Synods and Conferences in Europe, 1736-1761. 3 boxes.                                                              SynConf

History:

The conference that was held in Marienborn in December of 1736, a few months after Zinzendorf had moved from Herrnhut into the Wetterau area, is traditionally considered to be the first synod of the Moravian Church. Zinzendorf regularly held synods for the leaders of the church. Zinzendorf was the central figure during these synods, who summarized, evaluated and developed plans for the future of the church.

Archival history (History of fonds):

Copies of the minutes and reports of the synods and other conferences were sent from Europe to America, because the results were also relevant for the Moravians in America. Most of the minutes were placed in boxes labeled “synods” or “synodalia”. In 2007 a new finding aid was prepared by Paul Peucker.

Scope and content:

This collection of minutes is not complete, but it does contain the minutes or summarized minutes of many important synods, held during Zinzendorf’s lifetime. The minutes record the discussions and deal with a wide variety of topics. The minutes of the interim administration (Ratskonferenz) deal with the central administration of the worldwide Moravian Church after Zinzendorf’s death (1760).

Accruals, Appraisal: Similar material will possibly be found in yet unprocessed boxes in the Moravian Archives. These will then be added to this collection.

System of Arrangement:

The collection is divided into three series: synods, other conferences and interim administration. The arrangement within these series is chronological.

Conditions governing access: open. Language: mostly German. Physical characteristics: fair to good.

Finding Aids: inventory; also as searchable database (Augias).

Related Units of Description:

The Unity Archives in Herrnhut has the official copies of these minutes. The Herrnhut collection is more complete. Most of the minutes in the Herrnhut collection are transcribed.