LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Concordia Lutheran Seminary

62 LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW XII
Lutheran orthodoxy which prevailed in Jena at the time. Furthermore, its
most prominent professor of theology was Johann Franz Buddeus (1667-
1729), who had the reputation of leaning toward a moderate Pietism. In fact,
the presence of Buddeus at the university attracted young Pietist students
like Ziegenhagen in such numbers that it regained some of its earlier
prominence as a centre of theological study. 17 Two years later Gotthilf
Francke also enrolled in Jena to finish off his theological education. While
he was there, he lived in the home of Buddeus.
Like Ziegenhagen, Buddeus had originated in Pomerania while it was
under Swedish control. Unlike Ziegenhagen, Buddeus first studied theology
in Wittenberg. From Wittenberg, however, the student Buddeus had gone to
Jena where he encountered the more moderate, less polemical form of
Lutheran orthodoxy. At Jena, the student Buddeus was also introduced to
Pietism in its early stages. In 1693, Buddeus accepted a call to teach moral
philosophy in Halle just as the University was being formed and there
became a trusted colleague and friend of Francke. In Halle, Buddeus also
helped publish a history of the Bohemian Brethren, written decades earlier
by John Amos Comenius (1592-1670) 18 which later caused Buddeus to have
a sympathetic view of the Moravians, who branched off from Halle Pietism
and claimed the Bohemian Brethren as their roots. In 1705 Buddeus returned
to Jena to teach theology and it was there that Ziegenhagen came under his
influence twelve years later.
Ziegenhagen remained in Jena for an entire year. 19 While there he would
have seen firsthand the struggles Pietism often experienced outside of
Brandenburg-Prussia during the first three decades of the eighteenth century.
After 1709, a series of attacks were launched by anti-Pietistic elements in
Saxony-Eisenach against Buddeus for his Pietistic activities. In 1714, Duke
Ernst Wilhelm of Saxony-Eisenach was persuaded by these anti-Pietistic
elements to issue a directive which forbad “unauthorized and dangerous
prayer meetings and conventicles”. 20 While the directive seems to have been
largely disregarded by the university, the threat of legal action against those
involved in Pietistic gatherings for the purpose of mutual edification
constantly hung over students like Ziegenhagen.
Either at Halle or Jena, Ziegenhagen experienced the type of religious
awakening so important to Halle Pietists. While not providing specific
details as to time and place, his biographer writes: “Already in the years
during which he [Ziegenhagen] was preparing for the ministry, he was
himself awakened to have an earnest sorrow for his soul, experienced the
17 Geschichte der Universitaet Jena 194.
18 Geschichte der Universitaet Jena 195.
19 Letter of Ziegenhagen to A.H. Francke, Jena, 18 July 1718.
20 Geschichte der Universitaet Jena 195-96.