August Gottlieb Spangenberg

August Gottlieb Spangenberg (born July 15, 1704, Klettenberg-Hohenstein, Saxony—died Sept. 18, 1792, Berthelsdorf) was a German bishop of the Unitas Fratrum, successor to its leader, Nikolaus Ludwig, graf von Zinzendorf, and founder of the Moravian Church in North America.

As a law student at Jena, Spangenberg was converted in 1722 to Pietism, a religious movement emphasizing biblical study, morality, and Christian living, and he began to study theology. In 1728, during Zinzendorf’s visit to Jena, Spangenberg was drawn into his circle. In 1732 he was named to the theological faculty at Halle, but Pietists there opposed his association with Zinzendorf, and he was expelled the next year. As Zinzendorf’s assistant, he went to the United States, first to Georgia and then to Pennsylvania, to supervise Moravian missionary work. Intending to make Philadelphia the centre of Moravian activity, he founded the North American branch of the Unitas Fratrum there (1740), and at Bethlehem, Pa., he established a community in which work was done and goods were held communally. Spangenberg organized another branch in England (1741–42), worked again in Germany, and returned to North America in 1744 after becoming a bishop of his church. After an interval in Europe (1749–51), he extended Moravian missionary work to North Carolina and in 1762 went back to Germany for the last time, assuming leadership of the Unitas Fratrum as a member of its governing body.

In addition to contributing in the mission field, Spangenberg also drafted the Idea Fidei Fratrum (1779; Exposition of Christian Doctrine, 1784), which became the accepted statement of Moravian beliefs. Through his moderation, internal differences were ameliorated, and the Moravian Church maintained friendly relations with the Lutheran Church. Among his works are a life of Zinzendorf (1772–75; abridged Eng. trans., 1838), some apologetic writings, and several hymns.

Britannica Quiz

Christianity Quiz