INGA STRUNGYTĖ-LIUGIENĖ

Institute of the Lithuanian Language

ORCID iD: orcid.org/0000-0003-1949-0874

Research areas: the written heritage of the pietist and Lithuanian studies-oriented Moravian movement, the cultural and confessional context of Prussian Lithuania in the 18th–19th centuries, and the history of Pietism.

DOI: doi.org/10.35321/all87-05

PARAMA PROTESTANTŲ MISIJOMS PRŪSIJOS LIETUVOJE XIX A. 1-OJE PUSĖJE: PRIVAČIOS INICIATYVOS IR SPAUDOS VAIDMUO

The Support for Protestant Missions in the First Half of the 19th Century: The Role of Private Initiatives and the Press

ANNOTATION

The article analyzes forms of financial support for Protestant missions in Prussian Lithuania in the first half of the 19th century. It examines the role in collecting support for missions in southeastern India played by Wilhelmo Andreas Rhenius, an advocate of missions, inspector of the Bachmann estate near Memel, and follower of the Moravian Church (hernhuter). It discusses the Lithuanian periodical Nufidawimai apie Ewangelios Prafilplatinimą tarp Žydų ir Pagonų, intended to support missions (editor Ferdinandas Kelkis, from 1832). The article focuses on the translation by the Evangelical Lutheran pastor, future professor at the University of Königsberg, and author of a Lithuanian grammar, Frydrichas Kuršaitis: Ernsto Frydricho Ballo’s sermon Tekel, tai yr: Swėre tawę Swarcžeis ir per längwąjį įžrądo (Königsberg, 1843).

KEYWORDS: missionary literature in Lithuanian, support for missions, pietists, Karlas Gottliebas Ewaldas Rhenius, Wilhelmas Andřejus Rhenius, Frydrichas Kuršaitis, Prussian Lithuania in the 19th century.

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ANNOTATION

The article analyses the forms of financial support collected for protestant missions in Prussian Lithuania in the first half of the 19ᵗʰ century. It investigates the role of mission supporter, inspector of Bachmann Manor near Klaipėda (the former Memel) and member of the Moravian Church Wilhelm Andreas Rhеnius in gathering donations for missions in southeast India. Lithuanian periodical publication Nufidawimai apie Ewangelios Prapiplatinimą tarp Žydų ir Pagonų (editor Johann Ferdinand Kelch, published from 1832) is also discussed. The paper examines the translation of Ernst Friedrich Ball’s sermon Tekel, tai yr: Swēre tawę Swārčɛis ir perlēngwą įbrādo (Königsberg, 1843) by Evangelical Lutheran priest, future professor at the University of Königsberg and author of the Lithuanian grammar Friedrich Kurschat (Frydrichas Kuršaitis).

KEYWORDS: mission literature in the Lithuanian language, support for missions, surinkimininkai, Karl Gottlieb Ewald Rhеnius, Wilhelm Andreas Rhеnius, Friedrich Kurschat, Prussian Lithuania in the 19ᵗʰ century.

INTRODUCTION

In his study Ewangelįški Surinkimai Lietuvoje (Priekulė, 1905), devoted to illuminating the past and present of the pietist gatherings, theologian and cultural historian Vilius Gaigalaitis (1870–1945) mentioned the great support for missions provided by the leaders of the gatherings (preachers): “the Sakytojai indeed collected large sums¹ (= heaps) of money for the needs of the mission (= missions)” (Gaigalaitis 1905: 40). He provided information about visits to Prussian Lithuania by Hermann Theodor Wangemann (Hermann Theodor Wangemann, 1818–1894), head of a missionary society, and about the gatherings held for local residents (Gaigalatis 1905: 40). In his memoirs Surinkimai Prūsų Lietuvoj [1948], the preacher Anusis Pėteraitis (1967–1957) briefly stated concerning collections of offerings for missions: “at the gathering we collected thousands in gifts for the mission” (Pėteraitis [1948]: 29). The substantial financial support provided for missions was also noted by Domas Kaunas, a researcher of Prussian Lithuanian books and culture, in his book Lietuvių periodikos pirmtakas (1991). The bibliographer discussed the role in collecting offerings for missions played by the pastor of Kalninkai, Natanėlis Frydrichas Ostermejeris (Nataniel Friedrich Oster­meyer, 1784–1846), an active advocate of missions. Kaunas found information that Ostermejeris established at Kalninkai one of the branches of the Königsberg Missionary Society (German Königsberger Missionsverein) (it began operating on September 2, 1822). The branch, under the patronage of the active pastor, had 93 members and 150 supporters,

¹ The meanings of words indicated here and elsewhere are based on LKŽe.

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who contributed 120 thalers to missions (Kaunas 1991: 23, 26). In his monograph Mažosios Lietuvos knyga: lietuviškos knygos raida 1547–1940 (1996), published somewhat later, the bibliographer mentioned mission financing while discussing missionary literature. He illustrated the ongoing and active Lithuanian support for missions at the beginning of the 20th century with information from a survey published in 1914 by Wangenann’s missionary society, Metinis pasiuntinystės laiškelis. The survey indicated that as much as 30,796 marks had been collected for missions in Prussian Lithuania in 1913. The money was collected by parish pastors, pietists, preachers, and other persons sympathetic to missions (Kaunas 1996: 404).

