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I. EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
A. Birth
Zinzendorf was born on May 26, 1700. According to his mother’s account:
“…On Wednesday evening about six o’clock, Almighty God blessed me in Dresden with the gift of my first-born son, Nicolaus Ludwig. The Father of mercy govern the heart of this child that he may walk blamelessly in the path of virtue. May he allow no evil to have control over him, and may his path be fortified in His Word.” [1]
B. Parents
The Zinzendorfs were of Austrian nobility. Count Zinzendorf’s father, a high Saxon official, died when Zinzendorf was an infant of only six weeks. In his early years, he was put under the care of his maternal grandmother and later his aunt.
C. Early Influence
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At six years of age, Zinzendorf was moved by the Lord to consecrate himself.
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His grandmother raised him from early boyhood and was a very strong influence in his life. She read the Scriptures in Hebrew as well as in Greek. She was a strong supporter of the Pietist cause and often invited the Pietists into her home, including Spener and Francke, leaders of the Pietist movement.
At six years of age, Zinzendorf was moved by the Lord to consecrate himself. He wrote:
During my stay with my revered grandmother two circumstances occurred which decided my whole career. When I was six years old, my [tutor], Herr Christian Ludwig Edeling, after a service [in the family] of three years, took leave of me. In doing so he spoke a few words to me about the Savior and His merits; and in what sense I belonged to Him and to Him only. These words made so deep and lively an impression on me that I fell into a long [series] of tears, during which I firmly resolved to live for Him alone, who had laid down His life for me. My very dear Aunt Henrietta endeavored to keep me in this frame of mind by often speaking to me loving and evangelical words. I opened all my heart to [her], and we then spread my case before the Lord in prayer…. I freely told her all about myself, both bad and good. My open and candid [fellowship] with her was of so great benefit to me that I could never forget it. This confidential interchange of thought and feeling prompted all my endeavors in later years to establish bands or societies for mutual conference and edification. [2]
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At the age of nine, Zinzendorf stated that his desire was to have a living communion with Christ.
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Spangenberg, who knew the Count better than anyone else, finds three pillars in his [Christian life], which, established in childhood, grew in strength up to the very time of his death: “…his deep impressions of the suffering and merits of Jesus; his firm determination to be wholly His who died for him; and in consequence thereof, his unreserved and plain conversation with his nearest friends.” [3]
At the age of nine, Zinzendorf stated that his desire was to have a living communion with Christ. He said later, “…As far back as I can recollect…my heart’s affections never departed from my Savior….” [4] He enjoyed speaking of his Savior as well as hearing of Him. Spangenberg gives us Zinzendorf’s own account of his early years:
“It was my happiness early to experience a heartfelt impression of the Saviour: after this, all my wishes and desires were directed towards the Bridegroom of my soul, that I might live unto Him who atoned for me. The Saviour fulfilled my wish, when I began to love Him, though but a child. I heard His voice repeatedly in my heart, and saw Him with the eyes of faith.” In an address given at Geneva, he says, “My little children, I will tell you how I acted, when I was still very little; and, if you like it, you can do so likewise. I was told concerning my Creator, that He became a man. This affected me deeply. I thought within myself, ‘Though the Lord should be esteemed by no one else, yet will I cleave to Him, and live and die with Him.’ In this manner I finally conversed with Him for many years, spoke for hours together [with] Him, like one friend to another, and many times paced up and down the room absorbed in meditation. I felt happy in conversing with Him, and grateful for His having remembered me for good in His incarnation. But I did not wholly understand the greatness and sufficiency of His meritorious sufferings, nor was my own wretchedness and inability sufficiently obvious to me. I did also what I could in order to be saved, until one extraordinary day, when I was so much affected by that which my Creator had suffered for me, that I shed an abundance of tears, and attached and joined myself still more closely and tenderly to Him. I continued to converse with Him when I was quite alone, and believe sincerely that He was very near me…. Thus, for more than fifty years, I have conversed as it were personally with the Saviour, and feel happier every day in doing so.” [5]
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The Pietists maintained the need for a personal and subjective experience of Christ, rather than an intellectual formulation.
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Pietism had a strong influence on Zinzendorf. The beginnings of Pietism were expressed by Johann Arndt in his book True Christianity, written in 1606. [6] Pietism attempted to cut through the dead traditional Christianity to a life of faith activated by love for God and for one another. The Pietists maintained the need for a personal and subjective experience of Christ, rather than an intellectual formulation. They sought to live a pure and holy life with love for one another, abstaining from theater, dance, and card playing. They practiced moderation in food, drink, and dress. They also believed in the priesthood of all believers, which they practiced in small home meetings. In these they prayed, read the Bible, and fellowshipped with one another. These beliefs and practices had a lasting effect on Zinzendorf, and throughout his life he defended and developed them.
D. Education
Zinzendorf was educated in his early years (1710 to 1716) at the Pädagogium at Halle. Halle is a city in Germany, about thirty miles northeast of Leipzig. There he was brought under a spiritual influence of some of the professors. The University of Halle was a center of Pietism due to the influence of Francke, who was a professor of theology at the university and head of the Pädagogium.
