THE LETTERS OF JOHANN MARTIN BOLTZIUS, LUTHERAN PASTOR IN EBENEZER, GEORGIA German Pietism in Colonial America, 1733-1765 (Two Book Set)

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Pages:900
ISBN:0-7734-4759-8
978-0-7734-4759-2
Price:$499.95 + shipping
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These letters, most previously unavailable, illustrate the regular correspondence of Johann Martin Boltzius with supporters and benefactors in Europe. The volume will interest scholars of religion, social historians, and cultural studies.

In his regular correspondence with supporters and benefactors in Europe, Johann Martin Boltzius, the principal pastor and leader of the Salzburger exiles who settled in the community of Ebenezer in colonial Georgia, provided commentary and insight on religious, economic, political and social matters that extended beyond Ebenezer to include the rest of Georgia, the religious life of other religious communities in the American South and in Pennsylvania. In response to letters from England and Germany, Boltzius also commented on circumstances in Europe, including the Seven Years War and the mission work of the Halle Orphan House, founded by the German Pietist, August Hermann Francke and a primary sponsor of the Boltzius and Ebenezer. These letters report news and impressions concerning a number of leading religious and political figures known to Boltzius in the American colonial context, including James Oglethorpe, John Wesley, Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, and Henry Meichior Muhlenberg. Boltzius also offers commentary on slavery, mission work among Native Americans, The War of Jenkin’s Ear and the French and Indian War, and most significantly, on the particular circumstances of Ebenezer as an immigrant community.

Reviews

“We are indebted to Dr. Russell Kleckley for his excellent translation of the often difficult letters written in the Baroque German of the 18th century, thereby bringing that time closer to the American reader.”
– Ann R. Purcell, President of the Georgia Salzburger Society and Dr. Thomas Muller-Bahlke Director of the Francke Foundations

Table of Contents

Book One: 1733-1746
Abbreviations
Foreword by Ann R. Purcell and Thomas Müller-Bahlke
Preface
Acknowledgements
Notes on the Text and Translation
Introduction
Chapter 1
Departure and Arrival: November 1733 - March 1734
Chapter 2
The Lay of the Land, Expansion, and Religious Confrontation: May1734—1735
Chapter 3
Relocation and Resilience: 1736 — 1737
Chapter 4
Concerns at Home and Beyond: 1738 — 1740
Chapter 5
Seeking Stability: 1741- 1743
Chapter 6
Transitions: 1744— 1746
Book Two: 1747-1765
Chapter 7
The Burdens of Office and Family: 1747— 1749
Chapter 8
Awaiting the Footsteps of Divine Care: 1750— 1754
Chapter 9
Increasing Worries in Perilous Times: 1755 — 1760
Chapter 10
Finding Resolution: 1761 — 1764
Chapter 11
The Final Year: 1765
Epilogue
Ebenezer After Boltzius
Appendices
1. Chronological List of Letters
2. Leading Figures in Halle
3. Medicines Used in Ebenezer
4. Hymns
5. Books Mentioned or Used in Ebenezer
Bibliography
Index

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