The aim of this article is to reveal the experience of supporting Protestant missions in Prussian Lithuania in the first half of the 19th century. Attention is focused on forms of support disseminated through lay initiatives. Both periodical publications issued in Lithuanian and books served as means of raising funds. The article seeks to answer when financial support for missions began to emerge in the Lithuanian Protestant community and what the origin of that support was. The objectives are to determine whether financial support for missions was active before the establishment of the Königsberg Missionary Society in 1822; to reveal the repertory of Lithuanian-language publications whose profits were directed toward financing missions; and to consider how the image of missions, and the reliability and reputation of missionaries, were constructed and declared through the press. The study is interdisciplinary in nature. To assess the place and contribution to the history of missions of individuals active in the territory of Prussian Lithuania, the historicist method is employed. In discussing publications, methods characteristic of bibliography and book studies are applied—functional (purpose-oriented) and communicative.

PRIVATE SUPPORT FOR MISSIONS IN SOUTHEASTERN INDIA

Financial support for missionary societies and institutions for training missionaries came from various sources. Protestant missions were patronized by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, who provided the Berlin Mission Seminary with annual support of 500 thalers. Apparently, the king was impressed by the results achieved by Karl Rhenius, an envoy of the London Missionary Society (see below)—churches being organized in India. Encouraged by this success, from 1820 the King decided to finance the Berlin seminary (Kloes 2016: 240). As we shall see below, the beginning of Lithuanian support is also associated with missions in southeastern India and the activities of the aforementioned Karl Rhenius.

Karlas Gottliebas Ewaldas Rhenius (Karl Gottlieb Ewald Rhenius, 1790–1838), one of the most prominent German missionaries in India, a translator, and author of a Tamil grammar, was born in 1790 in Graudenz, West Prussia, now

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Grudziądz, Poland), and studied at the missionary training seminary of Johannes Jänicke (Johannes Jänicke, 1748–1827) in Berlin. In 1814 he was sent by the London Church Missionary Society (English The Church Missionary Society) to Madras, now Chennai, in southeastern India, where he learned Tamil. In 1820 he moved to Tirunelveli, a place in southern India (Gensichen 1999: 566). Karl Rhenius lost his father at an early age. For some time he lived at the Bachmann estate near Memel^², under the guardianship of his father’s brother, inspector (German Wirtschaftsinspektor) Wilhelmas Andreas Rhenius (Wilhelm Andreas Rhenius, 1753–1833). When his nephew left in 1814 to work as a missionary in India, Wilhelmas Rhenius took care of financial support. The inspector of Bachmann sent the collected offerings to Halle, and through the latter the funds reached the missionaries in India^³. Such data were recorded in a periodical on Protestant missions published by the German theologian and director of the Halle Orphanage, Georg Christian Knapp (Georg Christian Knapp, 1753–1825), Neuere Geschichte der Evangelischen Missions-Anstalten (1821). In this work Knapp published a report on funds collected in 1820–1821. The report states that in June the Halle mission treasury (German zur Missionscasse in Halle) received support collected from various sources by Wilhelmas Rhenius—112 thalers, of which 34 were donated by Lithuanian inhabitants of the region for the dissemination of the Gospel among the heathen.

Gifts of love from Lithuanian country people: “who willingly and with great joy pooled these small contributions for the proclamation of the Gospel among the heathen […]” 34 [Thlr.] 4 [Gr.] (Knapp 1821: 1057–1058).

(Translation) Gifts of love from Lithuanian inhabitants of the region: “who willingly and with great joy contributed this offering for the proclamation of the Gospel among the heathen […]” 34 [thalers] 4 [groschen].

In his report, Knapp indicated that in the same month, through the intermediary of the inspector of the Bachmann estate, the treasury was supplemented by a further 34 thalers. Among the donors he mentioned a teacher and awakened Lithuanians (German erweckte Litthauern), from whom 30 thalers collected for the construction of a church, presumably in India, were delivered by some tax collector:

^² In the 19th century, Bachmann (or Bakmaniškiai, Baksėdžiai, Pāupis, German Bachmann, Bachmannischen) was an estate near Memel. Today the estate’s territory belongs to the city of Klaipėda (Juška 2000: 115).

^³ Inspector Wilhelmas Rhenius is thought to have been one of the leaders of the pietist movement (Barasa 2018: 272, 308); confessionally, he was a follower of the Moravian Church (German Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine, English Moravian Church, Moravian Movement), a herrnhuter (Zembrickis 2011: 236–239). In the second decade of the 19th century, Rhenius participated in educational activities in the Memel region. He represented the Religious Tract Society established here and took care of translating English religious booklets into Lithuanian. The inspector of Bachmann was one of the initiators of the Bible Society’s activities in Memel (see Strungytė-Liugienė 2021; Strungytė-Liugienė 2021a for more).

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Through Mr. Inspector Rhenius at Bachmann near Memel, there arrived once again: 34 thalers 60 Prussian groschen; namely: from Mr. Schoolteacher Gr. at Dew. 4 thalers 60 Prussian groschen, and from Mr. Tax Collector R. 30 thalers, “which were collected and contributed by the awakened Lithuanians with particular joy for the building of a temple among the heathen” (Knapp 1821: 1058–1590; corr. 1059).

