Hist17: Chp 13a— Germany supplies, fights; Election Controversy concluded: “they laugh at us…, in danger"

      This continues from Part 16 (Table of Contents in Part 3), a series presenting an English translation of Pastor Christian Hochstetter's 1885 496-page book entitled (abbreviated) The History of the Missouri Synod, 1838-1884. It also follows an Excursus on a contrary judgment of Walther's theological skill. — The last chapter 13 is by far the longest one and is being split up.  This "13a" portion reports on German Lutheran missionaries who recognized, with Walther's help, the false doctrine in their missionary society regarding the inspiration of Holy Scripture. The most noteworthy member who came to Missouri was Carl Manthey Zorn, a prolific later author of CPH books and others (Find-A-Grave).  An excuse for unionism was put forward by the Leipzig Mission Society, that Martin Luther supposedly "tolerated" or "carried" Melanchthon, to which Walther wrote a definitive, powerful refutation in 1876 [LuW 22 (1876) p. 321-339, 353-373]. (A separate "Excursus" will follow on this.) — The Controversy on the doctrine of Election of Grace had to be finally disposed of and concluded.  To this day, this doctrine still is a watershed event in the Church History of the last 150 years for the (Old) Missouri Synod.

Some quotes from Chapter 13a: (410-437)
411: "formal institution for… training of ministerial students for North America… by Pastor Brunn at Steeden"
412: "the German Lutheran state churches … allowing the liberal spirit of the times, unionism"
414: "We believe that many dear Lutherans… are in Germany, but the organizations are no longer Lutheran"
415: Missouri and verbal inspiration: "they laugh at us as ignorant people who are behind the times"
416: "no longer… Inspiration,… no longer… a purely Lutheran church,… the foundation for it is missing."
416: Breslau: "When a people…falls for the second time…it can happen… as it happened to Jerusalem."
417: Walther: "we take away the sting of the Word… a generation that has become full and died twice!"
421: "G. Stoeckhardt… sentenced to eight months in prison... after he had already left Germany"

422: Brauer: "a divine, salvation-working truth… the preservation of which life and salvation depend"
422: Luthardt: "all Lutheran Christians were warned of the Missouri Synod,… the theories put forward by Professor Walther…  doctrine of transference and the doctrine that the Pope was the Antichrist"
425: Leipzig, German syncretists "appeal to Luther's supposed toleration of the errors of Melanchthon…Walther proves… the matter, thank God, is quite different"
431: Schwan: "we put the article of the Election of Grace on the candlestick again… reason knows nothing of grace… your faith is not your work, but mine [God's]"
433: "Our doctrine is none other than that of Scripture and our dear Lutheran Church at the time of the Reformation and the Formula of Concord.… [to] the two sole causes of Election, namely God's mercy and Christ's merit… they also add a third cause, namely, persevering faith."
435: 1881 Missouri on "in view of faith": "we should rather drop the expressions of the later dogmatists."
437: Inexperienced people: "it is better [than pure doctrine] to devote one's time and energy to missions"
Images of some men appearing in Chapter 13a: (410-437)

    Brunn    —————    Kahnis   ————   G. Fritschel   ———   O. Willkomm   ———   Stoeckhardt  —————  Zorn
                     Ruhland    ————    Luthardt  —————  Scheibel  —————  Wucherer  ————  von Hofmann  ————  Schwan

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The following is an English translation of C. Hochstetter's Geschichte… by BackToLuther utilizing the DeepL Translator with minor assistance from Dr. Fred Kramer's translation.  All hyperlinks, highlighting and red text in square brackets [] are mine. All internal hyperlinks are active in this embedded window, external links should be opened in a new tab or window.

      Much is made of Wilhelm Loehe's contribution to the roster of pastors and leaders in the early Missouri Synod. Loehe is even called "as much responsible for establishing the LCMS as was Walther".  But perhaps the greater, but largely ignored, contributor of trained men for the ministry from Germany was Friedrich Brunn (pic). I was glad to see that Hochstetter reported his activities.   Pastor Brunn is so important that I am inserting another Excursus in the next post in honor of him. — After the break below the customary fine text version, then Part 18, Chapter 13b.

