# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Mai 1863_S155
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Church and Contemporary History.	155

Rhenish Bavaria. The evang. Kirchenzeitung of Jan. 17 is written to from there: „The extraordinary General Synod stands at the door, ready to foist upon us an ochlocratic (mob-rule) election order and then, by legal means, to put the Friends-of-Light movement [Lichtfreundthum] in the place of the evangelical faith. The victory of the Protestant Union is fairly certain, since among the pastors and deans so many weathervanes are to be found as one would not have thought possible two years ago." In the issue of Jan. 31 it is further written to it from the same source: „Recently the consistory has again begun, in several congregations, to put out of use the new confession-faithful hymnal — adopted by two General Synods and sanctioned by the King — which had been introduced there by the presbyteries with full authority more than three years ago, and to which, despite all opposition (scarcely worth mentioning at first, later stirred up from outside), pastors, presbyteries, and precisely the church members in considerable numbers had held fast persistently, so that its continuance there had been repeatedly confirmed, even a few months ago, by consistorial and ministerial decisions — and instead to order the exclusive use of the old hymnal, which those same two General Synods had declared not to accord with the confession of the church. In vain had the faithful pastors and church members suffered reproach and persecution for three years; fear of the opponents' threats, and the hope of making peace on this middle path between yes and no, now outweighs every argument. Two pastors out of three have refused to carry out the resolution; their presbyteries are likewise said to have lodged protest against the measure. To the one congregation a candidate was accordingly sent to put this measure into effect, whereupon the pastor, under painful "resignation"' (or should one say denial?) 'resumed his office the following Sunday; the other clergyman, who declared he could not depart from the full legal validity of the new hymnal in his parish, had an administrator [Verweser] placed over him at his own expense, while he himself remains on leave until his transfer to another post. A remarkable contrast: Pastor Schmitt, who five years ago was suspended for persistent agitation against the introduction of the new hymnal, was reinstated a few months ago; while of the well-known Pastor Frantz, who was suspended as long as twelve years ago for denying the deity of Jesus and for active participation in the uprising, it is reported that he too is applying for reinstatement — and men who remained loyal, persistently and through much suffering, to the sanctioned resolutions of the General Synods and the directives of the former consistory must now give up their posts!"

The Latin Language and Theological Study. In the Erlangen journal for February the proposal is made to abolish entirely the use of the Latin language in the oral and written theological examination. The writer says: „If one speaks with students and candidates approaching examination, one frequently hears the complaint, precisely from the more capable ones, that they dread this requirement (being examined in the Latin language) because they do not feel equal to it." Indeed, it is said: „How desirable it would be if Luther's Latin writings too, especially his exegetical ones, were properly studied! Of all this, however, very little is now done — little by students, and naturally still less by those who have since entered office. It is as though one were afraid of Latin. How else to explain the so weak sale of Luther's Latin works?"

The proposal of a second confirmation for the attainment of the full rights of a church member is made, as we see from the Erlangen journal, by von Zezschwitz. There it is stated, namely, in this year's February number: „In the concluding section of the work on the catechumenate with which Professor v. Zezschwitz has recently presented the church, we find, following in part the precedent of the late Höfling, a thought carried out, of which the author says in the preface, p. XVI, that it may appear impractical for the present territorial churches, but that it springs from the wish that God might still grant a further period for the new gathering of more conscious congregations...