(Translation) Through Mr. Inspector Rhenius from Bachmann near Memel there arrived once again: 34 thalers 60 Prussian groschen; namely, from Mr. Gr., a teacher at Dew, 4 thalers 60 Prussian groschen, and from Mr. Tax Collector R., 30 thalers, “which the awakened Lithuanians collected and contributed with particular joy for the construction of a church for the heathen.”

In his report, the director of the Halle Orphanage mentions support additionally received twice in July of the same year from Rhenius. Rhenius forwarded a total of 6 thalers to the Halle mission treasury: 5 from the “good Lithuanians” (German guten Litthauern), delivered by a teacher. The support also included a donation from some Prussian soldier who was a Lithuanian (1 Albert thaler) and who, after returning from service, wished to prepare for work as a teacher.

Mr. Inspector Rhenius at Bachmann forwarded: 5 thalers, collected by Mr. Schoolteacher G. from the good Lithuanians; and 1 Albert thaler from a young Lithuanian who is still a soldier but wishes to prepare for the teaching service, named L. (Knapp 1821: 1590; corr. 1059).

(Translation) Mr. Inspector Rhenius from Bachmann forwarded: 5 thalers collected by Mr. Teacher G. from good Lithuanians; and 1 Albert thaler from a young Lithuanian who is still a soldier but wishes to prepare for work at a school, named L.

The Halle mission treasury also received support sent by the pastor of Kalninkai, Natanelis Frydrichas Ostermejeris (as the initials given in the report suggest), as well as a substantial donation from the Lithuanian community, amounting to more than 60 thalers.

Mr. Inspector Rhenius at Bachmann sent once again: 2 Albert thalers, which he had received from Mr. Pastor Ost. in K., together with the 60 thalers, 64 Prussian groschen collected by Mr. Rud. and Mich. D. in several Lithuanian communities [...]. (Knapp 1821: 1590; corr. 1059–1060).

(Translation) Mr. Inspector Rhenius from Bachmann sent once again: 2 Albert thalers, which he had received from Mr. Pastor Ost. at K., together with 60 thalers and 64 Prussian groschen collected by Mr. Rud. and Mich. D. in several Lithuanian communities [...].

Judging from the report, Wilhelmas Rhenius was informed by the circle surrounding King Friedrich Wilhelm III and knew what share of the state funding was directed to missions in India,

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from the treasury to support the missionary Karl Rhenius in Madras^⁴. In forwarding a bill of exchange, he informed Halle of this:

A noble benefactor, who does not wish to be named, forwarded through Mr. Inspector Rhenius in Bachmann near Memel a Royal Prussian state bond for 500 thalers, with the explanation that Mr. Missionary Carl Rhenius in Madras should receive 100 thalers from it without deduction (Knapp 1821: 1056).

(Translation) A noble benefactor, who does not wish to be named, forwarded through Mr. Inspector Rhenius from Bachmann near Memel a Prussian Royal state bond for 500 thalers, with the explanation that Mr. Missionary Karl Rhenius in Madras should receive 100 thalers from it without deduction.

Lithuanian press also mentions support for the activities of the missionary Karl Rhenius even before 1822. It is said that gifts from Prussian Lithuania reached societies far away, and that “several also helped together with the dispatch of the mission Rhenius” (Iß Eyŕopôs 1854: 13).

Rhenius maintained personal relations with Knapp, then director of the Halle Orphanage. He communicated with him not only on financial matters. Rhenius shared news from Madras with him, seeking to shed light on the daily work and household affairs of his relative Karl Rhenius. In a letter dated July 11, 1820, he described his nephew’s house with a garden, translations of biblical history into Tamil, and his assistants, among whom were both Lutherans and Roman Catholics, with whom he set aside time in the mornings and evenings to read religious books in English and Tamil (Knapp 1821: 1010–1011).

It is worth pausing over the expression erweckten Litthauern, “awakened Lithuanians,” used in Knapp’s report. There is reason to believe that in this document it refers to worshippers, participants in the pietist movement spreading across the territory of Prussian Lithuania. The description Erweckte, “the awakened,” is also used in another source—the report of the Königsberg consistory dated June 10, 1823, concerning religious societies operating outside the Church in the Königsberg and Gumbinnen districts. This report provides information about

^⁴ Wilhelmas Rhenius was in contact with the family of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. The royal family visited the Bachmann estate and the Rheniuses as early as January 29, 1807, during one of their excursions (Zembrickis 2011: 145). It should be recalled that, owing to political events and the Prussian kingdom’s war with France, Memel had become the temporary residence of the royal family.

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the spread and mass character of the pietist movement^⁵. The premise that the mission supporters were pietists is also confirmed by an extract from a letter by the pastor of Kalninkai, Ostermejeris, published somewhat later, in March 1824, in the periodical Königsberger Missionsblatt, in which he identified the providers of support as pietists. The offerings collected by pietists from Kalninkai, Priekulė, Gilija, Kaukenai, Naujoji, Katyčiai, Malviškiai, Skaisgiriai, and other parishes supposedly constituted two-thirds of the deposits in the local mission treasury (Kaunas 1991: 27). Thus, charitable Lithuanian support emerged during the religious revival and was associated with attendees of the gatherings, people mostly from the lower social stratum. In the third decade of the 19th century, the pietist movement did not have the status of a legally recognized religious society and was not institutionalized; some pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church viewed it as an illegal religious popular movement, united by evangelization, the idea of temperance, devout piety, and the need for common gatherings outside the church—household worship.

