Balthasar Mentzer IV
Balthasar Mentzer IV (born January 12, 1679 in Gießen ; † December 20, 1741 in Hanover ) was a German Lutheran theologian.
Life
The son of Balthasar Mentzer III learned Hebrew from the famous Esdras Edzardus in Hamburg . In 1698 he moved to the universities in Wittenberg and Leipzig and completed his theological candidate exam on December 8, 1702 in Hamburg. In 1703 Mentzer went on a trip to the Rhine and Holland, accompanied by a young businessman. When he returned in 1704 he became an unordinated Monday preacher at St. Catherine's Church in Hamburg , in 1705 he accepted a position as court master with two young Holstein nobles and from 1707 was traveling in Holland and England on family matters.
In London he socialized with the respected theologians of that time and initially preached a lot for the German Lutheran congregation. In 1710 he fell seriously ill and was so paralyzed that he could only walk with crutches for several months. When Johann Esdras Edzardi (1662-1713), the Lutheran preacher at the Trinity Church in London, died in November 1713 , Mentzer gave him the funeral sermon and was elected as his successor. After he was ordained in Hamburg on July 29, 1714, he took up this office. In 1722 Mentzer became consistorial counselor and court preacher in Hanover, became general superintendent of the General Diocese of Calenberg in 1726 , and of the General Diocese of Göttingen from 1735 to 1738 . In 1737 he gave the inauguration sermon at the opening of the University of Göttingen and became one of their first doctors of theology there that same year.
Mentzer intended to publish a British church history which had already been started by Johann Esdras Edzardi. However, he could not find a publisher for this project. In the hymn book by Peter Busch, which appeared in 1737 under the title “Evangelical song theology” and for which Mentzer wrote a preface, there is also a song by him: “Who am I, what is my life”, which is then also included in the Hanover hymn book taken from 1740. As a member of the consistory , Mentzer was also involved in the editing of the last-named hymnbook, namely in the preparatory work for it . In addition, some smaller writings are known from him.
He got married on August 12, 1717 in Hamburg to Johanna Hedwig (* December 26, 1695 † July 15, 1754), the daughter of the Hamburg pastor at St. Michaelis Church, Johann Winckler . This marriage resulted in three sons and a daughter, with one son dying early. His eldest son, Balthasar Mentzer V (born August 27, 1718 in London; † December 12, 1753 Hattorf) became a pastor in Hattorf.
literature
- Menzer, Balthasar Königl. Great Britain. In: Johann Heinrich Zedler : Large complete universal lexicon of all sciences and arts . Volume 20, Leipzig 1739, columns 859-863.
- lu: Mentzer, Balthasar . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 21, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1885, p. 375 f.
- Erwin Preuschen: Mentzer, Balthasar . In: Realencyklopadie for Protestant Theology and Church (RE). 3. Edition. Volume 12, Hinrichs, Leipzig 1903, pp. 636-637.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Vol. IIl p. 642
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mentzer, Balthasar IV |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German Evangelical Lutheran theologian |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 12, 1679 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | to water |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 20, 1741 |
| Place of death | Hanover |