August Gottlieb Spangenberg
August Gottlieb Spangenberg (15 July 1704 – 18 September 1792) was a German theologian and minister, and a bishop of the Moravian Church. As successor of Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf, he helped develop international missions and stabilized the theology and organization of the German Moravian Church.
Early life and education[edit]
Spangenberg was born in Klettenberg, now a part of Hohenstein, Thuringia, where his father, Georg Spangenberg, was the pastor and ecclesiastical inspector. Left an orphan at the early age of thirteen, the young Spangenberg attended the gymnasium (secondary school) at Ilfeld. In 1722, he entered the University of Jena to study law. J. F. Buddeus, a professor, took him into his family and arranged a scholarship. Spangenberg soon abandoned law for theology, obtaining his degree in 1726 and began to giving free lectures on theology.[1]
Death[edit]
Spangenberg died at Berthelsdorf on September 18, 1792, and was buried in the God's Acre in Herrnhut.