In summary, it should be said that offerings for missions were collected before the Königsberg Missionary Society was founded (1822)^⁶. In 1820–1821, substantial support was directed to the Halle mission treasury. Support was provided by Lithuanian inhabitants of Prussian Lithuania, participants in the religious revival—the pietist movement—and teachers (“schoolmasters”). Among the donors was also the Evangelical Lutheran pastor Ostermejeris of Kalninkai. Judging from the information in Knapp’s report for 1820–1821, the early support of the Lithuanian population was directed to southeastern India to support the activities of the German missionary Karl Rhenius. The offerings were collected and the role of intermediary was performed by Wilhelmas Rhenius, inspector of the Bachmann estate near Memel. It is important to note that the advocate of missions, Wilhelmas Rhenius, was not a member of the clergy but a layman who actively participated in educational activities, became involved in various religious organizations of the period, including Bible and Religious Tract societies, and was a follower of the Moravian Church.

^⁵ Transcription, facsimile, and translation into Lithuanian: Barasa 2018: 262. Participants in the pietist movement are also called Lutheran maldeninker, “worshippers,” in the report of the Königsberg consistory, while house worship and gatherings are called Privatandacht, Betversammlungen (Barasa 2018: 258, 262).

^⁶ The society’s founding meeting took place on January 11, 1822. Its leader elected was Ludwig Ernst von Borowski (Ludwig Ernst von Borowski, 1740–1831), general superintendent of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Prussia. The board also included Martin Ludwig Rhesa (Martin Ludwig Rhesa, 1776–1840), a professor at the University of Königsberg (Kaunas 1991: 22).

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THE ROLE OF THE PRESS FOR MISSIONARY SOCIETIES

A little later, other forms of financial support also began to emerge. An example of support for Protestant missions was the periodical Nufidavimai apie Ewangelios Pripla­tinima tarp Žydų ir Pagonu (hereafter—NEP)^⁷, published from 1832, which disseminated in Lithuanian news and correspondence from missionaries in India, China, North America, Madagascar in Africa, the exotic island of Moorea in French Polynesia, and other lands. As early as its first issue in 1832, it published an emotional appeal to Lithuanians urging them not to remain on the sidelines but, together with the Germans, to contribute to the vitality of missionary activity.

Thus, beloved Lithuanians! While others are laboring for the eternal harvest (= harvest, reaping), shall we alone withdraw? While others are striving so that the Lord Jesus may be victorious, shall we be idle? (Pakājus t’effie fu jummis 1832: 5).

After this publication was sold, part of the funds was allocated to supplement support directed to missions. The February 1832 issue states that 6 thalers remained for support (called the “mission chest”)^⁸ ([Summary] 1832–03: {48}). The March issue of the same year already notes that 27 thalers were collected from the sale of newspaper copies ([Summary] 1832–04: 64). Based on the brief financial summaries that usually appeared at the end of each NEP issue, it was calculated that in 1832, 65 thalers and 100 goldens from sales of the periodical were allotted to missions.

It should be said that this method of supporting Protestant missions, in which funds were collected from the sale of periodicals, was also practiced elsewhere in the Kingdom of Prussia. For example, Johannes Evangelista Gossner (Johannes Evangelista Gossner, 1773–1858), founder of the missionary society (German Gossnersche Missionsgesellschaft) that operated in Berlin, followed the same strategy. After copies of the periodical he produced, Die Biene auf dem Missionsfeld für Missionsfreunde und Missionsvereine^⁹, were sold, the funds were distributed for the society’s needs (Iß Berlyno 1844: 31).

^⁷ At that time, the editor of the periodical was appointed the preacher Johannas Ferdinandas Kelchis (Johann Ferdinand Kelch, from 1832 to 1867?), Kaunas 1991: 40, 48. The publication was initiated by the Königsberg Missionary Society (“Karalau­cz̧aus Pafuntinyf­tės Draugytė”). The predecessor of NEP is considered to be the periodical Nusìdavimai Dievo karalystėje, published in 1823, 1824, and 1825, whose editor was Natanelis Frydrichas Ostermejeris (Kaunas 1991: 39). Unfortunately, not a single copy of this publication has yet been found; it is described on the basis of sources (Kaunas 1991: 7–8, 26). In Vaclovas Biržiška’s opinion, Frydrichas Kuršaitis supposedly corrected the proofreading and language of NEP (BržA III: 174). Kaunas clarified that Kuršaitis began editing the publication approximately from 1843, issue no. 1 (Kaunas 1991: 21, 31).

^⁸ Lithuanians in Prussian Lithuania called thalers dollars. Dollars are also used in NEP.

^⁹ The periodical was published in German from 1834.

