Friedrich Schleiermacher
German theologian who reconciled Enlightenment criticism with Protestant Christianity.
Last updated
Jörg Zägel · CC BY-SA 3.0
Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher was a German Reformed theologian, pastor, philosopher, and biblical scholar.[1] He is often called "the father of modern theology" and "the father of liberal German theology"[2][3] Schleiermacher died of pneumonia on 12 February 1834 at age 65.[4]
Life and work
Schleiermacher was born in Breslau in Prussian Silesia on 21 November 1768.[1][5] He started his formal education in a Moravian school at Niesky and at Barby near Magdeburg.[5] After the Battle of Jena he returned to Berlin, was appointed pastor of Trinity Church, and married Henriette von Willich on 18 May 1809.[1] During his theological studies, Schleiermacher did not focus on the Old Testament or Oriental languages, instead choosing his own reading path, but he did go to lectures given by Semler and Eberhard.[1]
What the cited sources add
The Boston Collaborative Encyclopedia states that Schleiermacher attended Moravian schools and was influenced by Moravian pietism.[2] Against his father's wishes, he left the Moravian seminary and enrolled at the University of Halle in 1787.[2] The same source notes that after a failed romance he left Berlin in 1804 to become a professor at Halle.[2] Knox's article reports that Schleiermacher's father was a Reformed pastor who was an "Enlightenment" Moravian Pietist.[3]
Knox also states that Schleiermacher rejected the necessity of Christ's vicarious sacrifice.[3] The Boston Collaborative Encyclopedia notes that Schleiermacher died in 1834 after a brief illness and many writings were published posthumously.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Friedrich Schleiermacher" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
- Boston Collaborative Encyclopedia of Western Theology: Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (1768–1834). facts only, no text reused. people.bu.edu
- Knox, "Friedrich Schleiermacher: A Theological Precursor of Postmodernity?", Church Life Journal, November 23, 2018. facts only, no text reused. churchlifejournal.nd.edu
- Wikipedia, "Friedrich Schleiermacher" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Knox, "Friedrich Schleiermacher: A Theological Precursor of Postmodernity?", Church Life Journal, November 23, 2018 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Friedrich Schleiermacher" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Boston Collaborative Encyclopedia of Western Theology: Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (1768–1834); (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Friedrich Schleiermacher (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Philosophers
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Friedrich Schleiermacher (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced
