SPANGENBERG, AUGUST GOTTLIEB German Moravian bishop, Count Zinzendorf's successor, was born on July 15, 1704, at Klettenberg, on the south of the Harz Mountains, where his father, Georg Spangenberg, was court preacher and ecclesiastical inspector of the countship of Hohen stein. He was a student of law at Jena when he met Count Zin zendorf in 1728; in 173o he visited the Moravian colony at Herrn hut. A "collegium pastorale practicum" for the care of the sick and poor was in consequence founded by him at Jena, which the authorities at once broke up as a "Zinzendorfian institution." His free lectures in Jena led to an invitation from Gotthilf Francke to the post of assistant professor of theology and superintendent of schools connected with his orphanage at Halle. He started work there in September 1732. But differences between the Pietists of Halle and himself soon became apparent. Spangenberg's partici pation in private observances of the Lord's Supper and his inti mate connection with Count Zinzendorf brought matters to a crisis. He was offered by the senate of the theological faculty of Halle the alternative of doing penance before God, submitting to his superiors, and separating himself from Zinzendorf, or leaving the matter to the decision of the king, unless he preferred to "leave Halle quietly." The case came before the king, and, on April 8, 1733, Spangenberg was conducted by the military out side the gates of Halle. At first he went to Jena, but then to Herrnhut and found amongst the Moravians his life-work.
For the first thirty years (1733-62) his work was mainly de voted to the superintendence and organization of the extensive missionary enterprises of the body in Germany, England, Den mark, Holland, Surinam, Georgia and elsewhere. It was on an island off Savannah that Spangenberg startled John Wesley with his questions and profoundly influenced his future career. One special endeavour of Spangenberg in Pennsylvania was to bring over the scattered Schwenkfeldians to his faith. In 1741-42 he was in England collecting for his mission and obtaining the sanc tion of the archbishop of Canterbury. During the second half of
this missionary period of his life he superintended as bishop the churches of Pennsylvania, defended the Moravian colonies against the Indians at the time of war between France and England, be came the apologist of his body against the attacks of the Lutherans and the Pietists, and did much to moderate the mystical extrava gances of Zinzendorf, with which his simple, practical and healthy nature was out of sympathy. The second thirty years of his work (1762-92) were devoted to the consolidation of the German Moravian Church. Zinzendorf's death (176o) had left room and need for his labours at home. At Herrnhut there were conflicting tendencies, doctrinal and practical extravagances, and the organization of the brethren was very defective. In 1777 Spangenberg was commissioned to draw up an idea fidei fratrum, or compendium of the Christian faith of the United Brethren, which became the accepted declaration of the Moravian belief. As compared with Zinzendorf's own writings, this book exhibits the finer balance and greater moderation of Spangenberg's nature. In his last years Spangenberg devoted special attention to edu cation. He died at Berthelsdorf, on Sept. 18, 1792. In addition to the Idea fidei fratrum, Spangenberg wrote, besides other apolo getic books, a Declaration fiber die seitlier gegen sins ausgegang enen Beschuldigungen sonderlicli die Person unseres Ordinarius (Zinzendorf) betreffend (Leipzig, 1751), an Apologetische Schlussschrift (1752), Leben des Grafen Zinzendorf (1772-75); and his hymns are well known beyond the Moravian circle.
In addition to his autobiography (Selbstbiographie), see J. Risler, Leben Spangenbergs (Barby, 1794) ; K. F. Ledderhose, Das Leben Spangenbergs (Heidelberg, 1846) ; Otto Frick, Beitrdge zur Lebens geschichte A. G. Spangenbergs (Halle, 1884) ; Gerhard Reichel's article in Herzog-Hauck's Realencyklopddie (ed. Igo6), s.v. "Spangen berg"; the article by Ledderhose, in the Allgemeine deutsche Biog raphie ; also MORAVIAN BRETHREN.