History 3: What others say; Walther commends; ToC-Table of Contents (Part 3 of 20+); a BTL Book

[2023-03-31: I discovered another refreshing endorsement of Hochstetter in Prof. Kurt Marquart who stated, among other things, in Logia 1997 vol. 6, no. 2, p. 35: 

"It is a pity that Hochstetter’s gem of a history has not been translated into English. Hochstetter had been Grabau’s assistant in Buffalo, and had started out with strongly clericalist, anti-Missouri convictions. If his well-informed account especially of the Missouri-Buffalo fracas were generally known, romantic illusions about Grabau as champion of strict Lutheranism would lose all their charms. Grabau tried, tyrannically and unsuccess- fully, to transplant a state-church system without the state-church."

Compare this with Pastor Todd Peperkorn's judgment of the same here.]

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      This continues from Part 2, a series publishing an English translation of Pastor Christian Hochstetter's 1885 480-page book entitled (abbreviated)

The History of the Missouri Synod, 1838-1884.

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Historians favorable to Hochstetter's History

Ludwig Fuerbringer's 1936 CTM essay "Walther as Churchman" referenced Pastors Hochstetter and Köstering's histories (see this blog) as faithful narratives for Missourians to rely on – he offered no critical comments against these. — In the category of more recent LC-MS favorable theologians, along with Dr. Fred Kramer, is Dr. Cameron MacKenzie, who, while not expressly mentioning Hochstetter's work, refuted a claim of antagonist Walter O. Forster (Zion on the Mississippi, p. 523-25) concerning an account of Dr. Marbach, and so vindicates Hochstetter's History (Pieper Lectures, Vol. 10 (2006), "Call and Ordination in the Thought and Practice of C. F. W. Walther…", p. 36, n. 23). — A respected LC-MS historian, Lewis W. Spitz Sr. (1895-1996; CTSFW), in his "Preface" to his 1961 The Life of Dr. C.F.W. Walther, calls out, among others, Hochstetter's History as a trusted primary source.

      Another recent LCMS theologian referencing Hochstetter is CHI Director August Suelflow († 1999).  His book C. F. W. Walther, Servant of the Word, p. 144-145 states (emphasis mine):

“An important contribution in this area was made by Christian Hochstetter (1828-1905) [Find-A-Grave], who wrote a comprehensive history of the Missouri Synod. It was published in 1885, two years before Walther’s death. The book continues to be the most reliable source available from that time. Hochstetter had been a pastor in the Buffalo Synod, but joined the Missouri Synod in 1867 when his theological convictions shifted. Walther received a copy of the volume from Hochstetter and read it immediately, though with great trepidation because he was so personally involved with the Synod’s history. In a letter to the author of the book, dated July 31, 1885, Walther expressed his great satisfaction with the history:

"great service which
you have rendered…
you allowed the
facts to speak"

      ‘Now after I have completed reading with great interest and joy your history of our synod, and its doctrinal controversies, I am compelled to express my deepest and most sincere appreciation to you for the great service which you have rendered by it not only to our synod, but above all to the cause of truth. At first, I grant you, I dreaded to read your splendid book, because I myself occur in it so often. I was afraid of my own evil heart, which is so greatly prone to ascribe a little also to myself for what God has done to me out of incomprehensible mercy and for [how] he has used me as his most unworthy instrument. Finally, however, after God allowed me again and again to feel my incompetence for all good and my damnableness, I overcame my dread. ... [Y]ou allowed the facts to speak, facts which simply cannot be gain-sayed. ... When I was reading your book it struck me more vividly than ever before, that next to God’s incomprehensible mercy in making us poor sinners a memorial of His free grace, the true cause of our success is the conviction (given us by God) under all circumstances to remain with His truth and the heritage of the Reformation and not to sacrifice one iota of it, even if (because of that) everything erected would be brought to ruin again. That this conviction was also mine and remained mine to this hour, I cannot deny for the sake of God’s honor, who gave it to me. Cursed be every thought that seeks to claim for itself what belongs to God, but far be it, too, out of false modesty to deny what God has done in us.’ (Letter from Walther to Hochstetter, July 31, 1885; transcription by W. K. Wadewitz at Concordia Historical Institute.)”

So pronounces C. F. W. Walther on Hochstetter's History of the Missouri Synod. All who question Walther's spiritual judgment, the "gain-sayers", are in essence fighting against Holy Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions, and Luther's Reformation.
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Historians unfavorable to Hochstetter's History

Forster's Zion on the Mississippi, old & new covers.
Generally viewed as conservative,
yet lacks spiritual understanding.

      There are several LC-MS historians and theologians who have criticized Hochstetter's History – none more severely than Walter O. Forster in his 1953 CPH book Zion on the Mississippi, a standard history in LCMS circles.  Forster repeatedly questions the testimony of several historians from the Old Missouri Synod, including Hochstetter and Walther. More importantly, he also questions their motives. He calls Walther "equivocal" (p. 303-304).  Forster gives the distinct impression that he, as the objective historian, questions Walther's honesty.  He uses phrases such as "fatuous assertions" (p. 303).  We saw above that Dr. MacKenzie refuted at least one of the spiritual judgments of Forster (on Dr. Marbach). An earlier blog post pointed out Forster's opposition to Walther's judgment of mediating theologians in Germany.
      At their worst, these unfavorable LCMS historians and theologians promote the thought that older historians such as Hochstetter could be accused of idolizing Walther, just as Pastor Martin Stephan had been. But we see that Hochstetter perfectly answers this accusation, which most Old Missouri historians faced, in an 1882 essay, p. 79 (translated):

"It must be noted that Walther does not make the spirits subject to himself but to the Word of God; but he knows how to teach it so emphatically and clearly that the truth must prove its irresistible power, that doubt must give way, while that which seemed difficult to some becomes easy and the uncertain finally becomes certain!". 

