Joseph Schereschewsky vs. Nikolaus von Zinzendorf

Thirty-four consonants between them! That's what we're talking about in the long-anticipated Battle of the Consonants between Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky and Nikolaus von Zinzendorf. You have 24-hours (or 10 fewer hours than consonants) to decide this tongue twister of a matchup.

With only three battles left in the Round of 32, we will be kicking off the Saintly Sixteen on Thursday. The field is narrowing, folks! In case you missed it, on Friday Scholastica schooled Macrina the Younger 64% to 37%. But that's old news. So let's get on with it, shall we?

But first, check out this article about Lent Madness written by Emily Miller of Religion News Service that made its way into various secular newspapers over the weekend.

Oh, and we challenge you to write a limerick based on today's matchup. Just because. Leave your best attempt in the comment section.

Joseph Schereschewsky

Born in Russian Lithuania in 1831 and raised by his half-brother, Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky was groomed to become a rabbi. During his theological education, he received and read a copy of the New Testament in Hebrew. Becoming convinced of Christ’s divinity, Schereschewsky moved to Germany to continue his studies of Christianity and theology before ultimately immigrating to the United States in 1854. He celebrated his baptism as part of a Baptist worship community in New York the following year.

After falling in with the Baptists, he felt led to investigate the Presbyterian experience, and eventually made his way to the Episcopal Church, enrolling at the General Theological Seminary in New York City. In 1859, Schereschewsky offered himself as a missionary to China. The Foreign Committee of the Episcopal Church agreed to his proposed mission and consecrated him a deacon, and Schereschewsky jumped a steamer to Shanghai.

Schereschewsky was a stone-cold genius with language—to call him a polyglot is an understatement. By young adulthood, Schereschewsky could speak Yiddish, Hebrew, German, Polish, and Russian with absolute fluency. When he arrived in China, he began translating the Bible into the vernacular of the people to whom he was ministering. Once the Bible was translated, he also translated The Book of Common Prayer into Mandarin. Schereschewsky’s ministry in China was so vibrant that the House of Bishops called him to serve as Bishop of Shanghai in 1877.

Schereschewsky fell ill after arriving in China. A degenerative neurological disease resulted in the resignation of his episcopate in 1883 and his return to the United States. Schereschewsky spent the final years of his life entirely paralyzed, except for one finger, which he used to painstakingly type out his translations of the scriptures. These translations were so accurate and understandable that they are still used today. By the time of his death, Schereschewsky had translated the word of God into Mandarin, Wenli, and Mongolian, as well as compiling a Mongolian-to-English dictionary.

Collect for Joseph Schereschewsky
O God, who in your providence called Joseph Schereschewsky from his home in Eastern Europe to the ministry of this Church, and sent him as a missionary to China, upholding him in his infirmity, that he might translate the Holy Scriptures into languages of that land: Lead us, we pray, to commit our lives and talents to you, in the confidence that when you give your servants any work to do, you also supply the strength to do it; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

— Megan Castellan

Nikolaus von Zinzendorf

Nikolaus von Zinzendorf was a German poet, preacher, hymn writer, theologian, religious leader, and bishop. The phrase most closely linked with Zinzendorf is Unitas Fratrum or Unity of Brethren. The words have been associated with The Moravian Church since its inception.

Born into one of the great noble families of Austria in 1700, the young duke took a great interest in theology and religion. In 1716, he began his study of law at the University of Wittenberg in preparation for a career in diplomacy. Three years later, Zinzendorf departed the university and traveled throughout Europe. Upon acquiring a Saxony estate, Zinzendorf allowed the religious group Unitas Fratrum to settle on his land. There, the Moravian Covenant for Christian Living was born, reflecting a rich liturgical and devotional life. Zinzendorf said, “All of life becomes a liturgy, and even the most mundane task can be an act of worship.” Unitas Fratrum became the Moravian Church.

Zinzendorf was ordained a Lutheran minister in 1735 and consecrated a bishop in the Moravian Church in Berlin two years later. Regarded as a strong leader, Zinzendorf dedicated his personal funds and fortune to the work of the church, becoming a staunch advocate for ecumenism. In 1741, Zinzendorf and a group of companions arrived in the American colonies to minister to the Indigenous population and German-speaking immigrants. Inspired by their Christmas arrival, the missionaries named the new settlement Bethlehem. Zinzendorf preached the gospel to everyone he encountered—free people, indentured servants, slaves, and Indigenous peoples—including leaders of the Iroquois Nation, Benjamin Franklin, and other notable leaders in the colonies.

