Memories 15: Last Words; Open Heaven; Ritschl’s deathbed conversion

      This continues from Part 14 (Table of Contents in Part 1), a series by Prof. Ludwig Fürbringer of his personal memories of the departed Franz Pieper in the 1931 Der Lutheraner magazine. — I will never forget when an Austalian pastor of the ELCR translated the below section for me over 20 years ago.  I just sat there in tears over my "Missouri Synod" that had indeed forgotten itself…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

(page 330, col. 2)

Memories of Dr. Franz Pieper.

by Ludwig Fürbringer – [6.] (Part 15 of 16)

I remember especially our last meeting. During a visit on my part we had again talked to him about ecclesiastical and theological matters. I had suggested to him whether he might like to address a final word to the ministry of our synod in our theological monthly or in any other way. But he neither promised nor rejected it, saying only that his theses on the doctrinal position of the Missouri Synod should be his legacy. He was especially cordial on this visit, accompanying me from his house to the path leading past him, arm in arm, shaking my hand vigorously at our parting. When I wanted to visit him twice later, he was resting, and I did not want to disturb him. But the thoughts that moved him in these weeks, he had also spoken to others. When I passed by his house with President Alex Ullrich of our North Illinois District at the end of April and encouraged him to visit Pieper for a short time, he was given the following words [Pieper’s Last Words] of farewell for the brothers in Chicago, which were immediately recorded by President Ullrich: “Tell the brethren this: First and foremost, ask the gracious God to give me a gentle and blessed end soon. Tell the brethren to ask this for me.  

And now what I (page 331, col. 1) would like you to especially take to heart: Tell the brethren that they will want to thoroughly study and discuss at conferences the theses in Concordia Theological Monthly on our doctrinal position. [Brief Statement 1932]  That will be a good training for everyone. That is the Missourian doctrinal position based on God's Word.

That and nothing else is the teaching of the confessors of Augsburg. I am afraid that some of our opponents and former combatants will confess to these theses and yet with the heterodox they promote a mixed belief. [Glaubensmengerei]” When then President Ullrich said to him as he left that he certainly spoke the mind of all his former students when he expressed his heartfelt thanks for this, since he as their teacher had above all impressed into their hearts the grace of God in Christ so clearly and so gloriously,

Dr. Pieper concluded the conversation with the words: "Oh, I, an unworthy sinner, whom God has so greatly blessed that I for so many years was permitted to teach and have proclaimed this inexpressible grace! May the dear Missouri Synod never forget that it is her God-given chief duty to send forth in all the world the testimony of sola gratia (by grace alone)!”

And trusting in the grace of his God and Savior, which he proclaimed for the last time to the whole assembled Synod at River Forest 1929 in his particularly beautiful essay “The Open Heaven”, he also went blessedly home. His eldest son, Pastor Franz Pieper of Cleveland, Ohio, had just come to visit him on his last evening, talked to him and comforted him. The consolation he brought him was just the old, well-known passages of the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world [John 1:29], and the blood of Jesus Christ which cleanses us from all sin [1 John 1:7], and the glorious, unfading hymn verses of our church: “Jesus, my Savior, lives” [“JEsus, er, mein Heiland, lebt”] and “My Savior, be Thou near me, When death is at my door.” 2)

——————

2) The well-known closing lines of Paul Gerhardt's passion song “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” [“O Haupt vol Blut und Wunden”, v. 9]: “My Savior, be Thou near me”  were often quoted in Dr. Pieper‘s dogmatic lectures and articles, always with profound emotion, when he mentioned a curious occurrence from more recent times as a testimony that only the Biblical - Lutheran doctrine of Christ’s vicarious satisfaction could console our sins in death. The well-known Göttingen theology professor Albrecht Ritschl had disputed and denied this basic doctrine in his writings and once remarked that Gerhardt's hymn, which is based on and expresses this doctrine, was not a suitable Good Friday hymn for the Christian. But when he was lying on his deathbed, he asked his son, Professor Otto Ritschl, to read these verses to him, as the son himself related after the death of his father. When Dr. Pieper for the last time publicly mentioned this incident in the above lecture at the Delegatensynode in 1929, he added: “This is the confession that there is an open heaven only through Christ's atoning sacrifice, and that all exclude themselves from the open heaven those who offer, instead of Christ's atoning sacrifice, their own virtue and works and by this way want to make their way to heaven.” (Lehre und Wehre, 75, 227). That is why one of his grateful students rightly made the words of the “open heaven” the subject of the poem which is found elsewhere in today's number.