2 judgments of Walther: Mayes faults Walther, again (on Gerhard's terminology)

      This post is an excursus to Hochstetter's History Chapter 12 (Part 16) dealing with the so-called Predestinarian Controversy, and Walther's pivotal role in it.

Pastor Eissfeldt's 1931 testimony for Walther

      To add to Pastor Hochstetter's testimony of Walther's theological skills in discussions with the opposing members of the Iowa and Ohio Synods, I would add a quote from a 1931 writing published in CHIQ (CTS-FW Media) from a pastor who knew Walther intimately, Pastor Carl Eissfeldt [lutheranmuseum.com; Find-A-Grave; DL30 (1880), p. 52-53]. Much more will be said about this short essay in a future blog, but for now, let us hear his judgment of Walther's theological ability (emphasis mine):

"Already in my younger years I had occasion to admire Dr. Walther’s patience in dealing with his opponents. His firmness and tenacity in clinging to the clear doctrine of the Word of God was matched by his remarkable patience with such as were still caught in the meshes of false doctrine. This trait of Walther’s struck me already in the days of my childhood on the occasion of the Iowa Colloquium in November of the year 1867.… To the memories of Walther indelibly impressed on my mind belong also the days when, after the controversy on Predestination had broken out, a conference took place in the seminary of the Wisconsin Synod between representatives of the Synodical Conference and those charging us with Calvinism. Walther and Professor Craemer were guests in my parents’ home on this occasion. Never have I seen Walther so downcast, so depressed in spirit, as in those days. Usually Walther took an active part in the conversation whenever he returned from any synodical meeting. This time he came to our home from every meeting silent, utterly saddened; he took almost no part in the conversation, ate only what my mother urged upon him, and retired early to the solitude of his bed-chamber, where, without doubt, he wrestled in fervent prayer with his God."

Prof. Mayes 2018 judgment against Walther

      Walther's understanding of the Ohio and Iowa Synods, the dogmatists of Lutheran Orthodoxy, and the Formula of Concord in relation to the Doctrine of the Election of Grace is historic.  Much has been written about this, both by Old Missouri and also by the LC-MS.  The two points at issue are firstly that Scripture alone is the norm and rule of theology, and secondly that theological terminology should avoid confusion wherever possible.  Walther masterfully demonstrated his Scriptural theology and his language usage, i.e. the meaning of "instrumental cause", especially in the Predestinarian Controversy — see Hochstetter's footnotes to pages 365-366. So it is with sadness that Prof. Benjamin T. G. Mayes continues his misjudging of Walther's theology in his understanding of the great dogmatist John Gerhard in his "General Editor's Introduction"  to the English translation of Gerhard's writing On Justification Through Faith, (CPH, 2018). Mayes enjoys some support of a conservative LCMS Pastor Joshua Scheer (WB) regarding Mayes' "great work in the name of Lutheran Orthodoxy". But Prof. Mayes says (p. xvi-xvii, emphasis mine):

• Walther "failed to define the terms and imported a different meaning of “instrumental cause” than what was used by Gerhard." [Really? Walther misunderstood theological Latin usage of "instrumental cause"? Did he also "fail" in his judgment of Musaeus on this same term, Hochstetter p. 366?]
• Walther "is wrong on what the Lutheran Orthodox meant by faith as a causa instrumentalis… of justification and why they used this terminology." [Or could it be that Editor Mayes is himself weak on the Lutheran Doctrine of Justification, as he is on a hierarchical doctrine of the Ministry, like Loehe and Grabau?]
• "Walther rejected the idea that faith is a ‘nonprincipal impulsive cause of justification and salvation.’ Gerhard rejected the same idea." [As if Walther was not also aware of this!]

Gottfried Fritschel:
Walther is "a disgrace";
Mayes mentor?