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^¹ FIG. The Lithuanian-language periodical Nufidavimai apie Evangelios Prafiplatinimą tarp Žydų ir Pagonių (issue no. 1, 1832), part of whose profit from sales went to support missions

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Financial support for missions was obtained not only through the sale of periodicals but also through books. Worth mentioning is the sermon Tėkel, tai yr: Swēre tawę Swārčzeis ir perlēngwą įbrādo¹⁰ (Königsberg, 1843) by Ernst Friedrich Ball (Ernst Friedrich Ball, 1799–1885), pastor and editor of the publication Missionsblattes distributed by the Barmen Missionary Society. It was translated into Lithuanian by the Evangelical Lutheran pastor Frydrichas Kuršaitis (Friedrich Kurschat, 1806–1884), future professor at the University of Königsberg and author of a Lithuanian grammar¹¹. In the preface to the booklet (written on September 6, 1843), Kuršaitis states that a certain “German brother” encouraged him to translate the sermon into Lithuanian. He mentions that the funds collected from the sale of Ball’s sermon translation would be directed to support missionary and temperance societies. A thousand copies were intended to be printed.

The money obtained from the sale of this letter, I do not wish to keep for myself as gain (= benefit, profit), but to donate to societies for the spread of the Gospel among the heathen and against drunkenness [...]. This German brother asked me to translate this sermon into the Lithuanian language, and I carried it out with a willing heart (Kurßátis 1843: II).

On July 5, 1847, Kuršaitis became a member of the Königsberg Missionary Society (Kaunas 1991: 22). Thus, he translated Ball’s book before joining the religious organization. The pastor undertook the translation work in 1843, the same year in which he also began his other activity—correcting the language and proofreading of NEP.

In issue 3 of NEP in 1843, an advertisement appeared offering Kuršaitis’s translation Tėkel, tai yr: Swēre tawę Swārčzeis ir perlēngwą įbrādo for 2 silver groschen¹². It also states that the funds from the sale of this booklet would go to societies: “The money for this sermon goes to the societies working for God’s Kingdom” ([Advertisement] 1843: 48). Later, the aforementioned periodical also published short notices indicating how much money had been collected for religious organizations from the sale of missionary literature. For example, in 1854 it reported that “For the writings or (corr. arba) booklets of the mission,” 70 thalers and 13 silver groschen were allotted to the Königsberg Missionary Society (Iß Eyropôs 1854: 15).

¹⁰ The original title of the sermon Tekel, das ist: Man hat dich gewogen in einer Waage und zu leicht gefunden. Predigt am Todtenfeste. In the preface, Kuršaitis says that the sermon had already been published three times in German. The publication of this sermon was initially conceived so that its sale could support French religious societies (Kurßátis 1843: II).

¹¹ LBП 41, No. 606. A copy of this book is held in the Rare Books Department of the Vilnius University Library (VUB RSS Lₐ 6895).

¹² Groschen were money of lesser value; 1 thaler equaled 30 silver groschen.

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FIG. 2. Title page of Ernst Friedrich Ball’s sermon Tėkel, tai yr: Swėrę tawę Swąrcžeis ir perlęngwą ißrado (Königsberg, 1843). The sermon was translated by Frydrichas Kuršaitis. VUB RSS L_R 6895

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Local pastors distributed mission books and periodicals; their number was reportedly considerable: “In Lithuania, almost the greatest Number of Pastors work together to distribute Mission Books among the People” (Penkioliktafis kas Metą dū́dams 1838: 5). Among them were Kuršaitis and Kelkis, the editor of NEP (Kaunas 1991: 32). Kuršaitis also played an active role as an intermediary between donors and recipients. He participated in collecting support (in money and goods) for religious organizations. The pastor passed gifts and donations on to the recipients—the mission societies (Eingegangene Geſchenke 1851: 224).

It should be said that NEP devoted considerable attention to the reputation and image of the missions, which were carefully constructed through communication. Already in the first issue of NEP in 1832, it was hastened to state that, when the publication was sold, part of the funds¹³ would be allocated to the training and dispatch of missionaries—“butent ant Prigatãwijimo bey Ißruntimo Pafuntinių” (Pakãjus t’effje Ju jummis 1832: 6)—and that neither the printer nor the newspaper editor (“writer”) would be able to receive any profit from the printed material sold.

Missionary correspondence, which NEP willingly published, also partly served to maintain this image and encourage the motivation for generosity. Through their correspondence, missionaries sought feedback from the Lithuanian-speaking readership, potential mission supporters, and providers of financial assistance. In the sixth issue of 1832, a letter from the missionary Karl Rhenius, written in 1831 from Palayampkotta (English Palayamkottai, southern India), was published. In the letter, the missionary identified the purpose for which he was urging people to donate funds: the education of the inhabitants of India, the establishment of schools, the training of teachers from India, and the printing of the Bible and religious books in the languages of the local inhabitants.

[...] let each of you contribute according to your ability from what you have already received for our Missionaries, for the establishment of Schools (= schools) and Churches, for the instruction of Teachers from among those very People, for the printing of Holy Scripture and other Christian Books, and so forth (Gromat[a] Pafuntinio Rėniaus 1832: 94).

In his letter, Rhenius also emphasized the results of many years of work and the changed social and educational situation in the areas where he had worked. In the letter, he says that before he arrived to work as a missionary, there had been only 6 or 7 schools. However, after ten years the number of schools had grown to approximately 70¹⁴.

