Monday, June 26, 2006
Missing sermons donated to Center for Communal Studies
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When John M. Lawrence ’73 studied communal societies with Dr. Donald Pitzer in the 1970s, “I had only a dim idea of how deeply he might be drinking at the fountain of utopian dreams,” Pitzer said. In the Center for Communal Studies’ 30th year, Lawrence has donated 28 manuscripts from The Separatist Society of Zoar, German religious dissenters who formed a communal society in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in 1817. Lawrence, who holds an accounting degree from USI, went on to become an international expert on ancient manuscripts. He donated the Zoar Manuscripts in honor of Pitzer, professor of history and director of the Center for Communal Studies. At a ceremony in honor of the donation, Pitzer said, “I am honored to have this gift come to USI in my name. Thank you, John, not just for myself, but for all who will benefit in future years.” The text of the manuscripts is thought to be the sermons or religious discourses of the founder and spiritual leader of Zoar, Joseph Baumler, who later anglicized his name to Bimeler. Named for Lot’s Biblical town of refuge, Zoar struggled economically before shifting to a communal arrangement that allowed it to become self-sustaining. Zoarites grew their own food and sold their products to other towns. By 1852, the community’s assets were valued at more than $1 million. In a letter documenting the authenticity of the manuscripts, Lawrence writes that they were once part of a bound book that was divided in 1890, as the society began to decline in the wake of Bimeler’s death. In 1898, common property was divided among members, with each receiving about 50 acres and $200. Lawrence consulted with two experts on Zoar who agreed the manuscripts are most likely missing original transcriptions of Bimeler’s sermons. “It’s possible that the texts were personally scribed by Joseph Bimeler, but this has not been forensically proven,” Lawrence said. “However, Mr. Bimeler was a teacher and the script is consistent with that used by an educated teacher.” Lawrence acquired the manuscripts from a retiring Lutheran pastor in Cleveland, Ohio, who was given the manuscripts by a descendent of the Zoar community who said, “Take care of them, as they are important.” “The value of these documents to scholars is priceless for reasons that are clearly evident,” Lawrence said. Lawrence received the 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award from the USI Alumni Association. In presenting the award, Pitzer said, “John has certainly distinguished himself among our alumni. He also has remembered his alma mater and its cultural enrichment by donating beautiful, historical manuscripts in the names of professors here who influenced his life and interests. I am personally grateful for the original communal manuscripts John recently placed permanently for research in the Center for Communal Studies.” Lawrence also established the Scavone Awards in Medieval Manuscripts and Culture, and the Melissa Faye Lawrence Endowed Memorial Nursing Scholarship to honor his late wife. He resides in Evansville. Zoar images are from the Ohio Historical Society Web site, www.ohiomemory.org. |
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