Mayes is overly defensive of Gerhard on this point.  His judgment, while not as harsh, is similar to that of Prof. Gottfried Fritschel of the old Iowa Synod as he, against Walther's judgment of Gerhard's weak terminology, "exclaimed under the mask of pious horror":

“What a gross insult against the Lutheran Church, what a disgrace!” (Hochstetter's History p. 365)

Mayes admits that Gerhard and Walther agree on the chief point at issue.  But Mayes incredibly thinks he understands theological Latin usage better than Walther, and so feels compelled to fault Walther for being over cautious on terminology against Gerhard.  But Walther is the greater theologian than Gerhard on this point for he guards not only the pure doctrine of Justification, he zealously guards the proper terminology that allows no misinterpretation.  And that is exactly how Walther exposed the issue on the usage of the Latin term "intuitu fidei", or "in view of faith" by the Ohio and Iowa Synods. This judgment of Prof. Mayes is like his judgment against Walther in his 2011 CTQ essay. (Sadly Mayes also criticizes the theological judgment of Robert Preus on this same issue.)  Prof. Mayes would do better to just continue getting more translations published, and then just sit at the feet of Walther. No theologian has understood the dogmaticians, the Lutheran Confessions, and proper theological terminology, better than… C.F.W. Walther.

>>>>>>    Luther, Chemnitz,… Walther! (not Gerhard in the Big 3)    <<<<<<< 

===>>> Could it be that CPH luminary Prof. Benjamin T. G. Mayes is in part responsible for the non-publication of Dr. Fred Kramer's English translation of Hochstetter's History by Concordia Publishing House? — In the next post, Part 17, Chapter 13 of Hochstetter's History.

Hist16: Chp 12— Election of Grace Controversy, on Predestination

      This continues from Part 15 (Table of Contents in Part 3), a series presenting an English translation of Pastor Christian Hochstetter's 1885 496-page book entitled (abbreviated) The History of the Missouri Synod, 1838-1884. It also follows an Excursus on a "sharp polemic" of Walther against one of his bitterest opponents. — The doctrine at issue in this chapter is called in German "Gnadenwahl" which translates properly into "Election of Grace". It is only "a consolatory article" of faith (FC, Ep 11, 1). Unfortunately this term is usually shortened in translation to just "Election" or "Predestination" and so it loses the all important qualifier "Grace". (The dispute in America is sometimes referred to as the "Predestinarian Controversy".)

But I was glad to see that Dr. Fred Kramer translated the term properly as… "Election of Grace" in his translation, and so I would honor him on this.  Those who lose their way on this doctrine are essentially going astray on just what divine "Grace" really means.  But not the Old Missouri Synod. — Two fruitful readings to accompany this chapter would be: (1) the 2018 CPH book Walther's Works: Predestination, which contains the translation of the two excellent Pastoral Conferences of 1880 and 1881 (German texts here & here) discussed in Hochstetter, and (2) Franz Pieper's masterful 1913 book Conversion and Election, A Plea (Hathi, German: Zur Einigung).

Some quotes from Chapter 12: (353-409)
357: Walther to F. A. Schmidt: “Well then, you want war, you shall have war”
358: Schmidt: “May the Colossus of the Missouri Synod break into a thousand pieces.”
359: "Calvinist error also dominates the whole of pantheistic philosophy of all times."
360: "Modern Christianity is designed to make people think that they are great saints."
361: "God has not only chosen for salvation, but also for the whole Christian life."
362: "Schmidt and his followers attack… the confession of our Church"
362: "also the faith of man cannot be the cause of God's election"
363: "Faith is not a cause of election but the consequence of it"
365: "the formula intuitu fidei not only unclearly indicates the relationship of faith to the election of grace, but that it even allows, and even has already experienced, an interpretation that is harmful to the doctrine of free will."
367: Did Walther teach "in view of faith" (intuitu fidei)?: "Anyone who says so is lying."
370: "perversion… if we are accused… of excluding faith,… disregarding… salvation through faith alone."
374: "Faith is not to be introduced here as the cause; …My faith does not make me certain of this"
375: "A judge is just… This would lead to the result that it would no longer be an election of grace".
377: Stellhorn's error on Election of Grace: "some people do not notice the deception"
378: God: "I did not pass you by, … The fault is yours that you are going to hell."
379: "It is an election of grace for us in our salvation.… revealed…in the Holy Scriptures, not a trial."
381: "man's self-decision instead of divine grace"
382: "the elect remain elect, even during a temporary apostasy, as David's example shows"
383: "an election made 'in view of faith'… must fall out on the side of the semi-Pelagian Arminians,"
383: "Calvin's doctrine is based much more on an election of wrath than on a election of grace"
383: "We Lutherans do not know such ready-made saints."
385: Christ "is the book of life,… There is no book of death"
385-6: "abominable Calvinists… teach that the order of salvation is for the pious… children of God alone!"
393: Luther: "This predestination of God is a cause for many to stand fast, for no one a cause to fall."
394: “Allwardt: 'I do not know whether I am chosen in the strict sense!'… what kind of faith … rests on uncertainty?… the Roman Catholic doctrine of doubt… nobody can be sure whether he will be saved!”
398: "they want… passive behavior a property of the natural man… prepare himself on his conversion"
401: Walther: "We do not want to give man a share in his salvation, but give glory to God alone."
401: "the accusation of Calvinism… was intended to … justification to their synergism"
403: Ohio: "that man converts… by the grace of God alone is a completely unreasonable doctrine."
405: "In this matter, then, the crown of all doctrines must be at last preserved, the doctrine of justification"
407: Stoeckhardt: "no glory for our opponents that today's mediating German theology…approves of them"
409: Walther: "the high article of the Election of Grace, which is so incomprehensible to reason"
Images of some men appearing in Chapter 12: (353-409)

