We know of no other portion of our Heritage of the Past, in the field of Moravian literature, which if used aright, could so deepen and strengthen our world-wide Unity or offer surer promise of a rich Harvest of the Future, as this book, long since lost sight of and left lying in comparative obscurity.  

Neither do we have knowledge of any other volume whose republication is more worthy of a place in the literature of the Quincentennial Period. 

Written by Bishop Augustus Gottlieb Spangenberg, at the urgent request of the Brethren, and in a period of great urgency and need, this unique book had its first publication, in the German language, in 1778, and is said to have “found ready favor amongst laity and clergy beyond as well as within the bounds of the Unity.” There was attendant upon its use, from the beginning, a spiritual power that gave promise of better things.

“Nothing so fully established the evangelical faith of the Moravians as the work of Spangenberg.”   “It restored the faith of many on whom the blight of a proud reason had fallen and delivered Protestant Christianity of the early nine-teenth century from the delusions of rationalism.”   “It saved Western Europe from infidelity.” 

How such a work as “The Idea,” so influential and widely blessed of God, could have been lost to long generations of the Moravian Church, especially her administrators and religious leaders, so that few volumes can now be found, and those that still exist are to be looked for only in the unused sections of the libraries or more likely among the obsolete volumes of the archives, is not for those who write this Foreword to explain, for we ourselves might also be found among those guilty of oversight and neglect. It is our privilege to rejoice and be encouraged that, through the foresight and generosity of a small group of our loyal and devoted laity, this same “Idea Fidei Fratrum” is to be given back to us

Fraternally,    Edmund Schwarze

                        J. Kenneth Pfohl,

  For me, Idea Fidei Fratrum, though antiquated in language and expression, contained the heart of the Christian message I had uniquely come to know and understand through the Moravian Church, which is the message of God’s love, uniquely known in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The timeless message of the Christian gospel- Christ and Him Crucified – is clearly communicated in the pages of his theology, and I commend it to lay persons, theological students, clergy and educators - to anyone searching for gems of belief that have characterized and formed the Moravian understanding of faith.

   Finally, in a day and age when we must continually be well informed about our faith and practice, I heartily recommend Spangenberg’s theology for any who seek to understand the heart of the Moravian faith experience. As always, may our Lord and Savior be glorified through the use of this volume and it is to the praise of His Name that this new edition is presented for use by Moravians and the wider Christian Church.

 Lane A. Sapp,
 Aug.19, 2005