Zeugnisse and Werkzeuge cannot be reduced simply to numbers. However, a visual display of quantitative information regarding the who, what, where, and how many regarding Zeugnisse and Werkzeuge can help us see patterns and trends regarding ebbs and flows in Inspirationist activity.
Testimonies per year and Werkzeug duration for 1714 – 1749
Nearly 4,000 testimonies were delivered by 17 Werkzeuge during the 35 years from the founding of the Wahren Inspirirten until the death of J.F. Rock.
The graph below correlates the number of testimonies (quantity) that were delivered in a year (time) with the Werkzeuge who were active in those years (duration).
Time: Each year from 1714 through 1749
Quantity: The sum total number of testimonies delivered in a year by all Werkzeuge
Duration: The years in which a Werkzeug was active
For example, in 1716 there were 881 testimonies delivered by Werkzeuge Wagner, Gruber, Rock, Mackinet, Meyer, and Gleim.
Total number of testimonies per Werkzeug for 1714 – 1749
This graph shows the total number of testimonies that each Werkzeug delivered during their period of activity. It is no surprise that J.F. Rock, the longest-serving Werkzeug, also delivered the greatest number of testimonies.
Testimonies per location for 1714 – 1749
This graph shows the number of testimonies delivered by location (for the top 15 locations). During these years Werkzeuge delivered testimonies in more than 300 locations, primarily in German territories, but also in Alsace (France), Switzerland, and Bohemia (Czech Republic).
This section map of the Grossherzogthum Hessen (Grand Duchy of Hesse) shows how seven of the top 15 testimony locations were clustered in that area. (To get a sense of distance, note that Ronneburg and Büdingen are about 5 miles apart.)
A Closer Look: Testimonies per month for 1714 – 1719
This graph illustrates testimony and Werkzeug data at a more granular level by showing the sum total of testimonies per month during the early years of the Inspirationist Awakening, from September 1714 until December 1719. During these 64 months at least 2,978 testimonies were delivered by 16 Werkzeuge.
Individual months from September 1714 through December 1719
Sum total number of all testimonies delivered in a month
Months in which a Werkzeug was active
Notable factors contributing to monthly totals include Schwanfelder’s short but intense burst of activity (Schwanfelder delivered 98 of the 201 total testimonies that month); the five Liebesmahls (Love Feasts); the Einordung of the Gemeinden (hierarchical organization, naming of Vorsteher, etc.); the Untersuchungen (spiritual examination of members); the final Zeugnisse of J.A. Gruber and J.C. Gleim, leaving only J.F. Rock and Ursula Meyer as Werkzeuge; and the final Zeugnis (testimony) of Meyer, leaving Rock as the sole Werkzeug.
