Christian Cyclopedia

Fritschel.

Mems. of the Fritschel family have been prominent in the Ev. Luth. Syn. of Iowa* and Other States and in the ALC

1. Conrad Sigmund (December 2, 1833–April 26, 1900). B. Nürnberg, Ger.; attended miss. inst. founded by J. K. W. Löhe* at Nürnberg and relocated as a sem. 1853 at Neuendettelsau*; commissioned for work in Iowa 1854; arrived at Dubuque, Iowa, July 1854; helped organize the Ev. Luth. Syn. of Iowa*; pastor in Wisconsin and Michigan; prof. Wartburg Theol. Sem. (see Ministry, Education of, X S) 1858–1900; taught OT exegesis,* dogmatics,* and pastoral* theol.; collected funds in Eur. for the sem.; mem. of the commission of the General* Council of the Luth. Ch. in N. Am. that issued the Kirchenbuch für Evangelisch-Lutherische Gemeinden. Sigmund and his brother Gottfried (see par. 2 below), called par nobile fratrum (Lat. “a noble pair of brothers”), were leading theologians of the Iowa Syn. They issued Kirchen-Blatt (Ger. ch. paper) and Kirchliche Zeitschrift (theol. monthly). In many cases it is impossible to ascertain which of the two is author of a specific art.; as a rule, they discussed every phase of an art. before pub. it. Polemical articles were often against theologians of the Mo. Syn. (see Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, The), with whom they differed chiefly on “open* questions,” predestination,* unionism,* and eschatology.* They are often described as having been sincere in their desire for sound and united Lutheranism in Am. but of a somewhat milder type than the strict orthodoxy of the Mo. Syn. See also Altar Fellowship; Dubuque Theses.

2. Gottfried Leonhard Wilhelm (December 19, 1836–July 13, 1889). Brother of Sigmund (see par. 1 above); b. Nürnberg, Ger.; studied at Neuendettelsau inst. of Löhe and U. of Erlangen; commissioned 1856 to be prof. at the theol. sem., Dubuque, Iowa; ordained at Dubuque 1857; miss. in Illinois and Iowa; prof. 1857–89; taught NT exegesis, ch. hist., dogmatics, symbolics; ed. Kirchen-Blatt and Kirchliche Zeitschrift; learned Eng. and Scand. languages. Works include Passionsbetrachtungen; Theophilus.

3. Maximilian Christopher Immanuel (February 21, 1868–January 1, 1940). Son of Sigmund (see par. 1 above); b. St. Sebald, Iowa; educ. Wartburg Coll., Mendota, Illinois, Thiel Coll., Greenville, Pennsylvania, and the univs. of Rostock, Erlangen, and Leipzig; prof. Wartburg Sem. 1891; pres. 1906.

4. Karl August Johannes (June 24, 1863–August 23, 1943). Son of Sigmund (see par. 1 above); b. St. Sebald, Iowa; educ. Wartburg Coll. and Sem., Mendota, Illinois, Thiel Coll., Greenville, Pennsylvania, and the univs. of Leipzig and Erlangen; ordained 1885; pastor Butler Center, Iowa; prof. Wartburg Coll. (see Ministry, Education of, VIII B) over 50 yrs.

5. George John (May 24, 1867–October 5, 1941). Son of Gottfried (see par. 2 above); b. St. Sebald, Iowa; studied at Wartburg Coll. and Sem., Mendota, Illinois, Thiel Coll., Greenville, Pennsylvania, and later in life at univs. of Rostock, Erlangen, and Leipzig; asst. prof, Wartburg Sem., Mendota, Illinois; pastor West Superior, Wisconsin; prof. Texas Luth. Coll., Brenham, Texas, 1892, Wartburg Sem. 1906. Worked for unity with Mo. Syn. Works include Aus den Tagen der Väter; Geschichte der Lutherischen Kirche in Amerika auf Grund von Prof. Dr. H. E. Jacobs “History of the Evang. Luth. Church in the United States”; Die Lehre von der Bekehrung nach D. Hoeneckes Dogmatik; The Formula of Concord. Comp. Quellen und Dokumente zur Geschichte und Lehrstellung der ev.-luth. Synode von Iowa u. a. Staaten.

6. Herman Lawrence (May 15, 1869–November 23, 1957). Son of Gottfried (see par. 2 above); b. St. Sebald, Iowa; educ. Wartburg Sem. and univs. of Leipzig and Erlangen; ordained 1892; parish pastor 10 yrs.; pres. and gen. dir. Passavant Institutions in W Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Illinois; dir. Milwaukee Hospital; rector Luth. Deaconess Motherhouse, Milwaukee.

A. Spaeth, S. Fritschel, DD: A Short Biography (Waverly, Iowa, 1901); H. L. Fritschel, Biography of Professor Dr. Conrad Sigmund Fritschel … And of Professor Dr. Gottfried Leonhard Wilhelm Fritschel (Milwaukee, 1951). JHB