Grete Gillet
Grete Gillet (* July 23, 1895 in Nienburg an der Weser; † June 2, 1970 in Heidelberg ), as one of the first theologians and the longest-serving theologian in Germany, made a significant contribution to paving the way for women in the pastoral profession . She was a co-founder of the Association of Protestant Theologians in Germany and since 1940 she has headed the women's work at the Evangelical Church in Baden . She was the editor of the monthly magazine “ Der Kreis. A sheet for evangelical women ”and after the war she worked full-time as head of women's work in Baden .
Life
Grete Gillet was the only child of the married couple Franz and Agnes Gillet. Her father came from near Malmedy on the border with Belgium and was Catholic, her mother, nee Wirker, came from Lower Saxony and was Protestant. The parents were married as a Protestant and Grete was raised as a Protestant. She spent her childhood and youth in Hanover , where the family moved in 1901 after her father was transferred - he was a land registry clerk.
Imprints in childhood and youth
She wrote about her childhood: “Although I was the only child spoiled in some ways, my childhood without siblings and due to different circumstances was not entirely happy. I became a gifted, precocious, lonely child who would rather live in the world of dreams than in reality. "
Two events were of particular importance to her: Confirmation on Palm Sunday 1910, which gave her vague longings a fixed direction towards the eternal. Your confirmation saying from the Gospel of John “I am the light of the world; Whoever follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life ”( Jn 8,12 LUT ) accompanied her all her life.
The second event was her entry into the Free German youth movement , the Wandervogel . There she got to know and love nature on hikes, found life goals and like-minded people, gained self-confidence. In 1915 she passed the Abitur at the Sophia School in Hanover and began to study religion, German and history in Marburg with the aim of becoming a teacher . Her interest in theological science was quickly aroused. In the winter semester of 1916/1917 she moved to Berlin, where she was involved in a social district project, the “Social Working Group Berlin-East”, while studying.
Turning to theology
In the summer semester of 1917 she moved to Heidelberg and switched to theology . She studied the New Testament with Martin Dibelius . As one of the first women in Germany, Grete Gillet was admitted to the theological faculty for the so-called licentiate examination on April 10, 1919 . Her doctoral thesis with the title Gospel, Studies on the Early Christian Mission Language was awarded “magna cum laude”. The war drove her "to theology and to the church", she later noted, "since the war robbed me of a dear hope, a better future, right at the beginning of my studies, I had to take on another, life-fulfilling task" turn to.
Grete Gillet stayed in Baden, which became her second home. It may have played a role that the Baden regional church was the first church to admit women to theological examination in 1915. Elsbeth Oberbeck had taken the 1st and 1917 the 2nd theological exam here in 1916. Grete Gillet probably hoped that it would be easier here as a theologian to find employment and career prospects. In the spring of 1919 she passed the first theological exam before the Evangelical High Church Council in Karlsruhe and, after her practical theological training, the second theological exam in the spring of 1920. In contrast to her male fellow students, she was not accepted into the regional church service.
Work as a community helper
She worked, employed by the Waldkirch parish, as a “parish helper”, held children's services and Bible lessons, headed the workers 'association and the girls' union, visited women and girls in hospitals and also in prison, and did written work for the pastor. She was not even allowed to call herself “pastor's assistant” because that could have been misunderstood as representing the pastor. This is how the justification was formulated by the Oberkirchenrat. It took more than 40 years before theologians in Baden were allowed to call themselves pastors in 1962. A few months before her retirement, Grete Gillet was also awarded this title.
Regional church service
When the community could no longer finance the position in 1923, Grete Gillet - the first woman - was accepted into the regional church service. She was employed as a religion teacher in Mannheim , teaching for the next 16 years at vocational and technical schools for girls and young women. In 1928 she was accepted into the civil service as a civil servant candidate. In 1930 she was given the title of "Professor", which was withdrawn from her in 1940 by a decree by the Minister for Culture and Education. When she was dismissed by the state of Baden in 1935 (the Nazi government increasingly obstructed the provision of religious education until it was completely abolished in vocational and technical schools in 1938), she was taken back into the church service. And in 1936 (!) She was subsequently accepted among the Baden parish candidates of the year 1920a (the year in which she had passed the second theological exam). She herself saw the reason for her resignation in her church-loyal attitude and her membership of the Confessing Church .
