August Neander

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Relief portrait of August Neander on his gravestone, created by Friedrich Drake

August Johann Wilhelm Neander (born January 16, 1789 in Göttingen , † July 14, 1850 in Berlin ) was a German Protestant theologian and professor of church history .

Live and act

He was born as the son of the Jewish businessman Emanuel Mendel and his wife Esther Gottschalk and initially carried the name David Mendel . As a student at the school Johanneum in Hamburg , he made contact with the neupietistischen circles that through the work of Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock had formed, and read the then very influential speeches about the religion of Friedrich Schleiermacher . On February 25, 1806, David Mendel was baptized as a Protestant in Hamburg and gave up his Jewish name. He chose the name Neander "because he wanted to be a new person and took the first names Johann Wilhelm August from his pathos Gurlitt , Neumann [Greek: Neander!] And Varnhagen ".

Autograph by August Neander; Berlin, January 17, 1850

August Neander studied theology and philosophy from 1806 to 1809, first in Halle, then in Göttingen. In 1809 he passed the theological exam in Hamburg, where he initially worked as an assistant preacher. In 1810 he received his doctorate in Wittenberg and completed his habilitation in Heidelberg in 1811, where he was appointed associate professor in 1812. In 1813 he was appointed to Berlin as a full professor of church history and worked there as a respected and influential university professor until the end of his life.

Some consider Neander to be the founder of the more recent Protestant church historiography. Neander's writings present church history as a history of piety, they invite personal "edification". In retrospect he contributed little to the actual historical research, rather he tried, in the sense of revival, "to present the history of the church as a speaking proof of the divine power of Christianity" (Preface to St. Bernhard 1848, p. 12).

His simple but intense language made him an influential pioneer of revival theology . His writings had a lasting effect, especially among students, and encouraged the formation of so-called "edifying circles". His well-known sentence "Pectus est quod facit theologum" (The heart makes the theologians) became the catchphrase of the pectoral theology, the theology of the "pious hearts", named after it. The famous question from Neander's Berlin colleague August Tholuck to his later Halle students, "How is your heart?", Was based on this sentence .

The grave of August Neander in Berlin-Kreuzberg

Neander not only gave lectures at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin , but he was also very helpful when it came to promoting talented students.

In 1845 he was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh .

August Neander died in Berlin in 1850 at the age of 61 and was buried in Cemetery I of the Jerusalem and New Church congregation in front of Hallesches Tor . The relief portrait of his tombstone comes from the sculptor Friedrich Drake . By resolution of the Berlin Senate , the last resting place of August Neander (grave site 111-HW-1) has been dedicated as a Berlin honorary grave since 1980 . The dedication was extended in 2001 by the usual period of twenty years.

Works (in a small selection)

  • About the emperor Julianus and his age. A historical painting . Leipzig 1812.
  • General history of the Christian religion and church . Hamburg 1826–1852 (6 volumes).
  • History of the planting and management of the Christian church by the apostles , as an independent addendum to the general history of the Christian religion and church . Hamburg 1832.
  • The life of Jesus Christ in its historical context and its historical development . Hamburg 1837.
  • Saint Bernard and his age. A historical painting . Gotha 1848 (first 1813).
  • The kingdom of Christ , the kingdom of true freedom and equality . Berlin 1849.

literature

Web links

Commons : August Neander  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: August Neander  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry on the tombstone
  2. ^ Justus Ludwig Jacobi: Neander, August. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 23, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1886, p. 331.
  3. ↑ Nicolaus Heutger:  August Neander. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 6, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-044-1 , Sp. 518-520.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  4. ↑ Leaving certificate for Heinrich August Heussinger, who studied theology at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität (1846/50), 8 pages with details of the lectures attended, grades and professors.
  5. ↑ Autograph by August Neander, written in Berlin on January 17, 1850, as an endorsement for the theology student Heinrich August Heussinger, in order to help him with his difficulties (money worries).
  6. ^ Fellows Directory. Biographical Index: Former RSE Fellows 1783–2002. (PDF file) Royal Society of Edinburgh, accessed March 24, 2020 .
  7. ^ Hans-Jürgen Mende : Lexicon of Berlin burial places . Pharus-Plan, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-86514-206-1 , p. 215.
  8. ↑ Honorary graves of the State of Berlin (as of November 2018) . (PDF, 413 kB) Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection, p. 61; accessed on March 13, 2019. For a time limit of 20 years see: Implementing Regulations for Section 12 Paragraph 6 of the Cemetery Act (AV Ehrengrabstätten) (PDF, 24 kB) of August 15, 2007, Paragraph 10; accessed on March 13, 2019.
personal data
SURNAME Neander, August
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mendel, David (maiden name); Neander, August Johann Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Protestant theologian
DATE OF BIRTH January 16, 1789
PLACE OF BIRTH Goettingen
DATE OF DEATH July 14, 1850
Place of death Berlin