# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Februar 1863_S49
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

On the History of the Hanoverian Catechism Controversy. 49

Meyer of Uslar, Reuter of Oldendorf, Busse of Sarstedt, Köhler of
Pattensen i. C., Fiedeler of Pattensen i. L., Thilo of Markoldendorf,
Oberdieck of Uelzen, Harmsen of Schwarmstedt, and Habenicht of
Seelze. There is only one name among them at which some look with astonishment
to see it turn up in this company; more disappointments are yet
to come. All of these, as far as we know, are appearing for the first time in the
gates of Zion, and they promise great things.

Superintendents are essential constituent parts of our church constitution
(cf. Schlegel's Kirchenrecht); they are appointed, executive organs of the
authorized church government, themselves therefore members of the
church government. These ten superintendents have now come together
to fundamentally reshape the existing lawful church constitution and to
restrict the church government's powers in essential respects. They
do not wish to pursue this merely on their own, personally — say, by voicing
their conscientious conviction on the basis of their observations and making
well-meant representations through the official channel that is open to
them; they also wish to summon the congregation to it, and to band together,
and one knows how and by what means that is done, and can only be done.
They have finally formally organized themselves through an appointed
committee, in order to pursue their task with plan and vigor. How, then, do
these men reconcile their undertaking with their official position and the
vows they have sworn to it? Of most of them one may probably say: they
know not what they do. For here what is being organized — or shall we
express ourselves a little more "lawfully" — is ecclesiastical revolution, the
dismantling and rebuilding of the Church, taken in hand by officers of the
church government themselves.

Besides these superintendents, three city superintendents or seniores
ministerii appeared at the assembly, namely Gruner of Osnabrück, Schläger
of Hameln, and Bödeker of Hannover*), and finally 19 pastors. Baurschmidt
and Sulze, Greiling and Diestelmann are well known; Hoffmeister of
Drochtersen, too, has recently gained some notoriety; the rest come out of
the peaceful obscurity of their parsonages and rouse our curious expectations.
"It must be noted as especially remarkable that Professor Dr. Ewald,
too, came expressly from Göttingen to Celle in order to take part in the
conference." Let us note this curiosity here as well. Dr. Alt is from Hamburg;
General Superintendent Stöter was lured from Gandersheim by the
dawn of this church convention; they appear as hearers, to whom at last a
school director Volkmar of Osnabrück is also added. These are the persons
acting in this affair. The

*) To the vexation of Hanoverian democracy, the one clergyman from the capital who
had joined in the proceedings at Celle; a few others declined to take the inviting
hints.