- - - - - - - - - - - - concluded in Part 16 - - - - - - - - - - - - -

... the New Missouri unfortunately "forgot" itself in 1938 when it's Committee on Lutheran Union essentially recommended fellowship with the ALC because of a so-called "agreement in the doctrinal statements" between the Brief Statement of 1932 and the 1938 Declaration of the American Lutheran Church (see also here). The fellow members of the Synodical Conference testified loudly to this forgetfulness — to no effect.  Subsequent years were largely a continual slide into doctrinal oblivion for the LC-MS. — We will now see just exactly how Franz Pieper died... in the last Part 16…

Memories 14: "now grown old", "thought of written word"; not lonely

      This continues from Part 13 (Table of Contents in Part 1), a series by Prof. Ludwig Fürbringer of his personal memories of the departed Franz Pieper in the 1931 Der Lutheraner magazine.  — Now we reach the final days for our dear Pieper and learn of those who benefited so much from his spiritual leadership and friendship.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

(page 330, col. 1)

Memories of Dr. Franz Pieper.

by Ludwig Fürbringer – [6.] (Part 14 of 16)

In the long, fifty-six-year, strenuous, but also richly blessed activity, which I briefly described in the earlier memoirs, Dr. Pieper had now grown old, although he showed his age very little. Many of his contemporaries and close friends, G. Stoeckhardt, C.M. Zorn, C.C. Schmidt, G. Wangerin, and others, had preceded him. He himself had lost nine colleagues at the seminary through death over the years. Walther and the Professors G. Schaller, R Lange and M. Gunther, in later times A. L. Graebner, G. Stoeckhardt, E. A. W. Krauss, E. Pardieck and F. Bente. He himself gave most of the commemorative speeches, and he once pointed to me half jokingly, half seriously, that it was enough and we should soon carry him to the grave. Others of his long-time colleagues left the faculty; in 1923, Dr. G. Mezger [CTM] moved to Germany to the Free Church [ELFK] seminary in Zehlendorf near Berlin. W. H. T. Dau in 1926 followed a call to Valparaiso University. At Dr. Bente's funeral in December 1930 he delivered his last public address [see CTM 2, p. 81-87].

But despite a certain loneliness, which was quite natural and which one occasionally also perceived, he kept his fresh, cheerful nature to the last, also met the newly arrived younger colleagues with much friendliness and lived and worked among us as our senior, highly respected and appreciated. He often transmitted the old friendship with the parents in a fairly touching way to the children. Thus he had during his study-time (page 330, col. 2) consorted much in the family house here in St Louis and received benefits which he never forgot and in which he occasionally recalled to the children, the three daughters who married pastors of our synod (A. H. Brewer, H. Birkner, G. Möller), who but also partly preceded him.

After the Christmas holidays of the last year of study, admittedly, we clearly noticed a reduction in his physical strength, which was manifested externally, namely by a decrease in body weight. But even now he who, apart from the two times of nervous exhaustion, had never actually been seriously ill, decided only on urgent coaxing to visit the doctor. He held his daily lectures on dogmatics until March 5, finishing a certain section of it that day, and then went to the hospital in the afternoon. But it is significant that he, who had been asked so often for information and discussions on doctrinal matters, gave a clear and competent answer on March 4 to such a request. This was, as far as I know, his last letter written in ecclesiastical affairs, an answer to the Pastoral Conference of Pittsburgh and the surrounding area, concerning a passage in Walther's Law and Gospel.

