LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Concordia Lutheran Seminary

THREINEN: FRIEDRICH MICHAEL ZIEGENHAGEN 79
with the members of the SPCK. Their contents and the action taken by the
SPCK were also communicated to the Francke father and son.
Although Schultze’s letter was intended for the Mission College in
Copenhagen, it first came to Ziegenhagen. Feeling that the cause of missions
in India would be harmed if the letter was sent in its original form to
Copenhagen, Ziegenhagen “managed” the situation so that the letter which
the Mission College received was shorter and less violent than the one which
Schultze had written. 80 Since Madras was on British territory, Ziegenhagen
then asked the SPCK to take Schultze on as their missionary.
The SPCK had, in fact, been wanting to begin mission work in a British
territory in India for a decade and a half. This had been supported already by
Boehm who did not, however, favour Gruendler moving to Madras because
of the pressure which would be there for him to be ordained an Anglican.
“Because of the influence of High Church clergy in England, he felt there
would be no way to carry on the Lutheran Pietist nature of the mission if it
should come under English control.” 81 The efforts of the Society had been
thwarted by their inability to find an Englishman willing to go to India.
Gruendler’s death in 1720 ruled out his transfer to Madras. Schultze’s
request in 1726 was, therefore, welcomed by the members of the SPCK.
Before accepting Schultze, however, the Society sought and receive
permission from the English East Indian Company, which had local
jurisdiction in the Indian territories under British control. 82 Although
Schultze had already begun work in September 1726, it took until the end of
1727 for the SPCK to arrive at its decision to accept Schultze as its
missionary in Madras. When their directive to Schultze early in 1728 to
begin Protestant work in Madras was sent, it meant more than anything that
the SPCK was committed to supporting him in this work. 83
In the meanwhile, a couple of difficulties had threatened to derail the
intentions of the SPCK. A former English chaplain at Madras began raising
questions about the missionary methods of the Halle-Pietists. He found their
theological exercises “excessively tedious”, their catechetical instructions
“obscure and unedifying”, and their explanation of the conversion process
confusing. 84 Ziegenhagen, who had assumed the position of protector of the
India mission in England, asked to see the former chaplain’s letter and
80
Brunner, 114, suggests that Ziegenhagen had the letter rewritten. I find it difficult to
understand how this could have been done since letters were hand-written and the Mission
College would certainly have recognized it if a letter was not the original.
81
Brunner 116.
82
Brunner 116.
83
One early biographer of Schultze erroneously indicates that Schultze’s support came from
the SPG. Reinhold Bornbaum, Benjamin Schultze, evangelischer Missionar in Tranquebar
und Madras (Duesseldorf: Verlag der Schwaub’schen Buchhandlung, 1850) 22.
84
Stevenson to Newman, Colwall, 7 February 1727, cited in Brunner 117.