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III. ESTATE OF BERTHELSDORF
A. Purchase of Berthelsdorf
In April 1722, after he had come into his inheritance, the Count purchased a large estate which included the old village of Berthelsdorf. His stated purpose was “to plant a pleasant garden of the Lord.” He wanted this to be a refuge for the oppressed and persecuted Christians of every kind and denomination, wherever they might be.
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I shall never marry in the spirit of this world, nor choose anyone who in the least conforms to its ways.
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B. Marriage
In 1722, the same year of his purchase of Berthelsdorf, Zinzendorf married Countess Erdmuth Dorothea Von Reuss. In considering his marriage and its significance, he wrote a hymn depicting Christ’s love for the Church. Zinzendorf said of his marriage:
I shall never marry in the spirit of this world, nor choose anyone who in the least conforms to its ways. [26]
Shortly before he married the Countess, on September 7, 1722, Zinzendorf wrote to his grandmother saying:
There will be some difficulties for I am but a poor match, and I confess the Countess will have to content herself with a life of self-denial. She will have to cast all ideas of rank and quality to the winds, as I have done, for they are not things of divine institution but inventions of human vanity. If she wishes to aid me, she must give herself to what is the sole object of my life –namely, to win souls for Christ, and that in the midst of contempt and reproach. [27]
To his future mother-in-law he wrote:
I foresee many difficulties in this case; as I am but a poor acquisition for any person, and the dear Countess Erdmuth must not only enter upon a life of self-denial with me, but also co-operate with me in my principal design, namely, to assist men in gaining souls for Christ, under shame and reproach…. [28]
The Countess became a good helpmate and an important balance to him. Concerning the life of the Countess, Lewis writes:
She knew little domestic comfort or privacy. Often, it was said, from six o’clock in the morning until eleven at night she was busy in the service of the brethren and sisters who came to her home. Only seldom did she retire for rest to her own little corner with its table and curtain, and not even then without an apology. She was constantly at work managing affairs, writing hymns, holding conferences, and exercising a spiritual ministry among the sisters…. She, like her husband, squandered nothing on trifles or vain show; but, again like her husband, “when the destitute were to be relieved, or the cause of God promoted, she distributed with a bountiful hand, and often beyond her ability.” [29]
The Countess and the Count, according to John Holmes, “were one heart and soul…in their determination to consecrate themselves, their children, their time, and their wealth to Christ and His service.” [30]
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