Johann Gerhard Oncken
Encyclopedia
German Baptist
The German Baptists movement was founded as a fusion of the Anabaptist and Radical Pietist movements. German Baptists are not to be confused with Primitive, Separate, Southern, Particular, and all other mainline Baptist denominations who, although generally unified on rudimentary doctrines such as...
preacher, variously referred to as the "Father of Continental Baptists", the "Father of German Baptists" and the "Apostle of European Baptists". Oncken, Gottfried Wilhelm Lehmann (1799–1882), and Julius Wilhelm Köbner (1806–1884) were known as the Baptist cloverleaf (kleeblatt). J. G. Oncken helped direct and guide the growth of Baptists throughout Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and across much of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for half a century.
Early life
Johann Gerhard Oncken was born in VarelVarel
Varel is a town in the district of Friesland, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Jade River and the Jade Bight, approx. 15 km south of Wilhelmshaven, and 30 km north of Oldenburg.- Notable natives :...
, a town in the Duchy of Oldenburg. His father was exiled for political reasons, his mother died, and his grandmother raised him. As a child, Oncken was baptized a Lutheran, and confirmed in 1814.
About that time, Oncken was apprenticed to a Scottish merchant. Oncken moved to Scotland and worked in the merchant's business, later working as a tutor in Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
(now part of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
) and subsequently moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In Scotland Oncken first attended the Kirk (Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
), whilst also reading the writings of Anglican James Hervey
James Hervey
James Hervey was an English clergyman and writer.-Life:He was born at Hardingstone, near Northampton, and was educated at the grammar school of Northampton, and at Lincoln College, Oxford. Here he came under the influence of John Wesley and the Oxford Methodists, especially since he was a member...
. When he moved to London he attended worship in an Independent church (Congregationalist). He was converted at Great Queen Street Methodist Chapel in London in 1820.
By 1823 Oncken had returned to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as an agent of the British Continental society
Continental society
The Continental Society for the Diffusion of Religious Knowledge over the Continent of Europe was an evangelical Christian missionary society founded in London in 1819 for the propagation of the evangelical faith on the continent of Europe and existing as a separate entity until 1840 .The...
for the Diffusion of Religious Knowledge over the Continent of Europe. At the time, he was a member of the English Reformed Church under the care of T. W. Matthews. The first Sunday School in Germany was formed in 1825, through the work of Oncken and a Reverend Rautenberg. In 1828, Oncken received an appointment from the Edinburgh Bible Society. He spent over half a century distributing tracts and Bibles, and in 1879 he estimated he given out over two million Bibles.
Family
Oncken married Sarah Mann of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on May 19, 1828. He and Sarah had seven children. She died in 1845, leaving five surviving children. In 1847, Oncken married a widow from Yorkshire named Ann Dogshun. Both Oncken's children and the Hamburg congregation fully accepted her. Ann died in 1873. She and Oncken had no children. In 1875, Oncken married Jane Clark. Jane was a member of Spurgeon's Tabernacle in London.
Adoption of Baptist views
Though Oncken lived in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and was converted in London, there is no existing evidence of any contact with the English Baptists. The evangelical Christianity of Scotland was influenced the Haldane brothers
Robert Haldane
-Biography:Haldane was born in London, the son of James Haldane 2nd of Airthrey House, and his wife Katherine Duncan. His younger brother James Alexander Haldane was also a clergyman...
, and it is known that at least later Oncken made contact with them. Oncken apparently arrived at a "Baptist" position on believer's baptism (and baptism by immersion) by degrees through personal Bible study. By 1826, though still a member of a church that taught infant baptism, he appears to have decided against it, for in that year he refused to present his child for the ceremony. He discussed the baptism issue with T. W. Matthews (his pastor), C. F. Lange (one of his first converts) and others. Matthews became convinced that he should be baptized by immersion, resigned his church and traveled to England to be baptized. In 1829, Oncken corresponded with James Haldane of Scotland. Haldane recommended that Oncken baptize himself, as John Smyth had done. Oncken thought this appeared to be without Biblical authority, and said of Haldane's advice, "Even great men are able to err." Oncken also corresponded with Joseph Ivimey. Ivimey invited him to come to London and receive believer's baptism. Oncken had also told his story to Calvin Tubbs, a sea captain. Tubbs told Oncken's story to the (American Baptist) Triennial Convention. In 1833, Barnas Sears, a professor at Hamilton College, visited Germany for studies. Having heard the story, he made it a point to find and speak to Oncken. By 1834, Oncken had made a final decision. Sears traveled from Halle, where he was studying, to Hamburg, and baptized Oncken, his wife and five others in the Elbe on April 22. The baptism was performed at night. German authorities felt that people being dipped in the river was an offence to public morals. The next day, Sears organized them into a church body. This church in Hamburg is the oldest surviving Baptist church in Europe. The church quickly grew to 68 members by 1836, but after that year persecution temporarily halted its growth. Though the Baptists initially engaged in performing baptisms at night, in 1837 Oncken began to baptize openly. The civil authorities gave them peace for a while after the Hamburg fire of 1842, due to the help the Baptists gave to the people of the city. In 1848 and 1850, German citizens gained a degree of religious liberty, making it possible for the Baptists to preach publicly and openly.
