tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36100279.post810596039417682153..comments2023-11-02T06:18:52.845-05:00Comments on Past Elder : A Different (Russian) St Nicholas, 17 July 2012.Past Elderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541968132598367551noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36100279.post-85597755653434548202012-07-18T16:02:32.656-05:002012-07-18T16:02:32.656-05:00Just a small additional note – one of those ironie...Just a small additional note – one of those ironies of life, or full circles. In 1981 my stepfather’s sister told me, her face gleaming with joy, “Nikolai II has been declared a saint.” My response was, “With us Lutherans he was one ever since his Baptism.” The daughter of the former Lutheran adjutant of Nicholas II raised her arms in a gesture that indicated, “well, that does not really count.”<br /><br />George A. MarquartAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36100279.post-80664198795086793122012-07-17T13:59:52.778-05:002012-07-17T13:59:52.778-05:00Yesterday was my stepfather’s birthday; he is 118 ...Yesterday was my stepfather’s birthday; he is 118 years old (God is a God of the living, or as Martin Luther wrote, “For the humanity of Christ has not been from eternity, like the divinity; but, as we reckon and write, Jesus, the Son of Mary, is 1543 years old this year.”). For most of his life on earth he regretted that the day which he should, and did celebrate, was the day on which Czar Nikolai II and his family were murdered. His name is Baron George von Meyendorff and his father was adjutant to the Czar. Nikolai II had a phenomenal memory for people. My stepfather tells the following story, “We were at the Czar’s Christmas party when I was 10 or so years old. Suddenly I found myself in front of the Czar and he asked me, ‘Young man, how are you doing in school?’ Since it was considered bad manners to say anything good about yourself, my stepfather replied, “Not so very good, your Highness.’ Some time later during the party he found himself in front of the Czar again, who said to him, ‘Young man, I have just spoken with your father, and he told me that you are doing rather well in school. You must always be truthful when you speak with the Czar.’”<br /> <br />My stepfather’s father had been a Lutheran, but he converted to Russian Orthodoxy when he married his beloved Helen (countess Elena Pavlovna Schuvalova, daughter of the former Russian prime minister, who kept the peace in Europe with his friend, Otto von Bismarck), because the law allowed only Russian Orthodox nobility to marry. But as a sign of protest, he had a larger than life-size statue of Martin Luther erected on his estate in Kumna, Estonia. I remember seeing that statue (and being frightened by it) as a three year old. It was no longer there when I visited Kumna in 1980; the Soviets took it down in 1949. This is the web site which shows the monument on an old postcard, with the name “Baron Meyendorff” clearly visible on the plaque: http://digar.nlib.ee/digar/show/?id=70303<br /><br />My mother’s ancestors were farmers from Saxony who followed Catherine the Great’s invitation to settle in southern Russia. About 60 years ago I asked my mother in what language services were held when she was growing up; “German of course” was the response. From this I understood that the faith of those German farmers was very much a part of their culture. They never made an effort to spread “Luthers gut Lehr” among their neighbors.<br /><br />I am delighted that Lutheran churches now exist throughout Russia, and that their language is Russian. I do note that every once in a while some German words creep in, and this will continue to be a barrier for some Russians.<br /><br />Finally, about Catherine the Great. In my opinion she is the only ruler of Russia ever, whose first priority was the welfare of her people. It is not always clear, but you have to remember that she was ruler in an environment that had been created over hundreds of years, and she knew that she could not change it overnight. Peter the Great? No, his concern was the power and respect the nation should have; the people were just means to that end.<br /><br />Peace and Joy!<br />George A. MarquartAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36100279.post-52069070087073120432012-07-12T04:56:12.261-05:002012-07-12T04:56:12.261-05:00There is also the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Ch...There is also the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church. They were helped at first by our LCMS seminary in Fort Wayne. www.siberianlutheranmissions.com+ Robert Wursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15008815491725578262noreply@blogger.com