By the time Zinzendorf died on May 9, 1760, the Moravians had dispatched an astonishing 226 missionaries across the Americas and around the world to spread the good news of Jesus and his love. One of Zinzendorf’s best-known offerings is the Moravian Common Table Prayer: “Come Lord Jesus, be our Guest and let thy gifts to us be blessed.”

Collect for Nikolaus von Zinzendorf
God of new life in Christ, We remember the bold witness of your servant Nikolaus von Zinzendorf, through whom your Spirit moved to draw many to faith and conversion of life. We pray that we, like him, may rejoice to sing your praises, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

— Neva Rae Fox

[poll id="185"]

Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky—Unknown Artist, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Nikolaus von Zinzendorf—Unknown Artist, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

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263 comments on “Joseph Schereschewsky vs. Nikolaus von Zinzendorf”

  1. Schereschewsky has not a z in his name so my love of the letter z wins the day, if only for me. Actually it was his respect for "ordinary time" that won my vote. Everyday living is liturgy.

  2. So late in sending in my vote I can't even review previous comments so I can only assume with confidence the fact of the one finger translation feat has been mentioned at least 199 times. He only had the use of 1 finger and he used it to bring access to The Word otherwise not available. He has my vote. Wow

  3. No arm so weak as may do service here....
    God bless Joseph’s heart, brilliance, and commitment. A witness for us all.

  4. When a man named Sam Schereschewsky
    Was called to move east from the west he
    Was gifted with tongues
    But to me still the one
    Named Zinzendorf is today's bestie.

  5. Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky
    Tongue a spiritual gift of dexterity
    Though his body did fail
    One digit prevailed
    And the Gospel thus spread for eternity.

    There once was a young noble named Zinzendorf
    Whose great wealth he did spend on his church work
    To our colonies he came
    A worthy prayer fanned his fame
    So today we say vielen dank for his efforts.

  6. Schereschewsky has always been one of my favorites, I love his ecumenism & his willingness to spend his one usable finger translating the Scriptures. However, I loved the information on Zinzendorf & I'm thrilled about his comments on the importance of liturgy.

  7. Wow! This was a tough call. It was the table prayer that put me over the line. Maybe not logic, but it was that or a coin toss. I have not been able to rationalize picking by "gambling". So maybe Schereschewsky next year?

  8. BTW, I just took a look at the article on Lent Madness (or rather on all Lenten brackets--and who knew sports did this as well?), and I call to your attention the remark about our own "unusually uplifting comments section." Well done, Xian bloggers.

  9. It is nice to know from whence came the table grace we use. My mum's family was German Lutheran and still is. She came over to PECUSA in college.

  10. My soul is a linguist's, you see,
    So my vote is for Schereschewsky.
    Von Zinzendorf, though,
    Is a good choice also
    For the "grace" and "life as liturgy".

  11. Without Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky's work in China, especially his translations of the Bible and the BCP, we may never have had Florence Li Tim-Oi, who as a deacon serving God's people in a Japanese-occupied area in the midst of WWII was ordained a priest by Bishop Ronald Hall of Hong Kong, which paved the way for later women to serve God and God's people as priests, bishops, and even Presiding Bishop in the generations that followed. (I fully expect to live long enough to see the first female named as Archbishop of Canturbury.)

    1. I knew Les and Mary Fairfield in their retirement at Grace Church in Amherst, MA. How lovely to see him remembered here, and makes me even happier that I voted for Schereschewsky!

  12. A hard choice. I was more attuned to the translator and voted for him, but the nobleman impressed me as well. I need to learn more about the Moravians.

  13. I thought I had posted a limerick, but guess I hit the wrong button.
    Between Joe and Nick
    It's sure hard to pick.
    Joe's many languages I do admire,
    To learn that many I do aspire.
    But at 75, my mind is thick as a brick.

  14. Wonder if these two men would find the limericks humorous.
    I imagine they probably would. Lets hope so

  15. I voted for Zinzendorf because he was an ecumenist who lived in a rather non-ecumenical era, because of the strong influence that the Moravians had on the ministry of John Wesley, and because of the strong Moravian presence in the area where I was an undergraduate (Lafayette, in the Lehigh Valley of eastern PA).

    Another factor in my vote was my involvement in interfaith relations and the many times we've all found ourselves saying "We're here to learn from each other's faiths, not to convert each other." Bishop Schereschevsky may have been a great scholar and a good pastoral bishop but, given that he was also a high-profile convert in the modern era, I'm not really comfortable putting him up as a role model (but I will definitely vote for him in the expected match-up with the anti-Judaic Brother Martin in the next round.)

    Nevertheless: Nightingale for the Gold, Jägerstätter for the Silver.

