Esdras Edzardus
Esdras Edzardus (also Edzard or incorrectly Edzardi) (* June 28, 1629 in Hamburg ; † January 1, 1708 there ) was a German orientalist , private scholar and activist of the Jewish mission .
Life
Edzardus was the son of a Lutheran pastor in Hamburg. After completing his education at the Johanneum in Hamburg and the grammar school there , he studied theology and oriental languages for a total of 10 years from 1647 , including in Leipzig and Wittenberg . He also acquired knowledge of Judaism and the Talmud . In 1656 he was licensed in theology in Rostock . When he returned to Hamburg, Edzardus decided not to accept an ecclesiastical office, but to work as a private scholar living on his fortune.
He taught Hebrew and Jewish literature free of charge to Christians . He enjoyed such a good reputation in it that other orientalists sent their students to him. One of his students was August Hermann Francke . His main activity, however, was the mission for the Lutheran faith, especially among the Jews . In 1667 he established a "proselyte institute". His mission to the Jews was privately initiated by him and his followers, but could rely on the support of the Hamburg clergy and the citizens. Later he donated, partly from his private fortune, a fund to support the converts , which was topped up with donations. 148 Jews had been baptized up to his death, mostly not from the Hamburg community.
Edzardus was supported by the Lutheran pastors, some of whom were anti-Judaistic . His missionary work posed an additional threat to the Jewish communities in an already difficult situation. The conversion of young people led to conflicts with Hamburg's Jews several times .
Some of his sons continued his missionary work outside of Hamburg. The proselyte institute still exists today. It was initially continued by Sebastian and Georg Elieser Edzardus and restructured in 1761 with a board of clergymen and professors. In the 19th century, its main task was to convey Christian content to converts. The foundation was dissolved in 1942, but was re-established in 1945. Today the Edzardi Foundation supports Christians in Israel.
literature
- Jutta Braden: Mission to the Jews. In: Kirsten Heinsohn (ed.): The Jewish Hamburg. Wallstein 2006, ISBN 3-8353-0004-0 , p. 132.
- Jutta Braden: Hamburg's Jewish Policy in the Age of Lutheran Orthodoxy. 1590-1710. Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-7672-1355-9 .
- Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz : Edzard, Esdras. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 1464.
- Walter Windfuhr : Edzard (us), Esdras. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1959, ISBN 3-428-00185-0 , p. 318 ( digitized version ).
- Karl Rudolf Wilhelm Klose : Edzardus, Esdras . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 5, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, p. 650 f.
- Hans Schröder : Lexicon of Hamburg writers up to the present , Volume 2, Dassovius-Günther, Hamburg, 1854, p. 126ff., No. 877
- Edzardi, Esras. In: Johann Heinrich Zedler : Large complete universal lexicon of all sciences and arts . Volume 8, Leipzig 1734, column 278 f.
Web links
- Works by and about Esdras Edzardus in the German Digital Library
- Publications by and about Esdras Edzardus in VD 17 .
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Edzardus, Esdras |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Edzard, Esdras; Edzardi, Esdras |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German theologian and missionary to Jews |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 28, 1629 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Hamburg , Germany |
DATE OF DEATH | January 1, 1708 |
Place of death | Hamburg , Germany |