Ohio History Journal

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MATTHIAS LOY,

MATTHIAS LOY,

Leader

Of Ohio's

Lutherans

 

 

by C. GEORGE FRY

Among the names of the pioneers who labored to establish a strong Lutheran

Church in Ohio, that of Matthias Loy deserves a prominent place. At the

time of his death in 1915 he was regarded as "one of the most distinguished

theologians of the Lutheran faith in the United States,"1 and in his long

and productive life he had been a "Churchman of varied attainments and

wide usefulness: pastor, professor, editor, author, [and] church leader."2

As an educator, he taught theology and related subjects at Capital Uni-

versity for almost half a century, earning a reputation as the "grand old

man" of the school.3 For nearly a decade he served as president of Capital.

As a journalist, Loy edited the official periodical of the Evangelical Lutheran

Joint Synod of Ohio, the Lutheran Standard, from 1864 until 1890. Con-

sidered a "religious author of note,"4 he composed hymns, compiled litur-

gical formulas and catechisms, published numerous theological treatises,

and translated the works of Luther and other sixteenth century reformers

from Latin and German into English. For thirty-two years Loy was presi-

dent of the Joint Synod, and under his direction it expanded from its

original home in the upper Ohio Valley to establish congregations in more

than half the states of the Union and in Canada and Australia. Esteemed

as "one of the greatest conservative leaders of the Lutheran Church,"5 Dr.

Matthias Loy did more than any other individual to affect the development,

doctrine, and destiny of Ohio Lutheranism during the latter half of the

nineteenth century.

 

 

NOTES ON PAGE 267