In 1848, Oncken was involved in founding Das Missionblatt, the first Baptist paper published regularly in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In 1849, he began to hold organized classes with his students, and in 1880 a four year seminary was established in Hamburg. He was also influential in the German Baptist confession of faith issued in 1847, and the organization of the Union of Baptist Congregations in 1849.
Relations with Mennonites
While in Hamburg, Oncken became acquainted with Jacob Gysbert van der Smissen, a MennoniteMennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
deacon. Oncken visited Mennonite churches in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1833, preaching in the area for about six weeks. Under the encouragement of Abraham Unger, Oncken visited the Mennonite Brethren Church in the Chortitza
Chortitza
Chortitza Colony was a Russian Mennonite settlement northwest of Khortytsia Island and is now part of Zaporizhia, Ukraine. Chortitza was founded in 1789 by...
colony in 1869, assisting in the ordinations of Abraham Unger as elder, Aaron Lepp as minister, and Benjamin Nickel and Cornelius Unger as deacons. After he left, Oncken continued to correspond with the group. A problem arose between Oncken and the Mennonite Brethren when the church banned tobacco use and excommunicated several members who used it. Oncken used tobacco and did not agree with the church action in this case.
Last years
By 1878, Oncken was growing physically weaker daily. In physical weakness and suffering, he drew comfort from knowing "that Christ, having loved him, loved him to the end." He resigned as agent for the various tract and Bible societiesBible society
A Bible society is a non-profit organization devoted to translating, publishing, distributing the Bible at affordable costs and advocating its credibility and trustworthiness in contemporary cultural life...
that he was serving, but continued to pastor. The Scottish Bible Society gave him a pension. Late in 1879, Oncken suffered a stroke. His physical condition compelled him to retire in 1881. He moved to Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
where he died peacefully on January 2, 1884. He told his family that his name "was inscribed in Heaven's roll, and that his hope was sure." His body was taken to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
for interment. Köbner preached the funeral sermon from Psalm 73:24, "Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory." J. G. Oncken was then buried in the Reformed Church Cemetery in Hamburg. Two verses of Scripture were placed on his grave: "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5), and "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers" (Acts
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
2:42).
Summary
J. G. Oncken was truly an international man - converted in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, baptized by an American in Germany, he traveled across the European continent to preach the gospel and give out Bibles. He conducted "preaching tours" in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, as well as visiting Britain and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was born a Lutheran, was converted at a Methodist meeting, adopted Baptist views and possessed a relationship with the Mennonites. During his ministry as a Baptist preacher, J. G. Oncken constituted over 280 Baptist churches and 1222 preaching stations. He founded over 170 churches in Scandinavia and the Slavic states. He also formed 771 Sunday Schools in Germany. His ministry even extended indirectly to places such as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Several of the German Baptist settlers in Australia, influenced by Oncken and following in his footsteps, were active in sharing the Gospel with their fellow countrymen, thereby establishing the Baptist work among German immigrants. One such German Baptist minister in Australia was Hermann Windolf who in his memoirs records coming to Australia in 1878 but before doing so called on Oncken at his home in Hamburg.
Oncken's theology can be described as conservative, Calvinistic, and evangelistic. He favored ministerial education, but not at the expense of spiritual preparation. He held spiritual gifts as a priority over academic preparation. His zealous methods of preaching and evangelism laid the foundation and set the example for many years to come. His work continues to leave a mark on the Baptists of Germany and Europe.