Then came the days when we were hovering between fear and hope. He taught after returning from the hospital and seemed at first to be recovering, though the severe stomach ailment could not be lifted by surgery. And again it was characteristic of the man and of his truly Christian optimism and of his joyful spirit sanctified in God, when he told one of his former students visiting him: when he had laid himself down on the operating table, he had thought of the written word: “In thy presence is fulness of joy”, Psalm 16:11. 1) The doctors also gave hope that he could at least live for a longer period of time and probably also could give a few lectures. But these hopes have not been fulfilled. And personally I am convinced that Dr. Pieper probably knew that his days were numbered, of which he then spoke quite openly to me.

——————

1) Another of his older students, a man who has gone through some difficult experiences and is still going through them, wrote to me: “In your last article on Pieper, you have the blessed doctor say to a student: ‘You must get another face; a Christian must always be cheerful.’  Truly Pieper’s way! [or ‘Pieperly’] I too have noticed this and have anointed my head and face with the oil of gladness and taken my harp from the willows.” [Psalm 23:5 ; Psalm 137:2]

- - - - - - - - - - - - continued in Part 15 - - - - - - - - - - - - -

      Fuerbringer uses the term "nervous exhaustion", not "nervous breakdown" that Th. Graebner used in his biography of Pieper. One thing is certain – Pieper did not die by "nervous exhaustion" or a "nervous breakdown".  In his final days, he thought of "the written word", just like... Martin Luther on his deathbed.  I would then quibble with Fuerbringer's description of the "loneliness" of Pieper for the teacher always walked with God, and therefore was never lonely. To the Lutherans in the LC-MS – are your teachers and pastors telling you to do likewise... or not?  — We hear more of the last words that Franz Pieper spoke to his Missouri Synod... in the next Part 15...

Memories 13: Anniversaries- 25th & 50th (1903/1928); Chinese congratulate, but Th. Graebner?

      This continues from Part 12 (Table of Contents in Part 1), a series by Prof. Ludwig Fürbringer of his personal memories of the departed Franz Pieper in the 1931 Der Lutheraner magazine. —  I spent considerable time compiling the hyperlinks for the matters related to the Chinese Lutherans.  More will be said below on false reporting by LC-MS historians on the China mission effort.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

(page 314, col. 2)

Memories of Dr. Franz Pieper.

by Ludwig Fürbringer – [5.] (Part 13 of 16)

During his time at the seminary, he was also privileged to celebrate several anniversaries and, as he used to say, had “surrendered” to such celebrations because they were organized by his beloved brothers and friends. Everyone knows how he, the eloquent man, always found the right word on such occasions, and how to strike the right note. When a well-known English theologian of the nineteenth century divided all speakers and preachers into two classes – I must say it in English, because the pun in German does not work well –, "those who have something to say and those who have to say something", Dr. Pieper certainly belonged to those who really always “had something to say” and did not make mere words. His twenty-fifth jubilee in 1900, if I recall correctly, went by without a special event, and I suspect that he was even absent from St Louis during those days;

but his twenty-five-year professor’s jubilee was celebrated in October 1903 with a special celebration. Shortly before, in September, his alma mater, the Northwestern College of Wisconsin Synod in Watertown, had granted him the theological doctorate along with Professor Hönecke at the twenty-fifth anniversary of the seminary of that Synod and its director A. Hönecke. And in October he was granted the same honor by the faculty of the Lutheran Seminary of the Norwegian Synod in Hamline near St Paul, Minnesota, where at the same time this award was granted to his colleagues Professors G. Stöckhardt and A. L. Graebner who had worked with him for many years.

Dr. Pieper was well known and appreciated by the leading members of the old Norwegian Synod, Pres. V. Koren, Professor L. Larsen, Professor H. G. Stub, Professor J. Ylvisaker and others. The ceremonial address in the auditorium of the seminary was given by Vice-President C. C. Schmidt. To this celebration the well-deserved Dr. Hönecke of Milwaukee – for the first and only time that I know of – came to St Louis, as did the late President of the Wisconsin Synod, Pastor Philipp von Rohr. The doctoral degree was presented by Professor O. E. Brandt, (page 315, col. 1) Dr. Pieper’s former student and then teacher of theology at the Norwegian seminary, to him and the two others named. According to the old academic practice this proceeded in the Latin language, which then also was used by the three new doctors in their answers. This was very beautiful and solemn. (*) The academic celebration was followed by a social celebration in the dining room of the seminary.

