LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Concordia Lutheran Seminary

THREINEN: FRIEDRICH MICHAEL ZIEGENHAGEN 89
Grosshennersdorf. 119 Two years later, Francke chose Muehlenberg to be the
first Halle pastor in Pennsylvania. After stopping for short periods to visit
friends in Germany, Muehlenberg’s trip to America brought him to London.
It was from Ziegenhagen that Muehlenberg received his call to go to
Pennsylvania on the strength of the contact which Ziegenhagen had with the
congregations there.
Ziegenhagen had extensive contact with Muehlenberg over a period of
nine weeks, during which this first Halle missionary make final preparations
for sailing to America. After that length of time, he concluded that
Muehlenberg was not the right man for the job. 120 On his side, Muehlenberg
was very impressed with Ziegenhagen, who was seventeen years his senior
and had already served for twenty years as Court Chaplain. In a letter to
Francke, Muehlenberg commented on Ziegenhagen’s “power in exegesis,
especially in the New Testament.” “If I did not have my present call”,
Muehlenberg wrote, “I would wish to be his amanuensis, in order to profit
from his exegesis and dogmatic theology.” 121 Twenty-one years later,
Muehlenberg still recalled a suggestion which Ziegenhagen had made on this
earlier occasion about the significance of Jesus’ washing the disciples’
feet. 122
When Muehlenberg reached America, he wrote individual letters to both
Ziegenhagen and Francke dated the same day (21 September 1742). The two
letters contained some of the same information but his letter to Ziegenhagen
was almost three times as long and contained material which was more
“folksy” in nature. He had also written three letters earlier on his trip. 123
From these letters, it is apparent that, even though Ziegenhagen had a
negative reaction to Muehlenberg, this first Halle missionary to America left
London thinking that he and Ziegenhagen had established a strong personal
relationship.
Since the mail from America normally went to London before it went on
to the continent, it was convenient for Muehlenberg to addressed letters
jointly to Ziegenhagen and Francke. Ziegenhagen received the letters first
119
Kurt Aland, Die Korrespondenz Heinrich Melchior Muehlenberg (Berlin: Walter De
Gruyter, 1986) 1:6.
120
Ziegenhagen was so unimpressed by Muehlenberg’s preaching that he became
convinced that Francke had chosen the wrong man for America. Martin Schmidt, “Die
Pietismus in Nordwest Deutschland”, in Der Pietismus als Theologische Erscheinung
(Göttingen: Vanderehoeck & Ruprecht, 1984) 222, on the basis of a letter of Ziegenhagen to
Francke, 27 April 1742 (I E 4:89). Schmidt erroneously indicates that the letter was dated
15 January 1742, which would have been prior to Muehlenberg’s arrival in London. The
15 January letter precedes the letter of 27 April in the manuscript collection.
121
Muehlenberg to F. A. Francke, Kensington, 22 June 1742 in Aland, 1:32.
122
Theodore G. Tappert and John W. Doberstein, trans., The Journals of Henry Melcheor
Muhlenberg (Philadelphia: The Muhlenberg Press, 1945) 2:64.
123
Aland 1:33-38. See also footnote 3 in 1:36.