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'MANY FACES OF ZINZENDORF' OPENS SUNDAY IN NAZARETH

Morning Call - Allentown, Pa. Author: The Morning Call

Copyright Morning Call May 6, 1999

Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf, 18th-century patron of the Moravians who founded Nazareth and Bethlehem and the man credited with naming Bethlehem, is the subject of a new exhibit that opens Sunday in the Whitefield House in Nazareth.

"The Many Faces of Zinzendorf" looks at the count, his life and the many roles for which he is both known and little known.

Beginning with his birth in 1700 in Saxony, Germany, the exhibit looks at his background and upbringing and his life as husband and father of 12 children. It examines his work as a Lutheran pietist, the patron and renewer of the Moravian Church, the hymns he wrote and his ideas on ecumenism. The exhibit also portrays his work as a preacher and itinerant, his unprecedented idea of world missions, and the modern influence he has left.

Included are several artifacts owned by the count, including a fragment of ribbon from an honorary order, a waistcoat and a copy of a hymn verse in his own hand. Copies of books he wrote or published and those he influenced are also part of the exhibit. It will continue through Oct. 17.

Organized by the Moravian Historical Society, the exhibit begins a worldwide celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Count Zinzendorf. Publications on his life and work, symposia, exhibits and other events will be part of the celebration, which will continue through 2000.

On Sunday, the exhibit will open with a reception from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission to the museum will be free that day.

The Whitefield House museum, operated by the Moravian Historical Society, is at 214 E. Center St. (Route 191), Nazareth. It is open every day 1 to 4 p.m. and by appointment for group tours. For more information, call 610-759-5070.

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