In 1915 Dr. Pieper's fortieth year in the ministry was celebrated, and this fact was remembered also in connection with the twenty-fifth jubilee of his younger colleague, the blessed Professor E. Pardieck. Particularly impressive was the celebration in May 1925, when Dr. Pieper had worked for fifty years in the ministry, which at the same time involved the inauguration of his two younger colleagues, professors O. C. A. Böcler and W. G. Polack. The service took place in the Holy Cross church. The President of the Synod, Dr. F. Pfotenhauer, preached in German and district President R. Kretzschmar, the chairman of the supervisory authority of the seminary, in English. The subsequent celebration was held in the dining room of the old seminary, again with great participation. At the time it particularly pleased the jubilee that the current director of his alma mater in Watertown, Professor E. E. Kowalke, had appeared in person, as well as the General President of the Wisconsin Synod, Pastor G. E. Bergemann. His colleagues at that time dedicated a special jubilee book to him in recognition of his many years of excellent service to our Lehre und Wehre. [Source unknown]

“Chinese congratulations -
seminary at Hankow”

It was probably unique that among the many letters, telegrams, cable messages and blessings that a Chinese congratulations had been directed to him by students of our small missionary seminary at Hankow, which they had signed by hand.

E. L. Arndt
missionary to China,
translated Dogmatik into Chinese

Our blessed missionary E.L. Arndt [ILC Online, Luth. Witness] translated Pieper’s Christliche Dogmatik [Christian Dogmatics] into Chinese [later Chinese version], and the students therefore said in their longer letter: “In particular, we thank God that, since this very theological school was opened, we could use the doctor's Dogmatik as a textbook. To study dogmatics, it is just as if the doctor inspires us with the sensible, sincere milk of the Gospel and nourishes us with maternal love as his little children. Indeed, it is no different for us, as if we were deprived of the fresh water of life. Through the doctor’s Dogmatics then we are indirectly his disciples every day. And also in the future, when we are active in the ministry, we will still use the Dogmatics of the doctor as a soul-saving compass.”

The celebration of his fifty-year jubilee [Der Lutheraner]  for his professorship was held in the new seminary in October 1928, since the occurrence, which was very rare in history, had been specially considered at the closing of the seminary in June and a “Pieper Commencement” had been held according to the customary practice of the land. In October, President Pfotenhauer held the ceremonial address in the auditorium of the new seminary on Joel 2:23, and the follow-up celebration was held in a local hotel. And again, the celebration was something very special. A Latin congratulatory address written by his younger colleague, Professor Th. Gräbner, was given to him, under which the great majority of the pastors of our synod had personally put their names on little cards sent to them for this purpose. This reminded the departed again and again of his many thankful students. L[udwig] F[ürbringer].

——————

(*) Today, as I am sending this article to the printing press, a student of mine, who now lives in Minnesota and remembers the celebration well, writes to me by the way: “It was the first time in my life that I heard Latin speeches, of which I unfortunately did not understand anything, and, I think, the last time.”

- - - - - - - - - - - -  continued in Part 14  - - - - - - - - - - - - -

      Prof. Theodore Graebner sometimes said he worked "shoulder to shoulder" with Pieper. And it is reported above that he prepared a "congratulatory address" for Pieper's jubilee. But this blog has noted the sad situation of Graebner's dramatic turnabout not long after Pieper's passing. It is sad to see that he continued his turnabout to the last year of his life (1950), even refuting Walther's doctrine of the Church. He did this in his last major address, in the German language, to European Lutherans and others – see p. 116-117 below (English translation):

The picture of Theodore Graebner's career reminds one of the Apostle's warning "Take heed" lest ye fall! (1 Cor. 10:12)

Missouri Synod mission in China – discord?

