O scrisoare a lui Oncken

Mai jos, o scrisoare a lui Johann Gerhard Oncken (Varel, 26 ianuarie 1800-Zürich, 2 ianuarie 1884), publicată în Juvenile Missionary Herald, în anul 1848.

Oncken este considerat nu doar „părintele baptiştilor germani”, ci şi „apostolul baptiştilor europeni”, datorită misiunilor susţinute pe care le-a întreprins în afara Germaniei (în Prusia, Rusia, Elveţia, dar şi în Ungaria şi Transilvania; în 1869 vizitează chiar comunitatea menonită de limbă germană din Khortitsia, în sudul Unkrainei).

Născut în Saxonia Inferioară (în Nord-Vestul Germaniei), privat încă de timpuriu de prezenţa părinţilor, Oncken este crescut de o bunică. Este botezat ca luteran şi confirmat la 14 ani, după uzanţele bisericii luterane. Lucrează ca şi comerciant şi, în acest fel, ajunge în Marea Britanie, unde se converteşte într-o biserică metodistă londoneză, la vîrsta de 20 de ani. Ulterior, se întoarce în Germania natală ca misionar.

Sub influenţa lui George Alexander Haldane (pastor în Biserica Scoţiei la Edinburgh, devenit mai apoi baptist), Oncken decide să se boteze prin scufundare, după învăţătura noutestamentară, ceea ce se şi întîmplă după frămîntări care au durat mai mulţi ani. Astfel, la 22 aprilie 1834, Oncken este botezat în apele Elbei, în timpul nopţii.

Oncken moare la Zürich, în urma unui accident vascular cerebral, dar este înmormîntat la Hamburg. Pe piatra tombală stă scris: „Un Domn, o credinţă, un botez”.

Este arhicunoscut mottoul său (veritabil testament spiritual), care esenţializează întreaga sa înţelegere a misiunii: Jeder Baptist ein Missionar („Fiecare baptist, un misionar”).

În scrisoarea de mai jos, Oncken se defineşte pe sine şi pe credincioşii din biserica sa din Hamburg (fondată de el şi care astăzi este cea mai veche biserică baptistă din Europa continentală încă în picioare) drept „creştini de modă veche”, aşa cum sînt ei descrişi în Faptele Apostolilor. Aşadar, portretul creştinului baptist include apartenenţa la un templu viu, la un spaţiu spiritual (mai degrabă decît identificarea cu un spaţiu topologic sacru), pentru că închinarea adevărată se face în duh şi în adevăr.

Oncken vorbeşte despre botezul de şaizeci de persoane care a mărit comunitatea din Hamburg în anul 1848, de Şcoala Duminicală (a cărui părinte este el pentru întreaga Germanie), despre ascultătorii interesaţi care îi frecventează comunitatea şi despre misiunea din Austria.

 

 

The Juvenile Missonary Herald, Londra, Baptist Missonary Society, 1848, pp. 35-37:

LETTER FROM MR. ONCKEN OF HAMBURG TO THE JUVENILE MISSIONARY SOCIETY, HAMPSTEAD

THE following letter is addressed to a little society of children and young people who meet once a month at the house of a kind friend at Hampstead, to hear about the heathen, and those who are not blessed with a knowledge of the gospel, and to pray for the success of missionary exertions in all parts of the world, and especially on the Continent of Europe, where there is now a missionary labouring in the cause of Christ, whom these young people know and love, and to whom they send the pennies which they cheerfully contribute. This missionary is Mr. Oncken, of Hamburg, in Germany, the writer of the following letter.

MY VERY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,-I ought to have thanked you long ago for your handsome collection made on behalf of the chapel at Hamburg, but frequent missionary tours into Prussia, Austria, Hungary, Hanover, Oldenburg, Mecklenburg, &c., have occasioned this delay. I do so now, and thank you very, very much for the many pennies which you have given ; out of these have grown shillings, and out of the shillings pounds. We value your contributions for so good a cause-the cause of Jesus-the only real lasting cause, and it leads us to hope concerning you, (fear children, that if you have not already given yourselves to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will prompt you without delay to do so. For till you know that Jesus loves you, and you love him in return, all you do, even your kind gift for the Hamburg chapel, has no worth in the sight of God; the Bible declares this: turn to Romans xiv. 23,- “For whatsoever is not of faith is sin;” and 1 Cor. xiii. 3,- “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not lone, (love to Jesus,) it profiteth me nothing.” Yes, dear children, all is lost, lost for ever-our thoughts, words, and actions, our bodies and our souls, if we are not taught to love the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me then entreat you, my dear children, never to cease thinking of the precious Saviour, and praying to him often and fervently, till you know and feel that yon are the lambs of his fold.

I will now tell you a little about our chapel. We belong to the old-fashioned Christians, of whom you find a good, I may say the best, account in the Acts of the Apostles. You will find there that these Christians were quite indifferent as to the places where they worshipped God, but very particular as to the living temple, the church of God. Now, we are attempting to tread in their footsteps. Our chapel is very plain, and no money has been wasted for fineries; we are only anxious about the conversion of sinners, and that, when converted to Jesus, they may walk in all the commandments of their Saviour, blameless. Now the chapel is always filled with attentive hearers, among them also many dear little German children; and many once wicked sinners have in that chapel, towards which you have contributed, been converted, and are now holy and happy members of the church which worships there. Yes, dear children, Jesus is among us with his Spirit and his grace, and hence it comes that the word which is preached in the chapel at Hamburg reaches the hearts of sinners, and brings them on their knees to cry for mercy. About sixty converted sinners have been immersed, in the name of the Triune God, this year, but if we are faithful, God will yet shew us greater things. Nearly one hundred German children are directed to Jesus in our Sunday school; and we hope and pray that when we older people are dead and gone, they will fill our places and carry on the good work in which we are engaged.

You who have each a Bible or New Testament will be glad to hear that God has given us the means of circulating 50,000 New Testaments in Austria, a Roman Catholic country, where that precious book is little known, and where till lately it durst not be given to the people, because the Catholic priests had forbidden H. How many little ignorant children in Austria will by this means read of Jesus, of his love to sinners, and of his willingness to receive and save all who come to him. If the Lord the Holy Spirit has taught you to pray, then pray that he may bless the circulation of these 50,000 Testaments in Austria; for in this way you will help us in our work; and in the great day when Jesus shall come in his glory to gather his own dear children to himself, we shall doubtless find not a few from Austria before the throne of God and the Lamb, joining in the everlasting song- “Unto Him that loved us,” &c.

That I may meet all my dear little Hampstead contributors to the chapel at Hamburg there, is the sincere desire and prayer of your affectionate friend,
(Signed) J. G. ONCKEN