther. 13 His actions were monarch. 8 The General Code of quite in the spirit of the union and 1794 once more affirmed this cooperation he hoped to bring right, while, in a limited way, about. allowing for freedom of con - science and belief. 9 The union which he desired was not to be limited to gover - The Prussian union nance, but was to encompass con - In 1793, Frederick William III (r. fession, sacraments, and liturgy as 1797–1840) married a Luthe ran well. He himself took the lead in princess, Luise of Mecklenburg- designing a new liturgy (or Strelitz, who was much beloved “Agende”). He issued regulations for her charm, intelligence, kind - for the decoration of altars and the ness, and cour age and much use of candles, vestments, and cru - mourned at her early death. 10 But cifixes. 14 The new church was first it is he who brought about a major named the “Evangelische Lan des - change in the relationship which kirche,” then the “Evan gelische —60 — Pohlsander Old Lutherans_Steinwehr.qxd 12/23/2011 11:44 AM Page 61 POHLSANDER Kirche der altpreußischen union” A case in point: In Hönigern (APu), and finally the “Evange - (now Miedary), a small town in lische Kirche der union” (EKu), the district of Namslau (now but is often simply called the Namyslów), east of Breslau, “Prussian union.” 15 The king Eduard Kellner, a pastor firmly himself was the “supreme bishop” opposed to joining the govern - of this new entity. 16 He was aided ment-ordered union, was first sus - by Karl von Altenstein, his minis - pended and then, when he contin - ter for education and culture ued to minister to his congrega - (Kultusminister ). 17 tion, arrested and imprisoned. His parishioners refused to surrender In the remaining years of his the church to his appointed suc - reign, Frederick William devoted cessor. Soldiers were sent, who much of his energy to bringing broke into the church on Christ - about the union of the two confes - mas Eve 1834, overwhelmed the 18 sions. Little resistance was parishioners who guarded their offered initially. Then, in 1830, the church, and made numerous Lutherans observed the tricenten - arrests. Nonetheless, coercive nial anniversary of the Augsburg measures proved ineffective. In Confes sion, which may have 1836, seventy-two families from served to encourage opposition to Hönigern formally declared their the king’s policy of integration. 19 withdrawal from the state church Opposition did increase in the (the Prussian union). 24 Kellner 1830s, and the government’s was imprisoned for four years; he measures became increasingly died in 1878, while still serving as coercive. 20 Opponents of the a pastor. In the neighboring king’s policy were especially Neumark, in the district of Zülli - numerous in Silesia, where they chau (now Sulechów), approxi - sought to establish an autono - mately 600 separatists were count - mous, self-governing church of ed in 1836. 25 their own. 21 These separatists Another case in point: Johann became known as “Old Luthe - Gottfried Scheibel (1783–1843) rans.” 22 The government did not was a professor of theology at the shy away from employing harsh university of Breslau and pastor of measures against the separatist the Lutheran Church of St. Elisa - movement. 23 beth in Breslau. He was consis - —61 — Pohlsander Old Lutherans_Steinwehr.qxd 12/23/2011 11:44 AM Page 62 OLD LuTHERANS tently opposed to the Prussian persecution by emigrating or union church and the new Agende whether to stay and fight for the (liturgy). The conflict came to a good cause. Scheibel was strongly head in 1830, apparently occa - opposed to emigration, 29 while sioned by the tricentennial anni - Grabau argued forcefully in favor versary of the Augsburg Con - of it. 30 Both sides sought and fession. Scheibel’s petitions to the found support for their position in government were rejected; he was various passages of scripture. dismissed and ordered to leave Thus “Wer glaubt, der braucht Breslau. For the remaining years nicht zu fliehen” (Isaiah 28:16 of his life he lived in Dresden, Einheitsübersetzung ) was em - Hermsdorf near Dresden, Glau - ployed to support one view, and chau in Saxony, and finally in “Wenn man euch in der einen Nuremberg. 26 Scheibel had a Stadt verfolgt, so fliehet in eine strong and capable supporter in andere” (Matt. 10:23 Einheits- Philipp Eduard Huschke (1801– übersetzung ) the other. 1886), a professor of law at the Several thousand of the 27 university of Breslau. Lutheran separatists did respond There were old Lutherans to to the government’s oppression by be found elsewhere in Prussian emigrating to Australia or Ame - lands, especially in Pomerania. rica. 31 By 1840 some 2000 Old Among activist leaders of the Old Lutherans had emigrated; approxi - Lutheran movement elsewhere mately 10,000 remained. 32 That so Johannes Andreas August Grabau many felt it necessary to leave to (1804–1879) takes on special im - avoid persecution for their reli - por tance. He studied theology and gious beliefs is both sad and iron - philosophy at the university of ic given the official policy of reli - Halle from 1825 to 1829 and in gious toleration and a history of 1834 became pastor of St. putting word to deed. Frederick Andrew’s Church in Erfurt. In William, the Great Elector, had 1837 he was dismissed from his opened his lands to the Hugue - post and subsequently twice jailed nots 33 with his “edict of Potsdam” for his resistance to the king’s in 1685, and King Frederick ecclesiastical agenda. 28 He and William I had received 12,000 Schei bel were at opposite ends of Salzburg Protestants (Lutherans) a difficult issue: whether to escape in 1732. 34 Indeed, Frede rick —62 — Pohlsander Old Lutherans_Steinwehr.qxd 12/23/2011 11:44 AM Page 63 POHLSANDER William III himself granted asy - right, there were various legal lum to some Protestant exiles from requirements to be met before the Zillertal in the Tyrol in 1837.