three-part webinar series via Zoom (registration limit has been reached)
by Paul Peucker, Moravian Archives
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm (EDT)
on June 21, June 28, and July 5, 2022

registration fee: $49.50 for the three-part series (incl. reading materials listed below)
reading materials will be mailed to you after registration
max. participants: 50
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Join Moravian archivist and historian Paul Peucker for a three-part webinar on the founding of Herrnhut in 1722 and the origins of the Moravian Church. Three hundred years ago this year, three families from Moravia settled on the estate of Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf in Berthelsdorf, Saxony. Known as the community of Herrnhut, their settlement quickly grew to become the epicenter of a transatlantic religious movement, one that would attract thousands of Europeans, American Indians, and enslaved Africans: the Moravian Church. In this three-part webinar we will take an in-depth look at the beginnings of the Herrnhut community and study several relevant texts from this period.

Dr. Paul Peucker is archivist of the Moravian Church in America, Northern Province, and author of Herrnhut: The Formation of a Moravian Community, 1722-1732 (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2022).

June 21, Part I: The Founders and Their Ideals
In the first session, we will look at the founders of Herrnhut: Zinzendorf, Christian David, the settlers from Moravia, and the members of the Brotherhood of Four (that despite its name included women as well). What were the ideals and plans of the founders? We will discuss how the ideals of the Philadelphian movement influenced Zinzendorf and we will look at the expectations of the Protestants from Moravia who came to live in Herrnhut.

reading material:

• Zinzendorf’s Philadelphian Creed, 1729
• Propositions Extracted from the Reasons for the Foundation and Promotion of a Philadelphian Society (London: 1697).
• hymn text: Christian Hearts in Love United

June 28, Part II: Life in Herrnhut
In the second session, we will take a closer look at life in Herrnhut. What were the beliefs of the young community? Which role did women play? We will also discuss the disagreements that arose among the residents of Herrnhut and the Brotherly Agreement of 1727 that was written in response to these disagreements.

reading material:

• Statutes of Herrnhut, 1727
• a Moravian creed from 1731

July 5, Part III: Renewal and the Herrnhut Model
The final session will focus on the year 1727 and the aftermath of the earlier conflicts. We will look at the events of August 13, 1727, and discuss where the idea to renew the ancient Unity of Brethren came from. We will also explore how the secular and religious authorities reacted to the events in Herrnhut and how Zinzendorf was able to successfully protect the young community from outside threats.

reading material:

• “The Renewal of the Brethren’s Church, 1727,” with excerpts from the Herrnhut diary, from The Memorial-Days of the Renewed Church of the Brethren (Ashton-under-Lyne: T. Cunningham, 1822), 74-105.

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