Charles Porterfield Krauth (March 17, 1823 – January 2, 1883) was a pastor, theologian and educator in the
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
branch of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
. He is a leading figure in the revival of the Lutheran Confessions connected to
Neo-Lutheranism
Neo-Lutheranism was a 19th-century revival movement within Lutheranism which began with the Pietist-driven '' Erweckung,'' or ''Awakening'', and developed in reaction against theological rationalism and pietism. This movement followed the Old L ...
in the United States.
Education and parish ministry
Born in
Martinsburg, Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in and the seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, in the tip of the state's Eastern Panhandle region in the lower Shenandoah Valley. Its population was 18,835 in the 2021 census estimate, making it the largest city in the Ea ...
to minister
Charles Philip Krauth Charles Philip Krauth (born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 7 May 1797; died in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 30 May 1867) was a Lutheran clergyman of the United States. He was the first president of Gettysburg College (then Pennsylvania College) 18 ...
. Young Krauth graduated from
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about 2,600 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women. ...
(then called Pennsylvania College) in 1839 (while his father served as that school's president), and two years later from the
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg
The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Gettysburg Seminary) was a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was one of seven ELCA seminaries, one of the three seminaries in the Eastern ...
. From 1841-1852, the younger Rev. Krauth served congregations in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Martinsburg, and
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...
. During the winter of 1853-54, for three months he served the Dutch Reformed congregation in
Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands, where he was visiting on account of his wife's illness. Krauth later published a sketch of this visit entitled ''A Winter and Spring in the Danish West Indies''. Upon returning, Krauth was called to congregations in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
from 1855 to 1859, and
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
from 1859 to 1861.
In 1864, he was elected as a member to the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
.
The Confessional Revival
In 1861, Krauth resigned from parish ministry to serve full-time as editor of ''The Lutheran'', a theological journal. One of ''The Lutheran''’s goals was to restore the confessions of faith found in the
Book of Concord
''The Book of Concord'' (1580) or ''Concordia'' (often referred to as the ''Lutheran Confessions'') is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since t ...
to prominence in Lutheran church life.
These documents, especially the
Augsburg Confession
The Augsburg Confession, also known as the Augustan Confession or the Augustana from its Latin name, ''Confessio Augustana'', is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Protestant Re ...
, have always been identified as the cornerstones of a distinctively Lutheran theological identity. But during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Lutherans in the United States had interpreted the confessions very loosely. A key figure in this movement was
Samuel Simon Schmucker
Samuel Simon Schmucker (February 28, 1799 – July 26, 1873) was a German-American Lutheran pastor and theologian. He was integral to the founding of the Lutheran church body known as the General Synod, as well as the oldest continuously operatin ...
, one of Krauth’s professors at Gettysburg, whose “American Lutheranism” as outlined in the Definite Synodical platform of 1855, proposed that the Augsburg Confession was mistaken on such questions as Baptismal Regeneration and the
Real Presence
The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist, not merely symbolically or metaphorically, but in a true, real and substantial way.
There are a number of Christian denominati ...
in the Eucharist.
In contrast, Krauth and his collaborators (who eventually included his own father and
Beale Melanchthon Schmucker, the son of Samuel Simon) preferred a more literal reading of the Lutheran Confessions. They saw Martin Luther’s theology not as a radical rejection of traditional patristic and medieval theology, but as an essentially conservative return to first principles. In both theology and worship, they sought to create Lutheranism in which the medieval heritage was more readily apparent than the Enlightenment adaptations. For example, one of Krauth’s major books, “The Conservative Reformation and its Theology,” is an extended defense of the Real Presence.
Krauth was personally influenced by his reading of the Mercersburg theologians,
John Williamson Nevin
John Williamson Nevin (February 20, 1803June 6, 1886), was an American theologian and educationalist. He was born in the Cumberland Valley, near Shippensburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. He was the father of noted sculptor and poet Blanche Nevi ...
and
Philip Schaff
Philip Schaff (January 1, 1819 – October 20, 1893) was a Swiss-born, German-educated Protestant theologian and ecclesiastical historian, who spent most of his adult life living and teaching in the United States.
Biography
Schaff was born ...
, who had attempted a similar repristination of Calvinist theology within the American branch of the German Reformed Church. Nevin and Schaff had called themselves “
evangelical catholics,” a term which has come to be used rarely, if at all, among the Reformed churches, but quite commonly among Lutherans. (Church, 226-229).
Similar revival movements like
Neo-Lutheranism
Neo-Lutheranism was a 19th-century revival movement within Lutheranism which began with the Pietist-driven '' Erweckung,'' or ''Awakening'', and developed in reaction against theological rationalism and pietism. This movement followed the Old L ...
took place in the early nineteenth century among Roman Catholics and Anglicans, as for example in
Guéranger’s re-founding of the abbey at
Solesmes, and in the
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...
.
[Franklin, passim.] European Lutheranism had a similar revival, led by theologians and pastors such as
Wilhelm Loehe
Wilhelm may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm"
* Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
Other uses
* Moun ...
.
