Moravian Theological Society Celebrates 200th Anniversary

According to a press announcement released by Moravian College, the Moravian Theological Seminary will celebrate its 200th year anniversary today, Tuesday, October 2, 2007.

The release notes:

An historical document found in the vault of the Moravian Church Archives in Bethlehem, Pa., described the establishment of the theological seminary as "an unassuming, four-panel letter written in German script dated 1807." Penned by the Elders of the Moravian Church headquartered in Herrnhut Germany, the document authorized Moravians in North America to establish a theological seminary in conjunction with Nazareth Hall, a Moravian school for young boys located in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

And:

Founded in 1807, the Theological Seminary became a program of the Nazareth Hall School for Boys in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Young men would receive training to serve the Church in its new setting, and in 1858 the Moravian Church Synod authorized the establishment of a collegiate program to be held in conjunction with the Seminary. Because many Moravian clergy were needed to fill pastorates and stations in the mission field, and to teach in the Church's schools, the institution developed the character of a teacher's college as well as a theological seminary.

You can read the release here and visit the 200th link here.