Church History, Volume 3 (of 3)Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
History
Church History, Volume 3 (of 3)
Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
Church history
hinder him from expressing his reverence for their able leader,
who in return visited Zinzendorf at Herrnhut in A.D. 1732. In the
interests of his own society Zinzendorf shrank from identifying
himself with those of Wetterau. Rock denounced him as a new
Babylon-botcher, and he retaliated by calling Rock a false
prophet. When the Herrnhuters were driven from Wetterau in
A.D. 1750 (§ 168, 3, 7), the inspired communities entered on
their inheritance. But with Rock’s death in A.D. 1749 prophecy had
ceased among them. They sank more and more into insignificance,
until the revival of spiritual life, A.D. 1816-1821, brought them
into prominence again. Government interference drove most of them
to America.
§ 170.3. Quite a peculiar importance belongs to =J. C. Dippel=,
theologian, physician, alchemist, discoverer of Prussian blue and
_oleum dippelii_, at first an orthodox opponent of pietism, then,
through Gottfr. Arnold’s influence, an adherent of the pietists,
and ultimately of the separatists. In A.D. 1697, under the name
of _Christianus Democritus_, he began to write in a scoffing
tone of all orthodox Christianity, with a strange blending
of mysticism and rationalism, but without any trace profound
Christian experience. Persecuted on every hand, exiled or
imprisoned, he went hither and thither through Germany, Holland,
Denmark, and Sweden, and found a refuge at last at Berleberg
[Berleburg] in A.D. 1729. Here he came in contact with the
inspired, who did everything in their power to win him over; but
he declared that he would rather give himself to the devil than
to this Spirit of God. He was long intimate with Zinzendorf, but
afterwards poured out upon him the bitterest abuse. He died in
the count’s castle at Berleberg [Berleburg] in A.D. 1734.[514]
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