Christoph Karl Ludwig von Pfeil

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Christoph Karl Ludwig von Pfeil

Christoph (rarely: Christian ) Karl Ludwig Baron von Pfeil (born January 20, 1712 in Grünstadt , † February 14, 1784 in Unterdeufstetten near Crailsheim ) was a lawyer, diplomat, minister of state, Protestant song poet and writer .

Life

He was born as the son of the later Upper Court Assessor Quirin Heinrich von Pfeil and his wife Anna Beata born in Württemberg . von Breitschwerdt-Ehningen, daughter of the lawyer Philipp Leonhard von Breitschwerdt (1654–1712), whose epitaph has been preserved in the Marienkirche in Ehningen . The father came from the Silesian noble family von Pfeil and at that time was in Grünstadt, in the service of the Counts of Liningian . The Counts of Leiningen also became godparents and later a precious, silver-clad Bible was owned by the family, which the Countess had given as a baptism gift.

Christoph Karl Ludwig von Pfeil studied from 1728 in Halle , where he was influenced by August Hermann Francke , and then in Tübingen law. He experienced his Christian conversion under the influence of his sister who lived in Stuttgart. On October 12, 1734 he married Anna Maria von Fürst and Kupferberg (1716–1794), sister of the Prussian lawyer Maximilian von Fürst and Kupferberg . In 1737, Pfeil accepted a position as a statesman and administrator in Württemberg, which he continued as Minister of State in Prussia with brilliant success from 1763 . Since 1760 he was an honorary member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and in 1761 acquired the Unterdeufstetten manor as a residence, where he is buried in the castle chapel.

Von-Pfeil-Straße is named after him in Grünstadt, where he was born.

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Pfeil was also a prolific hymn poet and religious writer. During his life he had 940 songs printed himself. He also wrote a rhyming translation of several parts of the Bible.

Inspired by a Bible adaptation by Johann Albrecht Bengel (“Declared Revelation Johannis”), which was published in 1740, Pfeil had a collection of poems about this book entitled “Apocalyptic songs of the revealed glory and future of the Lord for those who were the provosts” in 1741 He used to read Bengel's explanation and speeches about the same “print. This work was so successful in its time that further editions could follow in 1743 and 1753.

His religious influence in evangelical-pietist circles was strong. For example, it is known of the evangelical Berlin teacher and songwriter Friedrich Samuel Dreger that he experienced Christian conversion because of a hymn arrow. His great-granddaughter Henriette von Seckendorff-Gutend was also decisively influenced by him.

Publications

  • 1741 a collection of poems for the book of Revelation by John
  • 1747 "Evangelischer Liedpsalter" with a preface by Bengel.
  • 1782 "Memminger Gesangbuch" (selection of his songs)
  • 1783 "Dinkelsbühler Gesangbuch" (selection of his songs)

In Albert Knapp's collection "Evangelischer Liederschatz" from 1865 there are still 22 songs.

Of his hymns, the Evangelical Church Hymn book (EKG), which was in use until 1993, included the song “Prayer Church, Heilge dich” under number 275, to a text in the Revelation of John (Chapter 8, verses 3–5)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Website on the Breitschwerdt epitaph in Ehningen.
  2. ^ Heinrich Merz: The life of the Christian poet and minister Christoph Karl Ludwig von Pfeil , Stuttgart, 1863, pp. 8-10; ( Digital view ).
  3. ↑ ibid, p. 14, (digital view).
  4. ^ Genealogical website.
personal data
SURNAME Pfeil, Christoph Karl Ludwig von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pfeil, Christian Karl Ludwig Reichsfreiherr von; Pfeil, Christoph Carl Ludwig Freiherr von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German lawyer, diplomat, minister of state, evangelical religious song poet and writer
DATE OF BIRTH January 20, 1712
PLACE OF BIRTH Grünstadt
DATE OF DEATH January 20, 1784
Place of death Unterdeufstetten near Crailsheim