[Image]  [Hi-Res Image]

Page 359

RllfLrOCfRAPHY: Student's Handbook of the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church at Chicago, Ill., Chicago, 1908.

4. Columbus: The Evangelical Lutheran Seminary at Columbus, O., the oldest educational institution of the Lutheran Church west of the Alleghany Mountains, was established in Canton, O., in 1830 by the Lutheran Synod of Ohio and Adjacent States, generally known as the Joint Synod of Ohio, an organization of German and English Lutheran pastors and congregations dating back to the year 1818. About two years after the founding of the school, it was removed to Columbus, O., where it has since, with some slight interruptions, continued its work of furnishing a goodly percentage of German and English pastors to the Lutheran congregations of Ohio and states farther west. It represents doctrinally the status of the Joint Synod, which is that of conservative and confessional Lutheranism, and is an exponent of the theological thought of the Lutheran Church of Germany during its orthodox period. Its first instructor was Prof. Wilhelm Schmidt, a graduate of the University of Halle, who for ten years remained its only teacher, and among his successors the most influential have been Prof. Wilhelm H. Lehmann and Prof. M. Loy, now professor emeritus. The institution has been largely influential in making Western Lutheranism confessional and orthodox, and hundreds of its graduates have been, and still are, active in the work of establishing congregations especially among the settlers throughout the West who come from the Lutheran countries of Europe. A unique feature is that its instruction is bilingual, theological lectures in German alternating with those in English, and perhaps seventy-five per cent of its graduates are able to preach in both languages. The trustees, eleven in number (eight clergymen and three laymen), are all selected from the membership of the Joint Synod, and are elected at the biennial convention of this body. The faculty numbers five of whom one, as emeritus, is no longer engaged in active work. The dean is Prof. F. W. Stellhorn (q.v.) and the secretary is Prof. George H. Schodde (q.v.). The student body, which in some years runs up to fifty, was in 1910 thirty-eight, namely, eighteen in the senior, ten in the middle, and ten in the junior class. Although originally incorporated as " The German Theological Seminary," by act of legislature this name was changed several years ago to " Theological Seminary," as both German and English are entitled to exactly the same rights in the work of the school. GEORGE H. SCRODDE.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: G. A. Sehodde. The Lutheran Seminary at Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, O_ 1905; P. A. Peter and W. Schmidt, Geschichte der allgemeinen evangelischlutheriachen S&node von Ohio and anderer Staaten, Columbus, 1900.

8. Concordia (St. Louis): This institution, the largest of its denomination in the United States, was founded as a classical college and school of theology in 1839 by Lutheran emigrants from Saxony, who were fleeing from the persecutions of a rationalistic state-church to the land of religious liberty. Its first home was in the forests of Perry Co., Mo., at the village of Altenburg, and its first building was a log-but constructed by members of the first faculty, which consisted of the candidates of theology C. F. W. Walther (q.v.), J. F. Buenger, O. Fuerbringer, and Th. Brohm. After the organization of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States in 1847, the institution was, in 1849, removed to St. Louis, and the synod elected Walther, at that time pastor of the Lutheran congregation at St. Louis, its first professor of theology. He remained with the institution as its foremost teacher and president until his death in 1887. In 1861 the classical (preparatory) department was removed to Fort Wayne, Ind., while the " Practical Theological Seminary," with Professor Craemer, was transferred from Fort Wayne to St. Louis, and was united with the "Theoretical Seminary " under the presidency of Professor Walther. The two seminaries remained united until 1875, when the " Practical Seminary " was removed to Springfield, Ill. During Walther's presidency the teachers were A. Biewend, G. Schick, Alex. Saxer, G. Seyffarth, R. Lange, Laur. Larsen, A. Craemer, E. A. Brauer, Th. Brohm, E. Preuss, F. A. Schmidt (q.v.), G. Schaller, M. Guenther, and F. Pieper (q.v.). By synodical action Professor Pieper, after the death of Walther, succeeded to the presidency and the chair of systematic and pastoral theology, and with him the following have been holding theological professorships since 1887: G. Stoeckhardt (exegesis), A. Graebner (d. 1904), E. A. W. Krauss (history), O. Fuerbringer (isagogics), F. Bente (symbolics), G. Mezger (homiletics), and W. Dau (English dogmatics). With the number of resident students steadily growing, the capacity of the college buildings had to be increased from time to time. The erection of a large main building in 1883, at the cost of $150,000, raised the capacity to 200, and an annex, built in 1907, to 300 resident students.

The doctrinal position of Concordia Seminary is understood from the position to which its founders were led under severe struggles of an awakened conscience crying for sure grace and truth. Its founders had emerged from the rationalism of a degenerated state-church, and had overcome very pronounced hierarchical tendencies in their own midst: they had firmly grasped, and they deeply impressed upon their students, the principle that, as regards doctrine and discipline, there is only one consciencebinding authority, viz. the Word of Christ, which is given to the Church in the Holy Scriptures. All matters not determined by this Word (adiaphora) are to be adjusted, not by the rulings of " church authorities," but by the mutual consent of Christians themselves, church councils, synods, etc., having only advisory power in such matters. As regards doctrine, in particular, Concordia Seminary inculcates in its students the following principles: The doctrine to be taught in the Church must be