      Some LC-MS historians attempted to portray discord in the Old Missouri Synod relating to missionary Eduard L. Arndt (WB) and his drive to do mission work in China (e.g. F. Dean Lueking, Mission in the Making, p. 230 ff). Yet Fürbringer reports that Arndt was far from one of those who opposed Pieper – he translated Pieper's Dogmatics into Chinese!  I believe that Arndt knew Pieper was a strong advocate for his mission effort.  Pieper wrote a lengthy article in Lehre und Wehre defending Arndt's firm stand against unionism with other erring Lutheran missionaries in China in Lehre und Wehre, vol. 75 (August 1929), p. 233 – 247.

YouTube (from Hong Kong Synod),
image of China mission in 1935

There it was reported that opponents said that Old Missourian Arndt "holds aloof of any union movements, as usual". And one may read other reports of Arndt's missionary activity in China also here and here.  Der Lutheraner had reports also here, here, here, and here.  Although the Concordia Historical Institute article on Arndt hints at discord with the Synod at times, there seems to be no discord between Eduard L. Arndt and Franz Pieper.  I hope to translate more of Pieper's articles on the mission efforts in foreign countries in future blog posts.  Arndt's firmness against unionism is in contrast to another missionary, Adolph Brux in India, who practiced unionism in the mission field, caused much grief in the Synod, and was a harbinger for the new, changing LC-MS.

      I do not know if Chinese Lutherans today still use the Arndt-Riedel Chinese translation of Mueller-Pieper's Christian Dogmatics, or if they are now using other textbooks promoted by Dr. Robert Kolb and Dr. Samuel Nafzger.  If there are Chinese Lutherans reading this blog, please let me know the answer to this question. May the Chinese Lutherans never switch from the Mueller-Pieper Dogmatics to the new Nafzger Confessing the Gospel! — In the next Part 14...

Memories 12: Congregations, congregational schools; C.C. Schmidt, model preacher

      This continues from Part 11 (Table of Contents in Part 1), a series by Prof. Ludwig Fürbringer of his personal memories of the departed Franz Pieper in the 1931 Der Lutheraner magazine. — We learn more of Pieper the pastor in this segment. But the high point in this narrative is how Pieper promoted the "glory of the Christian congregation"... and followed Walther perfectly in doing so.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

(page 313, col. 2)

Memories of Dr. Franz Pieper.

by Ludwig Fürbringer – [5.] (Part 12 of 16)

When I go back to the past in these memories of Dr. Pieper, so his congregational membership also comes to my mind. He had in his many working years in St Louis connection with particularly two congregations:

●  Holy Cross congregation, at first Dr. Stöckhardt and then Pastor C. C. Schmidt and his assistant preacher and successor, Pastor P. König, and

●  Immanuel congregation, whose pastor for many years was Pastor G. Wangerin, followed by Pastor H. H. Hohenstein and Pastor J. Oppliger twelve years ago.

Dr. Pieper was for a long time even vacancy preacher of the congregation of the blessed pastor J. F. Bünger after his death in 1882 [Find-A-Grave]. He then remained their auxiliary preacher and assisted their pastors until recently, especially in the distribution of the Holy Supper. He also remained a communicant member of this congregation and saw their pastors for the care of his soul. Our Seminary was in the parish of the Holy Cross congregation for so many years until moving to our new location. Dr. Pieper, who lived just a few steps away from the Holy Cross church, was with their older pastors Stöckhardt and Schmidt through years of friendship, proximity and (col. 1, page 314) official relations closely connected and, therefore, when not traveling or otherwise used, visited the services there. And every member of the church knew what a diligent worshiper he was. He had his particular place where he could be seen almost by the whole congregation and where he was always such an attentive listener to the sermon. And the scholarly, thorough theologian did not miss the catechism examinations as long as they still existed in the church. In the experienced Dr. Schmidt he had a model preacher and had pronounced this more than once. But if he also heard a less praiseworthy sermon at conferences, synods, or other occasions, I know from more than one case that he also praised such sermons and built on them if only the Gospel was rightly expressed in them. But, of course, he could not suffer

● the mixture of Law and Gospel,

● superficial talking without proper preparation,

●moralizing according to the manner and ways of the sects,

●mere so-called "commonplaces" (commonplaces and platitudes).