     Schmidt  ———  Stellhorn  ———  Tressel ——— Schwan —— O. Fuerbringer  ——   Allwardt   ——   Lehmann   ——   Brobst

    G. Fritschel  ———  Sihler  ——  E.A.W. Krauss —— Philippi —— A.L. Graebner — Stoeckhardt ——  Pieper  ——  R. Lange

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The following is an English translation of C. Hochstetter's Geschichte… by BackToLuther utilizing the DeepL Translator with minor assistance from Dr. Fred Kramer's translation.  All hyperlinks, highlighting and red text in square brackets [] are mine. All internal hyperlinks are active in this embedded window, external links should be opened in a new tab or window.

      Walther's masterful handling of opponents as weak Christians during discussions (see p. 365-366) calls for a further personal testimony from a CHIQ article in 1931.  This will be presented in the next "Excursus" and will be compared to a misjudgment against Walther by a Fort Wayne seminary professor. — After the break below, an example of a well-known Calvinist author/preacher of today, then the customary fine print version of the above chapter. — In the next Part 17, Chapter 13a. 

Walther's "sharp polemics" against Stellhorn: Excursus on Election of Grace

     This blog post follows Chapter 11 of Hochstetter's History, and is a prelude to the following Chapter 12, in order to set the stage for one of the sharpest rebukes that came from the pen of C.F.W Walther against his opponents.  He had several of these in his lifetime, but it is striking to read of Walther's vehemence in this writing.  One is reminded of Luther's sharp rebukes of his opponents, such as Erasmus, who thought they were doing God's work while they are actually teaching false doctrine. —  

      I almost abandoned this post because I discovered that this writing of Walther had already been translated in 1881 by August Crull [pic] and was reprinted in the new 2018 CPH book Predestination, p. 203-205, apparently verbatim. But then I considered that this portion is a perfect brief synopsis of Walther and his determination to stick with the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions, come what may. And so I am publishing this brief "Preface" so that it is freely available to the public. (Then one should purchase the CPH book for the full writing.)

      The following is from Walther's pamphlet entitled (translated) Illumination of Stellhorn's Treatise on the Controversy over the Doctrine of the Election of Grace, but what a preface it is. In matters of such importance, both Luther and Walther were prepared to lay down their lives, for it concerned God's grace. (The German text may be accessed >> here << for those readers of that language.)

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Translation by BackToLuther utilizing DeepL Translator. Highlighting is mine. <p. xxx> indicates page breaks in Predestination-Crull translation.

Illumination

of

Stellhorn's Treatise

on the 

Controversy over the Doctrine of the Election of Grace.

by C.F.W. Walther.

Preface.

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

When we received and read the treatise of Prof. Stellhorn on the occasion of this year's meetings of our Delegate Synod in Fort Wayne, we thought that it was not worth the effort to counter it with a special refutation.  