But if I merely had to look around this corner of ours, I would have to marvel. Before ten years had passed, I found six or seven Scriptures which someone had translated into English (= English) among those Pagans; and even that was not entirely the case, from some

¹³ The other part of the funds collected was intended for printing and binding the issues of NEP.

¹⁴ For the creation of the modern education system in India and the contribution of the missionary Karl Rhenius, see Frykenberg 1986.

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to teach Christian books or to read them here. Now we have between seventy and eighty schools here, where the Gospel is taught before all other things. [...] now there is no longer any opposition here, but people of all classes ask for schools so that their children, as they say, may be instructed in Christian wisdom (Gromat[a] Pafuntinio Rėniaus 1832: 91–92).

The presentation of the missionaries themselves in the Lithuanian press was also intended to help create an impeccable image, with the aim of showing that among those who had departed for the missions were people of their own, “from our region,” “Prussians.” Emphasizing familiarity, proximity, and the geographical connection with Prussian Lithuania, the following portrait of Karl Rhenius was created:

Toward the East lies a great Landmass, called Asia (= Asia), and far to the Southeast is East India (eastern India), where one of our Missionaries went, namely a certain Rhenius, whom many of us know (Taigi jau pradėdu! 1832: 10).

The annual mention of mission festivals (German Missionsfest), which was extensively covered by the NEP editorial office, also contributed to transparency in operations and image-building. Attention was also paid to financial matters at this festival. During the festival, the funds and their allocation to specific mission societies or missionary-training institutions were publicly declared. A publication in Lithuanian by Georg Bernhard Weiss (Georg Bernhard Weiß, 1798–1873), chairman of the Königsberg consistory (German Oberkonsistorialrat), published in 1847, states that the Königsberg Mission Society was able to provide ample support to the Rhine Mission Society (800 thalers), the Gossner Mission Society (100 thalers), and the missionaries sent by the Moravian Church, the so-called henhuterus (100 thalers). Financial support was distributed to the Basel Society (200 thalers) and other mission societies that spread Christianity among the Jews (Weiss 1847: 38). Thus, the societies cooperated closely with one another, maintained contacts, and supported one another as needed.

Therefore the people of Königsberg¹⁶ distribute a much greater sum each year to such Associations and Mission Schools for assistance, for example to Herrnhut (= Herrnhut), to Berlin, to Halle (Halle), to the city of Basel in Switzerland (= Basel in Switzerland), and so forth; and who knows where some other little Man of some Society or another, or some other poor fellow, may go, and there serve the Lord Jesus [...] (Apie Sufidraugawojimą 1832: 137).

During the Königsberg mission festival, the people who had donated to the missions were publicly mentioned. For example, issue 9 of NEP from 1832 states that the “donors” were remembered, including one “Lithuanian widow,” who “generously [gave] of her wealth to the Lord, not sparing her considerable possessions (= not economizing, not withholding), at one time (=

¹⁵ Stonas may mean ‘a social class according to origin, profession, occupation, ‘estate’.

¹⁶ The Königsberg Mission Society is meant.

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at once, together) donated 150 dollars (= thalers) to that Work of Jesus” (Apie Sufidraugawojimą 1832: 137–138).

It should be said that a model of support for mission societies was created that was intended to remove the burden of concern from the state. The financial burden was shared by the prosperous or affluent citizens of the Kingdom of Prussia. On the other hand, the printed publications conveyed the message that supporting the idea of spreading Christianity in non-Christian lands, caring for the poor and their education, and supporting missionaries was also the concern of ordinary inhabitants of the Kingdom of Prussia. Those who donated to missions had to understand that support for missions was not a geographically local matter, but a phenomenon encompassing Europe and other countries of the world united by Christianity and concerned with Christian values. What each donor did was a common concern of Protestants throughout the world. The donor had to understand that they were not alone, but one of the numerous Christian community supporting, assisting, and approving the idea of Christianization.

CONCLUSION

It has been established that financial support for missions began to be organized before the Königsberg Mission Society was founded (1822). Considerable funding from Prussian Lithuania reached the Halle mission treasury as early as 1820–1821. This support is associated with the work in southeastern India of Karl Gottlieb Ewald Rhenius (Karl Gottlieb Ewald Rhеnius, 1790–1838), a missionary sent by the London Missionary Society. The role of intermediary in collecting funds fell to Wilhelm Andreas Rhenius (Wilhelm Andreas Rhenius, 1753–1833), inspector of the Bachmann estate near Memel, leader of religious gatherings, and follower of the Moravian Church. It has been established that participants in the religious gathering movement and teachers donated to the missions. Among the donors was also Natanelis Friedrich Ostermejeris, pastor of Kalninkai.

Missions were also supported from the profits obtained by selling periodicals and books. Partly for this purpose, the Lithuanian periodical Nufidawimai apie Ewangelios Prafiplatinimą tarp Żydų ir Pagonių was published in Prussian Lithuania (from 1832, edited by Johann Ferdinand Kelkis). The editor took care of the image and prestige of the missions, transparent financing, and the good reputation of the missionaries. The publication printed missionary correspondence describing the results of their activities and introducing readers to social and educational changes in the lands where the missionaries had been assigned.

