Georg Heinrich Berkhan (theologian)

Georg Heinrich Berkhan, copper engraving by WH Mewes, 1786

Georg Heinrich Berkhan (born August 30, 1747 in Boffzen , † December 7, 1795 in Hamburg ) was a German Evangelical Lutheran theologian and chief pastor at Sankt Katharinen in Hamburg.

Life

"Georg Heinrich Berkhan", double collecting grave plate, Ohlsdorf cemetery

Berkhan was born as the son of the pastor at the Braunschweiger Sankt Andreas Church Johann Karl Berkhan (1709–1782) and his wife Sophie Magdalene Wegener (1718–1784) in Boffzen, where his father was a preacher at the Erlöserkirche . He attended the Katharineum in Braunschweig, studied theology at the University of Helmstedt from 1768 and at the Georg-August University of Göttingen from 1770 , also devoted himself to church history and the oriental languages and completed his studies here in 1771. He returned to Braunschweig and was accepted as a candidate for the ministry . In 1775 he received the pastor's position in Esbeck and in 1777 married Amalie Lüdgens (1750–1777), who died as early as 1778 as a result of a premature birth. In the same year Berkhan was appointed as a deacon at the Holy Spirit Church in Magdeburg , married Johanna Anger (1762–1792) in 1779 and in 1785 became archdeacon . In Magdeburg Berkhan was also head of the trading school. His predecessor at the trading school, the consistorial councilor Joachim Christoph Bracke , had been appointed to the main church Sankt Nikolai in Hamburg, and on his recommendation Berkhan became main pastor at the main church Sankt Katharinen in Hamburg on February 8, 1787. The composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach designed his inauguration musically. In Hamburg Berkhan married Catharina Misler (1762–1825), a daughter of the senior secretary Johann Gottfried Misler (1720–1789) in 1794 . The son Georg Heinrich Berkhan (1794–1868) comes from this marriage . Berkhan died of biliary fever in 1795 at the age of only 48.

Georg Heinrich Berkhan is commemorated on the double collecting grave plate, main pastors to St. Katharinen / pastors to St. Katharinen of the Althamburg Memorial Cemetery, Ohlsdorf Cemetery .

Works (selection)

Inaugural sermon on the epistle on the 17th Sunday after Trinity. In d. Salvation. Spirit Church held October 11th, 1778 . Magdeburg 1778 ( online at Google Books).
New confession and communion book, specially set up for use in general confessional preparation . Magdeburg 1786 ( digitized on the pages of the Lower Saxony State and University Library Göttingen).
Sermon in memory of our great King, Frederick the Second, who rested in God . Faber, Magdeburg 1786 ( digitized on the pages of the University and State Library of Saxony-Anhalt).
Farewell sermon, given on the 2nd Sunday of Advent in 1786 . Magdeburg 1786.
Inaugural sermon, delivered on the day of the introduction, February 8, 1787 . Hamburg 1787.
Prayers for the youth, in songs . Hamburg 1795.

literature

Friedrich Schlichtegroll : Necrology for the year 1795 . 6th year, 2nd volume Justus Perthes, Gotha 1798, p. 237–266 ( digitized from Google Books).
Hans Schröder : Lexicon of the Hamburg writers up to the present . tape 1 , no. 276 . Perthes-Besser & Mauke, Hamburg 1851 ( facsimile on the pages of the Hamburg State and University Library).
Bernhard Koerner (ed.): German gender book . tape 27 . Starke, Görlitz 1914, p. 115–116 (also Hamburg gender book. Volume 5. Starke, Görlitz 1914.).

Web links

Commons : Georg Heinrich Berkhan - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Portrait of Geo. Hein. Berkhan. 1795. In: Portraitsammlung. State and University Library Hamburg, accessed on November 2, 2014 .

Individual evidence

↑ Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach : Text on the music, when the Venerable, devout and profoundly devout Mr. Georg Heinrich Berkhan, February 8th, 1787, was consecrated as the main pastor at the St. Catharine Church in Hamburg . Peter Nicolaus Bruns, Hamburg 1787 ( digitized on the website of the Berlin State Library).

predecessor	Office	successor
Johann Melchior Goeze	Chief pastor to St. Katharinen in Hamburg 1786–1795	Rudolf Jänisch

personal data
SURNAME	Berkhan, Georg Heinrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German theologian
DATE OF BIRTH	August 30, 1747
PLACE OF BIRTH	Boffzen
DATE OF DEATH	December 7, 1795
Place of death	Hamburg

[1] Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach : Text on the music, when the Venerable, devout and profoundly devout Mr. Georg Heinrich Berkhan, February 8th, 1787, was consecrated as the main pastor at the St. Catharine Church in Hamburg . Peter Nicolaus Bruns, Hamburg 1787 ( digitized on the website of the Berlin State Library).