• The way in which Prof. Stellhorn's handling of the Holy Scriptures in this treatise is so completely non-Lutheran; 
• the reversals of the words of our precious Confession, of which he is guilty, are so striking; 
• the falsifications of historical facts that appear in the booklet are so easily recognized; 
• the distortions of our doctrines, which the professor allows himself, are so coarse and clumsy; 
• the atrocious teachings which the author attributes to us are so clearly shown to be deliberate;
• synergism and rationalism, from which the writer claims to be so far removed, are so widespread in the booklet; 
• the rejection of the sunlit doctrines of Scripture and knowledge documented in it is so boldly and unashamedly pronounced; 
• the conclusions of reason with which the pure doctrine of Scripture is to be overthrown in it are so null and void in the hearts of all Christian believers; 
• the hostile intention with which everything is written is so clearly betrayed in it for everyone — 

that we thought there could hardly be a reader who would not immediately notice all this, if he yet cares for the truth.  But in this we were unfortunately mistaken.  The tract has not only been read with eagerness by party comrades, praised as a particularly “solid” work  <page 4> and spread with great zeal; here and there also honest souls seeking truth have had the Treatise played into their hands, who have not, at least not consistently, seen through the deception practiced in it and who <p. 204> have therefore been deceived by it.  So we have recognized it as our duty to write and publish a short “illumination” of Stellhorn's treatise. [balance of "Preface" follows after break below; Hist16, Chapter 12 of Hochstetter in next post.]

Hist15: Chp 11— Usury; 25th Anniv.; Synodical Conference; Ohio Synod falls on Election of Grace

      This continues from Part 14 (Table of Contents in Part 3), a series presenting an English translation of Pastor Christian Hochstetter's 1885 496-page book entitled (abbreviated) The History of the Missouri Synod, 1838-1884. — There are so many topics addressed in this chapter that it is difficult to give a brief synopsis of it. The reading of this portion dealing with Usury would be benefitted by a re-reading of my previous blogs on this teaching.
Some quotes from Chapter 11: (314-353)
315: On Usury: "the question of whether lending money on interest is sin or not had come to the fore within the Synod… This difference in conviction is, however, not insignificant."
315-316: "…to help the erring… they err out of weakness.…we fight against error with all seriousness."
316: "Nor should we use all sorts of casuistic questions as a principle."
318: "the creditor who is a Christian will not act… according to the strictness of the loan contract"
319: "This is, then, about right and wrong, God's grace and wrath, salvation and damnation, heaven and hell; woe to me if I do something that I am not sure is right in all cases.… the whole world submerged in usury."
320: 25th Anniversary: "25 years of our Synod's preservation with the Word of Truth.… at a time of almost general apostasy from the Lutheran faith…, unity among us, far from papal and unionist tendencies."
322: "how can a preacher have a clear conscience if he himself is not in true repentance"
323: "there will still have to be a hard fight… This word was like a prophecy…"
323: Synodical Conf.: "the different synods, although they use the name 'Lutheran', deviate…"
325: Walther: "A disciple of Luther…, I have stammered everything I have ever publicly spoken and written only after this prophet of the last age of the world.” [i.e. Back To Luther!]
326: "Luther's warning against delusion, as if we must and could preserve the Church through our wisdom"
327: Augsburg Conf.: "one who denies the binding nature  is not a true… Lutheran"
328: On the General Council: "…the confession is on paper, but by practice it is rendered null and void."
329: "We cannot recognize any such body which calls itself Lutheran as truly Lutheran.… The position of the General Council is more dangerous than the open rejection of confession."
331: Ohio: "Lehmann… used to accompany Oddfellows, Loy… was a staunch opponent of secret societies"
332: The Missouri Synod "would not be present at this Council until a complete unity of faith and doctrine based on the divine Word had been achieved at free conferences"
333: "the Missourian pastors… were soon taking care of the youth and establishing parish schools."
335: “the Missourians own the kingdom!” [i.e. God blessed America]
336: Synodical Conference: "a lasting blessing for the entire Evangelical Lutheran Church."
343: Ohio Synod: "But now it is obvious that they organized this quick separation church politics"
344: "The enmity against Missouri is so bitter that… they must be branded as Calvinizing."
345: "Walther is said to have been deceived many times in his love. But in this… one spirit with Luther."
346: Ohio: "predestination of the elect to eternal life was made in view of faith"
347: Ohio: "convinced that the doctrine of the dogmatists… was in accordance with the Formula of Concord"
348: "God have mercy on a synod [Ohio] which… yet plants such a faith and confession in its members!"
350: "All the more strictly should we adhere to the doctrine of the Formula of Concord!" [Article 11]
351: "the dogmatists… lost the right way to teach about the eternal and saving Election of Grace," [cp p. 347]
Images of some men appearing in Chapter 11: (314-353)