The missions were promoted, and fundraising campaigns were supported, by the Evangelical Lutheran pastor Friedrich Kursaitis, future professor at the University of Königsberg and author of a Lithuanian grammar. He translated into Lithuanian the sermon by Ernst Friedrich Ball, Tekel, tai yr: Swēre tawę Swārčzeis ir perlengwą įbrėdo

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(Königsberg, 1843); the proceeds from its sale were intended to support mission and temperance societies. Kuršaitis completed the translation before becoming a member of the Königsberg Mission Society.

LITERATURE AND SOURCES

Apie Sufidraugawojimą 1832: Apie Sufidraugawojimą ant Ewangēlios Praplātinimą Karalauczjuje. – Nufidāwim{ąi} apie Ewangēlios Prafiplātinimą tarp Žydų ir Pagonų, no. 9, September, 135–142.

Barasa Darius 2018: Report of the Königsberg Consistory on the religious societies operating outside the Church in the Königsberg and Gumbinnen districts (1823). – Senoji Lietuvos literatūra. Pietizmo idėjos ir surinkimininkų raštija Prūsijos Lietuvoje 46, 253–319.

BržA III – Vaclovas Biržiška, Aleksandrynas. Senųjų lietuvių rašytojų, rašiusių prieš 1865 m., biografijos, bibliografijos, biobibliografijos 3. The 19th century, Chicago: JAV kultūros fondas, 1965; Vilnius: Sietynas, 1990.

Eingegangene Geschenke 1851: Received Gifts. – Berichte der Rheinischen Missionsgesellschaft 14, 224.

Frykenberg Robert E. 1986: Modern Education in South India, 1784–1854: Its Roots and Its Role as a Vehicle of Integration under Company Raj. – The American Historical Review 91(1), 37–65. Prieiga internete: https://doi.org/10.2307/1867234.

Gaigalaitis Vilius 1905: Ewangeliški Surinkimai Lietuvoje. ĮBtyrinėjimai apie jų Pradžią, Augimą bey dabartinį Buwį, compiled by Pastor Dr. W. Gaigalatis, Priekulė.

Gensichen Hans W. 1999: Rhenius, Carl Theophilus Ewald. Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, ed. by G. H. Anderson, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Cambridge, U. K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 565–566.

Gromat[a] Pafuntinio Rēniaus 1832: Letter of the Missionary Rēnius from Ostindia [1831–06–13]. – Nufidāwim{ąi} apie Ewangēlios Prafiplātinimą tarp Žydų ir Pagonų, no. 6, June, 89–95.

Iß Berlyno 1844: From Berlin. – Nufidāwimai apie Ewangēlios Praplātinimą tarp Žydų ir Pagonų, no. 2, 30–32.

Iß Eyrōpôs 1854: From Europe. – Nufidāwimai apie Ewangēlios Praplātinimą tarp Žydų ir Pagonų, no. 1, 11–16.

Juška Albertas 2000: Bakmaniškiai, Baksėdžiai, Pāupis. – Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija 1, Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas, 115.

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Kloes Andrew A. 2016: ‘Awakening movement’ in early nineteenth-century German: the making of a modern and ortodox Protestantism: daktaro disertacija, Edinburgas: Edinburgo universitetas.

Kaunas Domas 1991: Lietuvių periodikos pirmtakas, Vilnius: Lietuvių knygos draugija; Martyno Mažvydo fondas.

Kaunas Domas 1996: Mažosios Lietuvos knyga: lietuviškos knygos raida 1547–1940, Vilnius: Baltos lankos.

[Knapp Georg Christian] 1821: More Recent History of the Evangelical Mission Institutions for the Conversion of the Heathen in East India, from the Missionaries’ Own Handwritten Essays and Letters, edited by D. G. Ch. Knapp, [...]. Seventieth piece, Halle: Verlag des Waisenhauses.

Kuršaitis Fridrikis 1843: [Preface]. Tėkel, tai yr: Swēre tawę Swàrčzeis ir perlēngwą įbrądo. Mižģia Miriųjų Szwentėje wókįkay laikyta Kúnigo E. F. Ball, kurę lietuwišką Kàlbą išwerte Fridrikis Kuršaitis, Kunigų Ūredo išmokitas, Lietuwininkams Karaliaučiuje žodį apłakašis. [...], Königsberg: Szyłco Knygdruk kawonėje, [I]–IV.

LBP – Lithuanian Bibliography, Series A. Books in the Lithuanian Language 1, 1547–1861. Supplements, Vilnius: Mintis, 1990.

LKŽe – Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language 1–20 (1941–2002), editorial board G. Naktinienė, J. Paulauskas, R. Petrokienė, V. Vitkauskas, J. Zabarskaitė, editor-in-chief G. Naktinienė, electronic version, Vilnius: Institute of the Lithuanian Language, 2005 (updated version, 2018). Available online: https://ekalba.lt/lietuviu-kalbos-zodynas.

Pakājus t’effie łu jummis 1832: Pakājus t’effie łu jummis [...]. – Nufidawimai apie Ewangelios Prafiplatinimą tarp Žydų ir Paganų, no. 1, January, [1]–8.

