# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Februar 1863_S50
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

50 On the History of the Hanoverian Catechism Controversy.

The proceedings begin with the establishment of the program, which is at
once the basis, the goal, and the result of the deliberation. One such
program is worked out on the morning of the day by Greiling, Sulze, and
Diestelmann under the chairmanship of Prof. Ewald; but Rettig of Göttingen
brings another one with him at once. Baurschmidt, the originator of the
whole affair, thus remains hidden in modesty. Since the two programs
largely agree in their content, agreement on a union is soon reached. The
proceedings begin, and as many hearers enter as the room could hold.*)
They finish within four hours, and out of the deliberations of these four
hours emerge the above sentences, heavy with content and pregnant with
the future.

What, then, do they confess? Do they confess clearly and truly what one
may expect of spiritual men and officeholders of the Church? Do these
superintendents and pastors of the Lutheran territorial church confess
themselves to the content of this Church's confessional writings, as they
themselves at one time acknowledged them at least by hand and signature?
Or do they confess themselves as evangelical Christians at least openly and
unconditionally to Holy Scripture as the pure source and supreme rule of
their faith and their doctrine? Nothing of the kind; instead, "we stand with
Holy Scripture and the confessional writings of the evangelical Church
upon the one foundation that is laid, and besides which no other can be
laid, which is Christ." On the same line, with the same rank, on equal
footing, stand the clergy assembled here together with Holy Scripture and
the confessional writings of the evangelical Church upon the one foundation,
Christ. Holy Scripture has no divine authority, right, or power over
these clergy in their believing and teaching, nor are the confessional writings
witnesses of the truth for them; each of the two is held equally authoritative,
equally independent, equally powerful. Here, then, is free room
and movement; only one dependency do these three powers have, and hold
in common with one another — namely, that one foundation, Christ. But
where does this foundation lie? Manifestly it does not lie in Holy Scripture;
nor is it laid in the confessional writings; and these superintendents
and pastors do not even say that the foundation lies in themselves; all three
merely stand upon this foundation, laid somewhere or other. So where it
lies — whether in the height or in the depth, in the air or on the earth, in
reality or in fantasy — remains in the dark. — But who, then, is this foundation,
Christ? Rationalism, as is well known, has answered that one does
not really know that; and these old and new rationalists assembled here
evidently do not know it either. For whether the old ones take him for a
wise Jewish rabbi, or the new ones for an idealized man, the image and
likeness of themselves, these are manifestly arbitrary contrivances,

*) According to another paper, there was sharp dispute over the admission of hearers,
and Diestelmann would even have withdrawn, because he wished hearers to be excluded.
Did he perhaps, in memory of the Hanoverian precedents, not trust his own men of Celle?