         Brohm  ———  Lehmann  ———  Loy   ———   Krauth   ——   F.A. Schmidt —— P. Brand

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The following is an English translation of C. Hochstetter's 

Usury
      Today's LC-MS and most Lutheran teachers no longer teach the Scriptural doctrine of Usury as Franz Pieper did in his original Christliche Dogmatik (see this blog post).  Although Dr. Samuel Nafzger indicated that his Confessing the Gospel textbooks are only "updating" Pieper, yet he continued the practice of the English translation of Pieper's work, Christian Dogmatics, by omitting this teaching.  But to ignore this doctrine, just because it is controversial, is the same as considering it to be either a "tolerable" error or one that the Church must speak on, thereby placing the Church above Holy Scripture (see p. 316).

Synodical Conference addresses, Justification
      How wonderful of Hochstetter to repeat Walther's quote of Luther at the first convention of the Synodical Conference, and also Walther's followup address. — If there is a weakness in Hochstetter's History, I would wish that he had also covered the Theses on Justification discussed at the first Synodical Conference convention in 1872 (see p. 324). Walther himself highlighted this doctrinal essay in his Der Lutheraner announcement. Pastor Hermann Fick did not overlook this fundamental doctrine in his history of Luther, but highlighted it.  Hochstetter missed an opportunity here.

Election of Grace 

      Much more will be said about this conroversial doctrine in the next Chapter 12, which is entirely devoted to this matter. — After the break below, the customary fine print version. — In the next Part 16, Chapter 12.

Hist14: Chp 10—Loehe to Romanizing, millennialism, Antichrist error: Iowa Colloquy

      This continues from Part 13 (Table of Contents in Part 3), a series presenting an English translation of Pastor Christian Hochstetter's 1885 496-page book entitled (abbreviated) The History of the Missouri Synod, 1838-1884. — One of the more striking parts of this chapter is reading of Loehe before he started Romanizing.  It is startling to read his earlier writing that sounds just like it came from a Missourian! — A surprising revelation for me was author Hochstetter's personal participation in the Iowa Colloquy, as I was only aware of his connection to the Buffalo Synod. So his account of these proceedings is again from first-hand knowledge.  But at this colloquy he was sitting on the side of the Missourians, not with their opponents.
Some quotes from Chapter 10: (278-314)
279: "Chiliasm had raised its head in the Western District of the synod with Pastors A. Schieferdecker"
280: Grabau "managed to get a pact with Pastor Loehe. …From that time on, Pastor Loehe intended to found his own synod in North America… he had previously protested to the state church against the mixed communion practice and other evils…, he now submitted to the consistory."
281: Old Loehe: "The State fears the Church, it does not want to be influenced by the Church; what guarantees does the Church have that it will not be…enslaved by… the State, as has ever happened?"
282: Luther: "If they [bishops] also wanted to go by force and compel us to do so, we must die rather than allow such godlessness… Pastor Loehe was not willing to die for this truth"
282: Loehe's Iowa Synod: "the Lutheran symbols were not authoritative in all the points of doctrine."
284: Wyneken on Loehe's fall: " a Lutheran’s heart would turn around… sorrow for this dear man!"
286: Refuting Chiliasm/Millenialism: "it was explained to Pastor A. Schieferdecker… that the article according to which the Last Day could come at any moment, must not be violated."
288: Hochstetter: "It became clear to me… that the strength of the Missouri teachers did not rest both in their attachment to the symbols, but rather in their fear of God's Word!"
288: Walther at Iowa Colloquy: “A pastor’s stance must be that he says: … if I ever find that I consider a doctrine of the symbols to be wrong and cannot preach anymore, I promise to resign as an honest man.”
289: Walther: "… doctrine must be revealed in God's Word, for God's Word is above the Church."
290: Walther: "We believe that nothing can be an open question that God has already decided in his Word, whether or not it is in the symbols, whether in a conclusion or in a casual remark."
291: Walther to Iowa: "It seemed to us that you were paying homage to the newer theology…"
292: Walther: "Do not… accuse Scriptures of obscurity because great men have not understood them."
295: the Iowans "made use of a secret reservation."
296: "It is enthusiasm to teach that… there will still be two returns of Christ… The one is past,"
298: Walther: Do "not say that you want to give in to us to please us, but from your own conviction."
298: Iowans: "we cannot understand by the man of sin a papacy"
299: "This is Luther's verdict on the Pope, which we Missourians wholeheartedly endorse because, as we go through history, we see that every Word of Scripture about the Antichrist finds its full fulfillment in the Papacy."
301: Walther: "After the papacy has been developing for a thousand years, it is a truly satanic trick that now the doctrine has arisen in Christianity, that the Antichrist is not yet here. Now Christianity is waiting for an enemy who has long since devastated it.… Hellish powers really are truly at work"
307: "Luther's admonition: God fill you with hatred for the Pope!"
308: "Modern scholarliness of the newer theologians does not frighten the papacy.… Among all the well-known German theologians,… no longer a Protestant teacher…[with] faith in the Lutheran symbols!"
309: "From the time he drew back from the Missouri Synod, Pastor Loehe was in the habit of flirting with the papacy so often and praising the Roman founders of religious orders and saints so highly…"
309: Sihler's judgment on Iowa Synod: "This pseudo-Lutheran synod… is and remains a copy of Loehe's later erroneous views.… May they listen to the spirit of Paul, and not to the dead of Neuendettelsau,"
310: "In the opinion of the founder of the Iowa Synod, it should be a corrective to the Missouri Synod."
313: In the Iowa Synod: "the false idea, as if the Lutheran Church needed a doctrinal development, which had not yet come to an end with the Reformation."
313: "The Missouri Synod… the conscience of the Lutheran Church in… confessional loyalty."
Images of some men appearing in Chapter 10: (278-314)