Penkioliktạffis kas Metų düdams 1838: Penkioliktạffis kas Metų düdams Apfiłakimas ant Ewangelios Prapłatinimo Karaliaučiuje Sudidraugawojufju, kaip łu jū Draugyftę bey tôs Draugyftės Darbų dėfiti. – Nufidāwimai apie Ewangelios Praplātinimą tarp Žydų ir Paganų, no. 1, 2–16.

Pėteraitis, Anusis 1948: Gatherings in Prussian Lithuania, Supreme Church Council of Lithuanian Evangelical Lutherans, introductory words written and prepared for publication by M. Kavolis.

[Announcement] 1843: [Announcement]. – Nufidāwimai apie Ewangelios Praplātinimą tarp Žydų ir Paganų, no. 3, 48.

Strungytė-Liugienė 2021: The educational activity of Wilhelmo Andreas Rhenius (1753–1833) in Klaipėda and the first Lithuanian translations of English religious literature. – Knygotyra 76, 93–113. Available online: https://doi.org/10.15388/Knygotyra.2021.76.77.

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Strungytė-Liugienė Inga 2021a: Letters of Wilhelmo Andreas Rhenius (1753) from the Bachmann estate near Klaipėda to the Religious Tract Society in London. – Knygotyra 76, 294–302. Available online: https://doi.org/10.15388/Knygotyra.2021.76.84.

[Contents] 1832–03: [Contents]. – Nufidawimai apie Ewangelios Praplėtinima tarp Žydų ir Pagonų, no. 3, March, {48}.

[Contents] 1832–04: [Contents]. – Nufidåwimai apie Ewangelios Praplātinimą tarp Žydų ir Pagonų, no. 4, April, 64.

So I Begin Already! 1832: So I Begin Already! – Nufidåwim{ąi} apie Ewangelios Praplātinimą tarp Žydų ir Pagonų, no. 1, January, 8–15.

[Weiss Georg B.] 1847: Praise the Lord, all you Pagans [...]. – Nufidåwimai apie Ewangelios Praplātinimą tarp Žydų ir Pagonų, no. 2, 19–40.

Zembrickis Johanas 2011: History of Klaipėda County 3, translated by R. Adomavičius, Klaipėda: Libra Memelensis.

The Support for Protestant Missions in Prussian Lithuania in the First Half of the 19^th Century: The Role of Private Initiatives and the Press

SUMMARY

This article aims at revealing the experience of supporting protestant missions in Prussian Lithuania in the first half of the 19^th century. The paper focuses on the forms of support that circulated on the private initiative of laypeople. Lithuanian periodical press and books published in Prussian Lithuania also served as a means of gathering funds. The article seeks to find out when the collection of financial support for missions began in the Lithuanian protestant community and what source this support came from.

It has been determined that donations for missions had been collected in Prussian Lithuania before the Königsberg Missionary Society was established (1822). In 1820–1821, Halle Mission received substantial support from Lithuanian residents of Prussian Lithuania, participants of the religious awakening movement (Lith. surinkimai), which grew in strength throughout the ³rd decade of the century, and teachers (Lith. šulmistai). Donations were collected by inspector of Bachmann Manor near Klaipėda (the former Memel), member of the Moravian Church Wilhelm Andreas Rhenius (1753–1833) who acted as an intermediary

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between Lithuanians and Halle Missions. The early donations made by Lithuanian residents were directed to southeast India, Madras (currently Chennai) to support the activity of German missionary Karl Gottlieb Ewald Rhenius (1790–1838).

Another form of mission support was the sale of missionary press. Partly for this purpose, Lithuanian periodical publication Nufidauwimai apie Ewangelios Prafiplatinima tarp 3ydų ir Pagonių was published (from 1832, editor Johann Ferdinand Kelch) in Prussian Lithuania. Local Evangelical Lutheran priests propagated the missions and participated in the collection of donations; among them was priest Friedrich Kurschat (Frydrichas Kuršaitis, 1806–1884), the future professor of theology at the University of Königsberg and author of the Lithuanian grammar. Kurschat translated the sermon Tekel, tai yr. Swėrė tawę Swårčzeis ir perlėngwą ąbrdo by Lutheran priest Ernst Friedrich Ball (published in Königsberg in 1843), and the funds received from its sales were to be directed for missionary and temperance societies.

On balance, it should be noted that the model of mission support was designed to reduce the state’s burden. The financial burden was shared between prosperous or well-off religious residents of the Kingdom of Prussia. On the other hand, the publications advocated that the duty of spreading Christianity in non-Christian countries, supporting the poor and their education had to be taken on not only by the king and priests but also by the common Lithuanian residents of the Prussian province. A person who donated for missions had to understand that the support for missions was not a local event but a phenomenon encompassing Europe and other countries of the world united by Christianity and Christian values. Each contributing person served a common cause of the world’s protestants. A contributing person could feel that he or she was not lonely but rather formed a part of a large communities of Christians who supported, contributed to, and approved the idea of Christianization.

Submitted on 25 October 2022.

INGA STRUNGYTĖ-LIUGIENĖ Institute of the Lithuanian Language, Petro Vileišio St. 5, LT-10308 Vilnius, Lithuania [email protected]

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