Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf was born in Dresden in 1700 to an aristocratic family. He grew up with a deep love for Jesus. In 1716 Zinzendorf went to the University of Wittenberg to study law; it was expected that he would have a diplomatic or political career.
During a visit to an art museum whilst travelling through Europe, Zinzendorf experienced the Holy Spirit upon viewing ‘Ecce Homo’ by Domenico Feti. Deeply moved, he declared, ‘I have loved him for a long time, but I have never actually done anything for him. From now on I will do whatever he leads me to do.’ It was a turning point in Zinzendorf’s life.
Zinzendorf married Erdmuthe Dorothea in 1722 and decided to settle down as a country landowner. Soon, persecuted Christians from Moravia and Bohemia (parts of today’s Czech Republic) arrived seeking his support. He let them build a village on his estate and gave it the name Herrnhut or ‘The Lord’s Protection’. However, the refugees came from different church traditions and there was soon conflict between them. Zinzendorf took charge and patiently worked for reconciliation, encouraging Bible reading, prayer and an experience of Christ rather than doctrinal arguments. He laid down a ‘Brotherly Agreement’ and on this basis a Christian community developed with an emphasis not simply on right belief but on right behaviour. In 1727 the new community was blessed by a powerful presence of the Holy Spirit and numbers began to grow. The believers became known as ‘the Moravians’ and although initially part of the Lutheran Church, soon became an independent denomination.
Zinzendorf, now not only the landlord of the community but its pastor, experimented with how it was organised, dividing it up not by families but by ‘cell groups’ of the same age, sex and marital status. There was an emphasis on worship, prayer, hymn singing and holiness, and a tremendous evangelistic zeal.
Visiting Copenhagen in 1731 Zinzendorf met a converted slave from the West Indies who wanted someone to travel to preach to his community. Zinzendorf immediately told the Herrnhut and they commissioned the first Protestant missionaries. By 1742 seventy of the 600-member community had become missionaries and within a few years there were Moravian communities in sixteen countries, from Greenland to South Africa. An emphasis in Moravian theology, Moravian missionary work was fruitful but at a cost: there were many fatalities.
In 1736 suspicion of the Moravians meant that Zinzendorf was banished from Saxony and he spent the next ten years in exile. He visited the mission communities in the West Indies and in America where he met with both colonial and Native American leaders. In 1749 he moved to England where he set up a headquarters. Finally, Zinzendorf was allowed to return to Saxony. His last years were difficult. He came close to bankruptcy; a son, whom he had hoped to be his successor, died in 1752; and his supportive wife died in 1756. Zinzendorf died 9th May 1760 just before his sixtieth birthday.
Zinzendorf was one of the most radical and influential figures in Christian history. His motto was: ‘I have one passion; it is Jesus, Jesus only.’
I admire that and there is much else about Zinzendorf that is striking. While the Reformation had restored much Christian teaching, there were aspects of Christian living which it had ignored and here Zinzendorf sought to recover three valuable and biblical emphases.
First, Zinzendorf sought a religion of the heart. Throughout his life he proclaimed that a living Christian faith demands not just a correct theology but a deep personal and emotional response. That emphasis was present when one of Zinzendorf’s missionaries encountered John Wesley, already ordained, on his voyage to America. ‘Do you know Jesus Christ?’ the Moravian missionary asked Wesley. Taken aback, Wesley gave a hesitant but doctrinally correct answer. The missionary continued, ‘But do you know he has saved you?’ In those words the seed was sown for Wesley’s own conversion and powerful ministry. In true faith there must not be head alone but heart also.
Second, Zinzendorf sought a vision for the world. For whatever reason, the Reformation did not emphasise Christ’s call to preach to the nations and the Great Commission became ‘the great omission’. Zinzendorf held that any genuine church must be committed to sharing the gospel at home and abroad. A vital reminder!
Third, Zinzendorf sought a union of believers. The Moravian communities were not perfect and some drifted into extreme beliefs. Yet they raise important issues. After all, any genuine, biblical church needs to be more than just a meeting of individuals. I think it may be time to consider how, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we can be genuinely united with each other.
Zinzendorf influenced John and Charles Wesley, William Carey, William Wilberforce and many others. I think it would be good if he influenced us today.
J.John
Reverend Canon
