LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Concordia Lutheran Seminary

THREINEN: FRIEDRICH MICHAEL ZIEGENHAGEN 85
not former Salzburgers. Eventually also a fourth group came, personally
arranged for by Henry Newman, the secretary of the SPCK. 97
One of the ways in which spiritual care was provided—by Urlsperger in
Augsburg and by Ziegenhagen and the SPCK in London—was by providing
the emigrants with religious books: Bibles, hymnbooks, catechisms, and
copies of Arndt’s True Christianity and other edifying materials. 98 This was
completely in tune with the way the Salzburgers were accustomed to
supporting their faith.
The wide scattering of single-family economic units over the mountain slopes
[around Salzburg] made it difficult for farmers to attend and receive regular
religious services and difficult for the official church to organize them. …
Consequently, these conditions enjoined family devotions as the main
religious exercise of the population; and for family devotions, the book is a
basic implement.
Arndt’s True Christianity and the Lutheran Bible were generally included
among the books which the Salzburgers treasured. 99
The Georgia colony, which the Salzburgers named “Ebenezer”, soon
experienced great difficulties which discouraged and disheartened them.
People died. Crops failed. The people and their pastors blamed Urlsperger,
then the trustees. 100 Three years after the first colony was formed, it had to
move to another location. 101 In the midst of their troubles, Ziegenhagen was
the person to whom they turned for help and whom they held in highest
esteem. 102 On 12 August 1734, for example, the journal of the pastors records
the comment,
The very praiseworthy Society and the court chaplain Mr Ziegenhagen did us
a great favour when they transmitted our salary and the benefactions received
from Germany in English copper coins. We will be able to serve the members
of our congregation with these because they can not make out very well in
purchasing necessities with the paper money in use here, since most of them
do not know it and suffer losses as a consequence. 103
On 7 February 1737, the journal records the comment, “The period for
which the first and second transports were to receive provisions will run out
this coming March. We have felt it necessary to approach Court Chaplain
97 Brunner, 171.
98 Jones, 1:6.
99 Walker, 146-147.
100 Brunner, 172.
101 Renata Wilson, Halle and Ebenezer Pietism, Agriculture and Commerce (Unpublished
Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Maryland, 1988), 2.
102 To be sure, the letters and diaries which form the basis of our knowledge were edited for
public consumption to promote the colony.
103 Jones, 2:121.