This accusation is far from the truth, for the convictions of these Old Missouri historians were made Rock solid (1 Cor. 10:4) by the Word of God, i.e. the Holy Scriptures. — The false judgments by LCMS historians is similar to a case related by August Suelflow in his book.  He reported (Servant, p. 116) on a story that the Confederate flag flew over Concordia Seminary during the Civil War period.  Suelflow continued:

"This false story has been printed as fact elsewhere, even as recently in such prominent works as Werner Elert’s Morphologie des Luthertums, [The Structure of Lutheranism, CPH 2000] Yet in his 1870 rebuttal, Walther once and for all stated:…"
 (bolding mine)

August Suelflow accepted Walther's personal testimony as the truth against a German scholar in this case.  I will follow Suelflow's testimony for the credibility of Walther, against that of LCMS historians like Walter O. Forster.  (Unfortunately Suelflow did not fully trust Walther's testimony against LCMS historians such as Forster.)

      But so as not to spoil the beauty of Hochstetter's History, I will try to refrain from too many polemics against the LC-MS's attempts to cloud, question and ignore it. Readers should just read Hochstetter's History for themselves and not just take other scholars opinions on it. Then they may judge for themselves whether this History, and others like it, deserve to be heard. (Dr Fred Kramer did, and rejoiced.) They may do this even without access to the primary sources at Concordia Historical Institute because this is Church History, and all Christians are called to judge for themselves in spiritual matters because they have God's Word – "The Sheep Judge Their Shepherds". — In the next Part 4, I begin with my publication of an English translation of... Pastor Christian Hochstetter's  †  History of the Missouri Synod  †.

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Part 1 – Lehre und Wehre (Schaller or Stoeckhardt) book review

Part 2 – Prof. Fred Kramer's "Preface" to his translation into English from the German original

Part 3 – Walther's recommendation; favorable & unfavorable historians; Table of Contents

Part 4a – Hochstetter's "Foreword": he came from outside on issue of Church and Ministry; Word of God rules
Part 4b – "Foreword", part 2 of 2; Hochstetter to Missouri on Predestination; God blessed… Missouri Synod

Part 5 – Chapter 1: Luther leaves Germany for America; Prussian Union→Emigration to America

Part 6 – Chapter 2: Stephan unmasked; Walther's Church & Ministry saves Emigration; Rast misjudges
Part 7 – Chapter 3: Ministry defended, Democratism overcome – spiritual priesthood, not ungodly lay rule

   Excursus: 1850, Walther's address on Romanizing: "zeal leads them beyond Lutheranism"
Part 8 – Chpt. 4: Wyneken–“thunder following lightning!”
Part 9 – Chpt 5: Older Synods, Methodists; better church histories of A.L. Graebner, F. Bente
Part 10 – Chp 6: Missouri’s 1st 2 years; Der Luth.; education, missions; “This is what the Lord has done!”
Part 11 – Chp 7: Loehe & Grabau: "beyond Lutheranism", fall on doctrines of the Church and the Ministry
   Excursus: LCMS & Harrison vs. Walther on "Church and Ministry"
Part 12 – Chp 8: Walther-Wyneken to Germany; reproved, response
Part 13 – Chp 9: Buffalo Colloquy; Luther's "sh*t ban"; ordination not a divine command
Part 14 – Chp 10: Loehe to Romanizing, millennialism, Antichrist error: Iowa Colloquy
Part 15 – Chp 11: Usury; 25th Anniv.;Synodical Conference; Ohio Synod falls on Election of Grace

   Excursus: Walther's "sharp polemics" against Stellhorn: on Election of Grace
Part 16 – Chp 12: Election of Grace Controversy, on Predestination; against Calvinism
   Excursus: 2 judgments of Walther: Prof. Mayes faults Walther, again (Gerhard's terminology)
Part 17 – Chp 13a: Germany supplies, fights; Election Controversy concluded: “they laugh at us…, in danger"
   Excursus: Germany–then & now: Friedrich Brunn & Martin Blechschmidt
Part 18 – Chp 13b: St. Louis: USA’s new Wittenberg; Walther's Sem. bldg addresses, greatest on USA soil

Part 19 – Chp 13c: Schwan's address; Hochstetter reviews (conclusion of book)
Part 20 – Hochstetter's obituary in Der Lutheraner (1905);  “mouth of Walther”
Part 21 – Full texts of the book, downloadable, in German and English
Part 22a – LC-MS critical of Hochstetter's History: Forster, Mundinger, Rosin

Part 22b – LC-MS criticism: Suelflow, Schmelder, Peperkorn, etc.