Schieferdecker   ———    Sievers    ————    S. Fritschel   ————   Walther     ————     Huegli    ————    Harless
                   Grossmann   ————    H. Fick   ————   G. Fritschel    ————    Sihler    ————    Hochstetter

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The following is an English translation of C. Hochstetter's Geschichte… by BackToLuther utilizing the DeepL Translator with minor assistance from Dr. Fred Kramer's translation.  All hyperlinks, highlighting and red text in square brackets [] are mine. All internal hyperlinks are active in this embedded window, external links should be opened in a new tab or window.

      When reading the statements from the Iowa Synod during their first meeting with the (Old German) Missouri Synod, one learns essentially what the LCMS is today, just like the Iowa Synod. The many who hold up Loehe as their "father", like Prof. David Scaer, are only confirming this, that the LC-MS is not the true Missouri Synod, but rather its opponent. — I can only imagine how Dr. Fred Kramer, who during his career had sat through fruitless "Dialogues" with opponents of Lutheranism, even with Roman Catholics, must have felt joy when reading the simple truths as expressed by Walther in the Iowa Colloquy. I can imagine him thinking: "If only I had read Hochstetter's History before I began to doubt God's Word…" — I have frequently quoted Walther's comment regarding the Iowa Synod, that because they could not be convinced by God's Word, he had to break off further discussions with them.  This chapter fills in the dramatic details of what led Walther to do this. Walther would never lightly break off a discussion with other Lutherans except for dire reasons… and this was a dire reason, to allow doubt about God's Word.  — Walther's highly passionate plea with the Iowa Synod to not doubt the Scriptural and Confessional basis for the teaching of the Pope as the Antichrist left me shaking my head in sorrow over today's LC-MS which speaks essentially like the old Iowa Synod. Dear God! If the reader is not sure that the Pope in Rome is the Antichrist, read Walther… and be warned!  The sympathy for the Pope today is just like the sympathy of the founders of the Iowa Synod and Wilhelm Loehe. I thought I had been strong enough on my blog in warning about this, but even I had to be amazed at Walther's passionate plea which is just like Luther. Walther stands next to Luther in this regard. — After the break below, the customary fine print version of the above chapter. In the next Part 15, Chapter 11.