    1. Perhaps the last bit of the first paragraph would read better as "... because of the strong Moravian presence in the area where I was an undergraduate (Lafayette College, in the city of Easton, in the Lehigh Valley of eastern PA)."

    2. Bob, I understand your reservations about putting Schereschewsky up as a role model, but this is Lent Madness, not an interfaith activity. LM's stated purpose (learning about the saints) is Christian and the vast majority of it's participants are Christian. So I think it's highly appropriate that we put Schereschewsky up as a role model.
      That being said, I voted for Zinzendorf, as you did.

  16. Had to go with Joeseph for all that work on translating, especially while fighting and losing control of his limbs.

  17. What agonizing choices you force us to make! I love both these great saints. In the end I voted for Schereschewsky because he is such a wonderful example of hypomone, the perseverance of the saints.

  18. Since I'm pretty sure I voted for Schereschewsky back in 2014, and because I'm big on ecumenism and seeing all of life as liturgy (or at least trying to), and because he's losing, I voted for Nikolaus.
    But if Samuel wins, I'll be very happy for someone who translated the BCP into Mandarin.

  19. This one's excruciating! Both astounding people. I had never heard of either - this is why I love Lent Madness. I finally went with Schereschewsky because I cannot help but be awe-stricken by his courage and perseverance to continue to write in the face of near-total paralysis. And that was on a pawky, stiff-actioned manual typewriter!

  20. You stumped the jock. I had to look up "pawky." It means "cunning, sly." Perhaps "balky" would be more literal, but I like the idea of a recalcitrant, mulish typewriter.

  21. I knew that Schereschewsky would win, but I had to vote for von Zinzindorf because our congregation of the Reformed Episcopal Church shares a facility with (rents from) a Brethren (Unity of the Brethren) church. We have a wonderful relationship with them. Von Zinzindorf would applaud our ecumenism.

  22. My grandparents having been missionaries in China for some 35 years, I have done quite a bit of research on the history of mission there, and knew about Schereschewsky before he came up here. I didn't vote for him. He was a devoted servant, there is no doubt about it, but really was not seen as someone who knew the Chinese nor understood mission. Nor was there much of a trajectory of impact for his work -- mission didn't really take off at all in China until missionaries started schools and hospitals there. The pure Bible-based mission work did not really make an impact. Also the lack of ecumenism in Chinese mission work was pretty sad. Therefore I voted for Zinzindorf.

  23. In 1969-70 I lived near Gramercy Park while doing graduate work at General. Near my home, on 23rd St, was a typewriter shop that, at the time, had an old Chinese typewriter on display in the window. It was, naturally, an extremely complex machine and I wonder if Samuel used such a machine (with one finger!) or if he used a standard American typewriter and one of the transliteration systems. Does anyone know?

  24. Am I allowed two comments? Discovering Zinzendorf's connection to Methodism, I'm smiling. A few years ago the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the umbrella organization of my tradition) voted to allow "full altar and pulpit" fellowship, not just with the UCC and the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians but also with the Moravians, which apparently "we" recognized a long time ago as very near us in...what? Theology? I forget!! But I'm glad.

    1. I'm a Jan and an ELCA Lutheran from Bethlehem, PA. I'm also a graduate of Muhlenberg College in next door Allentown, PA. You may not know that Muhlenberg and Zinzendorf had a running feud on some fairly minor points, several of which were personal rather than theological.. It's been said if they had not that the Moravians and Lutherans would long ago have been one church.

      1. Hi, Jan Miller! From Bethlehem, PA. I learned the same thing, I think in Old Salem. That was a wonderful experience, first learning about the Moravians. Golly, but they were clever, and industrious. Imagine, running water in the houses...in the 1700's, via wooden pipes. I was VERY impressed by the technology they figured out and used, not just about water, but other things too. Plus, naturally, the way they "did" Christianity....

  25. A bishop named Joe Schereschewsky
    Invited Nick Z. for a brewski
    He said, ""yeah, you're dead
    But it's got a good head
    So I'll drink it myself--here's to youski"

  26. Unlike this past Friday when I couldn't have cared less, today we have two very worthy candidates. Out of sheer loyalty I voted for the man who enabled the founding of my home town. But never fear, Schereshewsky was the subject of one of my verses for "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God". (Rhyming "Schereschewsky" was my pinnacle until the day I rhymed "Aristarchus Ephiphanes.)

    Remember too, Schereschewsky, who
    Born a Lithuanian Jew,
    Became a Christian American
    And a priest and a bishop too.
    He served Lord Jesus on foreign seas
    As a missionary to all Chinese
    He was full of faith and
    I would be pleased
    If I could be like him too!