The General Council
Conflict between the “American Lutherans” and the leaders of the confessional revival led to a schism. In 1864, Krauth was asked to lead the new seminary in Philadelphia, which was founded by churches of the
Pennsylvania Ministerium
The Pennsylvania Ministerium was the first Lutheran church body in North America. With the encouragement of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (1711–1787), the Ministerium was founded at a Church Conference of Lutheran clergy on August 26, 1748. The g ...
to rival the seminary in Gettysburg (now known as the
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), also known as the ''Philadelphia Seminary,'' was one of eight theological seminaries associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in North ...
, LTSP). In 1867, Krauth and his schoolmate Rev.
William Passavant
William Alfred Passavant (October 9, 1821 – June 3, 1894) was a Lutheran minister noted for bringing the Lutheran Deaconess movement to the United States. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 with Jus ...
founded the
General Council General council may refer to:
In education:
* General Council (Scottish university), an advisory body to each of the ancient universities of Scotland
* General Council of the University of St Andrews, the corporate body of all graduates and senio ...
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The General Council had seven regional bodies which had withdrawn from the
General Synod The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. Anglican Communion
The General Synod of the Church of England, which was established in 1970 replacing the Church Assembly (Church of England), Church Assembly, is t ...
.
During Krauth's lifetime, the LTSP was at
Franklin Square.
In 1889 it moved to
Mount Airy.
In 1908 its new library there was dedicated as the
Krauth Memorial Library in memory of Krauth.
As the first professor of
systematic theology
Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topi ...
at the new seminary, Krauth was at the intellectual center of the reform movement. He wrote its Fundamental Articles of Faith and Church Polity, as well as the constitutions for its congregations. His liturgical scholarship guided the formation of General Council worship materials. From 1868, Krauth also served as professor of mental and moral philosophy at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
, and from 1873 as vice-provost.
One of Krauth’s most controversial acts was to prepare a series of theses on pulpit and altar fellowship. Called the “Akron-Galesburg Rule,” these may be summarized as saying “Lutheran pulpits are for Lutheran ministers only, and Lutheran altars are for Lutheran communicants only.” Although Krauth’s Rule permitted exceptions, it was nonetheless a strong repudiation of the broad ecumenical relationships pursued by the General Synod.
Late travels
In 1880 he went to Europe to visit the scenes of the life and labors of
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...
, in order to complete a biography, for which he had made extensive preparations. His death prevented completion of the project.
Literary works
* ''The Conservative Reformation and its Theology'', his most significant work (Philadelphia, 1872)
* ''Tholuck's Commentary on the Gospel of John'', translator (1859)
* ''Christian Liberty in Relation to the Usages of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Maintained and Defended'' (1860)
* ''William Fleming's Vocabulary of Philosophy'', editor, contributing an introduction and additions (1860; 2d ed.: (''Vocabulary of the Philosophical Sciences''), enlarged, New York, 1877)
* ''The Augsburg Confession'', translator, contributing a historical introduction, notes, and index (Philadelphia, 1868)
* "Infant Baptism and Infant Salvation in the Calvinistic System," a review of Hodge's ''Systematic Theology'' (1874)
* ''Ulrici's Review of Strauss'' (1874)
* ''Berkeley's Principles, Prolegomena, Notes of Ueberweg, and Original Annotations'' (1874)
* ''Chronicle of the Augsburg Confession'' (1878)
Krauth also wrote poems, translated hymns from the Latin and German, and was a frequent contributor to religious periodicals.
Notes
References
* Bowden, Henry Warner. ''Dictionary of American Religious Biography.'' Westport, CT:Greenwood, Press, 1977. .
* Church, Michael. “A Beautiful and Right Praxis: the Ecclesiology of the Common Service,” in ''Essays and Reports of the Lutheran Historical Conference'' (1998), vol. 18.
* Franklin, R.W. ''Three Nineteenth-Century Churches: the History of a New Catholicism in Wuerttenburg, England and France''. New York and London, Garland Publishing: 1987.
*
* Nelson, E. Clifford. ''The Lutherans in North America'', revised ed. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980.
* Spaeth, Adolph. “Krauth, Charles Porterfield,” article in H.E. Jacobs, ed., ''
The Lutheran Cyclopedia''. New York Scribner’s, 1899. A biography by his son-in-law.
*
External links
Charles Porterfield Krauth: The American Chemnitz (PDF)by The Revd. Prof. David Jay Webber
The Conservative Reformation and Its Theologyby Charles Porterfield Krauth
* Krauth, Charles Porterfield.
The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology: As Represented in the Augsburg Confession and in the Literature of the Evangelical Lutheran Church'. Philadelphia:
J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1875. (Google Books)
*Bente, F
American Lutheranism Volume IISt. Louis: Concordia Publishing House. 1919.
* Wolf, Edmund Jacob
The Lutherans in America; a story of struggle, progress, influence and marvelous growth.New York: J. A. Hill, 1889.
from The Cyber Hymnal
* Spaeth, Adolph
Charles Porterfield Krauth Vol. 1New York: The Christian Literature Company. 1898 (Google Books)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krauth, Charles Porterfield
American Lutherans
American magazine publishers (people)
American Lutheran hymnwriters
People from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Religious leaders from Martinsburg, West Virginia
University of Pennsylvania faculty
1823 births
1883 deaths
Gettysburg College alumni
Writers from West Virginia
American Lutheran theologians
Educators from West Virginia
19th-century Lutherans
19th-century American businesspeople
19th-century Lutheran theologians