When Zinzendorf’s mother brought him to the school, her parting advice to Francke unfortunately added a handicap to this very young student:
She described her son as a youth of great abilities, but one who would have to be kept in check, lest he become proud and presume upon his talents. It took Francke more than three years to overcome his low opinion of the character of his young charge. Consequently, in any subsequent difficulty which the boy got into, the head of the school himself was usually against him. [7]
For instance:
In an exchange of letters…Francke [and an associate] seriously entertained the thought of returning him to his family because they were having such difficulty with him. They mentioned disobedience, lying, hypocrisy, vanity, and trouble-making. [8],
Zinzendorf also had a tutor who caused him considerable trouble.
[The tutor] was…difficult to get along with. He…stooped to contemptible trickery to get his charge into trouble. [9]
However, there was also a positive influence. Zinzendorf said:
The daily meetings in professor Francke’s house, the edifying accounts concerning the kingdom of Christ,…the acquaintances with several missionaries, the flight of divers exiles and prisoners,. The cheerfulness of that man of God in the work of the Lord, together with various heavy trials attending it, increased my zeal for the cause of the Lord in a powerful manner…. [10]
His studies were another point of suffering the cross. One biographer gives this account concerning his studies:
The effort to humble him began immediately with his being put into classes lower than his previous preparation warranted. He was assigned menial tasks and punished for trivial offenses. To physical punishment was added ridicule, such as hanging imitation donkey ears upon him and making him stand in front of the room. Taunted on one such occasion, the count replied in Latin: “This shame shall not crush me. On the contrary, it shall raise me up.” [11]
Concerning Zinzendorf’s academic progress the same author writes:
The evidence is clear that he was a student far above average in ability, though not so in application. According to Spangenberg he studied out of a sense of duty rather than ardor. His preoccupation with things religious kept him from putting academic work on a level of highest importance. Yet his progress was quite acceptable in most of his subjects. He did well in Greek, learning to read the New Testament and Greek classics with ease. In his sixteenth year he had advanced to the point of being able to give an oration in Greek. His progress in Latin was even better. Given any subject to speak on by way of exercise, he was able to extemporize fluently in Latin. French was as natural to him as his native German. He did poorly in three years of Hebrew study. Poetry was a field in which he excelled. Having a genius for poetic composition, he was often able to compose faster than he could put his thoughts on paper, a gift he retained for life. [12]
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From a child Zinzendorf “had no other plan than to get into personal contact with the Savior...
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Zinzendorf’s desire for the Lord in his earlier years persisted throughout his early years of schooling. Zinzendorf was concerned about the state of the other children in the Pädagogium and talked about organizing youth societies for the betterment of lives and for the spread of the gospel. He loved to speak of his Savior to the students. When no one was near to speak to, he sometimes spoke to imaginary people, to chairs, or to other objects, telling them of his love for his Savior. At an early age he said, “I have but one passion: ‘tis He, ‘tis He.” Another author says:
From a child Zinzendorf “had no other plan than to get into personal contact with the Savior, and to obey His words like a slave, to proclaim the Person of the Savior throughout the world, not in a formal way, but in the way of the Spirit’s illumination and power, and to remove everything, which might hinder the coming of the Savior to the heart.” [13]
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While a student at the university, he continued reading the New Testament in Greek.
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The Count’s whole life testified that he practiced abundantly and continually what others called self-denial. But the ruling principle in his heart, according to Spangenberg, was love to Christ and to His brethren, which rendered every sacrifice which he made both easy and pleasant. Upon completion of his studies at Halle, Zinzendorf delivered a valedictory entitled, “The Quarrelsomeness of Learned Men.” The topic of this address, the unity of Christian believers, became a lifelong burden to him.
In 1716 he enrolled at the University of Wittenberg where he remained until 1719. When he arrived at the University of Wittenberg, the birthplace of the Reformation, preparations had begun for the bicentennial celebration of the posting of Luther’s Ninety-five Theses on the cathedral door at Wittenberg. After enrolling at the university, Zinzendorf’s real desire was to study theology. However, his guardians would not agree and insisted on a career in service to the state. Therefore, he majored in law. While a student at the university, he continued reading the New Testament in Greek.
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The Lord’s Day was set aside for intensive reading of the Bible.
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At eighteen, he made an unsuccessful attempt to bring about a oneness between the University of Halle, which represented the Pietists, and the University of Wittenberg, which represented the Lutherans.
While at the university, his spiritual growth continued. Day by day he read the Word. He appreciated the writings of Luther along with the writings of the Pietists. He spent hour after hour studying hymns. He set aside a definite time for prayer. “In his daily prayers,” says Spangenberg, “he included persons of all ranks and professions, as well as his open and secret enemies.” [14] The Lord’s Day was set aside for intensive reading of the Bible. According to Spangenberg, he set aside whole nights to pray and days to fast:
He did not esteem it too much, occasionally to spend a whole night in prayer and meditation on the word of God. He resolved, notwithstanding his weakness, to fast every Friday, and observed it with great strictness for a season. But when he saw that he was often hindered by visits and other business, he took Sunday for his fast-day, and refused to receive visits as much as was practicable, that he might render it advantageous to his soul by prayer and meditation on the Scriptures. [15]
He also sought to bring the students together to infuse into them a love for the Lord and a desire to pursue the Lord. For this purpose he started a group called “The Order of the Grain of Mustard Seed.”
Members pledged themselves to remain true to the teachings of Jesus and to conduct themselves accordingly, to love their fellow men, to refrain from worldly things such as dancing and gambling, to seek at all times the welfare of others, to work especially for the conversion of the Jews and the heathen. Members wore a ring with the inscription in Greek, “No one liveth unto himself.” [16]
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