Biography

During the Age of Lutheran Orthodoxy, many theologians arose who academically and dogmatically defined Lutheranism. Some of these men had a great impact, while others made only a small contribution. One of these lesser known theologians is Balthasar Mentzer. He lived during a critical time in the Lutheran Church. Although the previous generation had been responsible for uniting Lutheranism through the Book of Concord, it was the responsibility of Mentzer’s generation to defend Lutheranism and also explain its doctrinal standing. Mentzer, in particular, is known for his polemics defending Lutheranism.

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Missouri Synod had no greater teacher than Franz Pieper. The successor of the synod’s founder, C.F.W. Walther, was well equipped to lead the synod after Walther’s death. The fifty-six year ministry of this man shaped the Missouri Synod as it became the most influential synod in American Lutheranism.

Carl Manthey-Zorn was born March 18, 1846 in Sterup, Germany, not far from the border of Denmark. His father, Hans Zorn, was a Lutheran pastor and his mother, Lina Manthey, was from a Danish noble family (when Carl was born his Manthey grandfather wanted him to have his surname, since he himself had no sons). Carl received a good German education as a child while he lived in Hochspeyer and Odernheim, in western Germany. Despite his confirmation and upbringing in a pastor’s household, religion did not have a big impact on him at this time in his life.

Matthias Hafenreffer, although a lesser-known Lutheran theologian of the Age of Lutheran Orthodoxy, exemplifies the dedication to preserving the purity of God’s Word that characterized this age.

August Otto Wilhelm Pieper was born on September 27, 1857, in Carwitz, Pomerania, as the second youngest son to August Berhnhard Pieper and his wife Bertha. The pedigree of this great Wisconsin synod pastor, professor, and theologian was not that of a pastor soldiering for the gospel, but rather that of a soldier in the Prussian army. His father followed a line of Piepers and served in the Prussian army. August’s father eventually reached the rank of corporal, but after a year in this position, he decided the private life better suited him. Pieper’s father was honorably discharged, and he transitioned from one leadership role to another. He became mayor of Carwitz and was highly respected as a peaceable man. He was by all accounts a good ruler, especially because he supported Frederick William III’s Prussian Union. His unionist support looked good on his résumé but could have been detrimental to the history of our beloved Synod.

Jacob Heerbrand was born on August 12, 1521 at Geingen in Swabia to Andreas and Barbara Heerbrand. Andreas, a weaver by trade, was also very academically minded, pursuing math and Latin especially. Andreas had also been very interested in music in his younger years, but later came to regret the amount of time he spent on something which was only secondary instead of focusing on more important matters. He did what he could to keep his son away from music to prevent him from making the same mistake. Setting aside music, and also math and Latin, he concentrated himself instead on theology, reading Luther diligently. He took care in raising Jacob to cultivate within him an eagerness for both knowledge and hard work. Already as a young boy Jacob would come home from church with questions for his father about the content of the sermons.

Perhaps because he succeeded the prolific C.F.W. Walther as Professor of Exegesis at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, George Stoeckhardt is not as well-known as he perhaps should be. Beginning during an early ministry full of adventure and obstacles, and continuing throughout a long ministry in America, Stoeckhardt maintained an intimate connection with the Scriptures in their original languages. Exegetic study and its application were the foundation of his life. For this reason, Christian Education mattered a great deal to him. In these ways and others, Stoeckhardt provides an example for all Christians and especially for called workers.

Johannes Brenz may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think about the fathers of the Reformation like Luther and Melanchthon. Many Lutherans have never even heard of him before. Yet this Lutheran father played an important part in spreading the Reformation and nurturing its growth.

Walther was the greatest American Lutheran theologian and a devout student of Luther. As a founding father of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Walther played a major role in uniting the Lutherans who had immigrated to America. He was a respected pastor, professor, and theologian.

Chiefly responsible for the Wisconsin Synod's move away from the unionism of the German mission societies, Hoenecke is the theological father of the Wisconsin Synod.