As a result of his many years of association with these congregations and his entire public activity, it was quite natural that he also entered into a closer personal relationship with older members of both of these and other congregations. Most of them have preceded him in death:

● Louis Lange sen., the well-known actual founder and editor of the Abendschule,

● Konrad Kellermann, the old hearty “Synodical Builder”,

● E. Junghans, the theologically interested one, (he said to me once on a street corner that in order to get rid of his business worries he read Luther's tremendous interpretation of the book of Genesis and was thoroughly enraptured by it),

● E. F. W. Meier, the well-deserving, longtime synodical treasurer and

● J. F.  Schuricht, his too early deceased, noble-minded successor,

● A. L. Rohlfing, the synodical deputy known in wider circles and others.

And I remember very well how he appreciated their and so many other congregational members’ services in congregation and church, as well as the faithful service of the oldest member of our ministry, extending over thirty-eight years, known to us as A. G. Brauer, as well as the truly great diversity of services offered by our current synodical treasurer E. Seuel, who has also been the prudent leader of our Concordia Publishing House for nearly twenty-five years.

In general, it was part of his theology that he advanced the glory of the Christian congregation into the foreground and loved all of their works, especially compared with the modern associations, and the tendency to allow societies for what is the congregation's role and what should be developed by them.

He was a very special friend of the Christian congregational school. He pronounced this so often in Der Lutheraner and in Lehre und Wehre. But I also remember once as we both were going through our seminary with guests and were asked to explain by these guests, who were from other synods, how it was that our synod could always put so many preachers in the field. Then he went to the open window near the stairs in the old seminary, pointed to the stately school of the Holy Cross congregation, and said briefly, “There lies the explanation”; he wanted to say that it is above all our congregational schools which gave us our preachers and teachers and equipped them for their later profession even in their youth. That's why he once said in a presidential report to the Delegates Synod:

“In more than one account that came to me, it said, ‘In us, the nature of the church is like a garden of God.’ This is especially true of our congregational school system. It is (page 314, col. 2) declining in some places, in other places it increases and is in a flourishing state. Especially in the West and also in some places in the East, the demand for congregational schools has been strong. So, on the one hand, we have a high cause to humble ourselves deeply, on the other, we must praise God's great grace, which still works its wonders on us.

“I can not refrain from acknowledging and praising the fact that no less than 1,082 of our pastors have in addition to the ministry, provided also the education office. What mental and physical effort and self-denial that implies, all who were in the same situation know from experience. ‘This schooling,’ as the blessed Dr. Walther used to say, ‘has no great appearance in the eyes of men, but it particularly reveals the faithful pastor, who does not allow himself to be grieved in accepting the teaching of the youth himself if the congregations are not yet able or willing to call church teachers.’ Especially our younger pastors are generally willing and diligent to keep school. God will reward their diligence and their faithfulness for all eternity. At the same time, the dear congregations are cordially asked that their pastors no longer have to administer the office of the school, as necessarily indispensable as it is. The holding of school in addition to serving the preaching ministry has wiped out some young strength ahead of its time, and the school itself is better looked after by a school teacher who uses his undivided strength for the school.” (Report of the 11th Delegates Synod, 1905, pages 22-23).

- - - - - - - - - - - -  continued in Part 13  - - - - - - - - - - - - -

      Old Missouri's high regard for the congregation is so foreign to today's external churches.  And the emphasis on congregational schools has been covered in previous blog posts here, and here.

      Pastor C. C. Schmidt is mentioned in the above narrative twice.  He was a prominent preacher in the Old Missouri Synod, serving in various offices.  He also defended the Christian doctrine of Predestination (Gnadenwahl, Election of Grace) during the critical Pastoral Conference in 1881 – see 2018 CPH book Predestination, p. 171, 176. English speaking Lutherans may read from the few English language articles in Theological Monthly here. Of course German speaking people can search "C. Schmidt" in the Der Lutheraner Table of Contents PDF. Someday I may translate his sermon here. Although he is characterized as a "model preacher" above, church historian J.P. Koehler (History of the Wisconsin Synod, p. 252) characterized him as "out of touch with actual life".  Such were the caustic comments from Koehler on a true Missourian model preacher. Fortunately Koehler's "history" was not held by all in the Wisconsin Synod. —  In the next Part 13...