Philipp Spener
German Lutheran theologian who founded the Pietist movement.
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via Wikipedia: Philipp Spener · see source
Philipp Jakob Spener was a German Lutheran theologian who founded Pietism, born on 23 January 1635 in Rappoltsweiler, Upper Alsace.[1][2] His movement emphasized personal transformation through spiritual rebirth and renewal.[3]
Life and work
From 1659 to 1662 he visited Basel, Tübingen, and Geneva, where his religious views turned toward mysticism.[2] Returning to Strasbourg in 1663, he became a preacher without pastoral duties.[4] In 1686 he became first court chaplain at Dresden, but offended Elector John George III by condemning court morals.[4] In 1691 he moved to Berlin as rector of St Nicholas and counsellor of the Marcher Consistory.[2]
His last important work was Theologische Bedenken (1700–1702).[2] At Strasbourg, Spener pursued studies in philology, history, and philosophy, and in 1653 he obtained his master's degree by defending a disputation that argued against Thomas Hobbes's philosophy.[2] After that, he served as a private tutor for the Palatinate princes Christian and Charles, while also giving lectures in philology and history at the university.[2] The founding of the University of Halle in 1694 occurred due to Spener's influence.[2]
What the cited sources add
A 2006 book by Christopher Clark states that Spener was invited to Frankfurt three years after returning to Strasbourg, and that his Dresden appointment came in 1686.[4] The same source notes that Spener refused to resign when the Elector was offended by his moral condemnations.[4] According to Howard C. Kee and coauthors (1998), Spener stressed personal transformation and put forward six reform proposals in Pia Desideria, which advocated for private Scripture study and greater lay participation.[3][5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Philipp Spener" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Philipp Jakob Spener. Retrieved 8 October 2020. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Philipp Spener" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Philipp Spener" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Howard C. Kee et al., Christianity: A Social and Cultural History, 2nd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998), 344–45.; Philip Jacob Spener, Pia Desideria, trans. Theodore G. Tappert (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1964), 87–122. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Philipp Spener" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Christopher Clark: "Iron Kingdom", 2006. p 125 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Philipp Spener" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Philip Jacob Spener, Pia Desideria, trans. Theodore G. Tappert (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1964), 87–122.; Howard C. Kee et al., Christianity: A Social and Cultural History, 2nd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998), 345. (original not read by us) 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 Philipp Spener (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.
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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: Philipp Spener (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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