Parish service as vicar
In 1938, because of a hearing impairment, she applied to be transferred to Karlsruhe to work with women. The church leadership supported this, the finance department set up by the Reich Ministry for Church Affairs in the Oberkirchenrat rejected the application. It took more years before Grete Gillet was able to switch to women's work, part-time from 1940 and full-time from 1942.
On January 23, 1944, Grete Gillet and eight other theologians were “consecrated to serve as vicar” in the Karlsruhe Palace Church. The women were not ordained; the ordination and the related rights and obligations of the Annunciation, the administration of the sacraments, the church leadership remained men reserved. Nevertheless, the vicars were sent to the parishes that were orphaned due to the war to do their parish service. The external emergency situation made the previous theological concerns about women in the pastoral office recede and lifted the restriction of women theologians to the service of women and children. In November 1944, Grete Gillet was delegated to the parish of Heidelberg-Pfaffengrund . The office of women's work and the secretary Lore Sauder moved with them for “practical” reasons after the office building in Karlsruhe was badly damaged after a bomb attack.
Development of women's work after the war
After the war, Grete Gillet returned to Karlsruhe and devoted herself to building up women's work with all her might. New employees were hired, the work was reorganized and new tasks were added. She resumed travel, which was particularly arduous in the post-war period, re-established contact with women’s circles throughout the country, and held conferences and set-up times. In the office, working materials were created for the women's groups. The monthly magazine Der Kreis also appeared. A sheet for the evangelical woman for whom she was responsible and who published. In 1949 she gave up the management of women's work and concentrated entirely on theological management.
retirement
On January 1, 1963, Grete Gillet retired at almost 68 years of age. She also worked as an editor for the circle , held conferences and free time, and kept the popular literary evenings in Mannheim and Heidelberg. She was able to celebrate her 70th birthday and the 50th anniversary of her doctorate on April 10, 1969. She died on June 2, 1970 at the age of almost 75 in Heidelberg.
Focus of their work
Full-time religion teacher in the school
Grete Gillet worked as a religion teacher for a total of 16 years. She taught at different types of schools, most of the time at technical and vocational schools for girls and young women in Mannheim. According to her own admission, she really enjoyed teaching. She benefited from the experiences she had made in youth work in Berlin. She understood religious instruction as a church service to the whole person and as an educational mandate. When, from the mid-1930s, denominational religious education was increasingly hindered in the National Socialist-ruled state, she complained: "Today, religious education in schools is shortened in terms of both time and content and is exposed to all the dangers of being flooded with foreign ethnic-religious or anti-Christian elements." In particular, she disrupted “the exit propaganda by the teaching staff. It is not to be said too much to talk about the liquidation of these lessons in this school year ”, she wrote in May 1938 to the church leadership.
In the catechetical sheets published by the regional church since 1937 , which in fact formed the curriculum, the so-called “Unterländer draft” appeared in February 1938, a curriculum for religious instruction in higher schools that Grete Gillet had developed together with some colleagues. The choice of topics showed her pastoral approach to religious education, but also her courage to tackle current and explosive topics in a realistic way. Although not officially approved, this curriculum was a guideline for the active catechists.
Co-founder of the Association of Protestant Theologians in Germany
She was a pioneer in the rectory for women. Grete Gillet took part in the first theological conference in Marburg in 1925. She was one of the founders of the Association of Protestant Theologians in Germany, which celebrated its 90th anniversary as the Convention of Protestant Theologians in Germany in 2015. The association saw itself as representing the interests of those women who were studying theology at German universities or who had already completed their studies. Grete Gillet founded the Baden State Convention, which she headed until 1949. She invited to discussion evenings and set-up times, brought the theologians from Baden, Bavaria, Württemberg, the Palatinate and Switzerland together for regular conferences. She worked on the design and organization of the "office of the theologian" in spiritual and legal terms, ultimately the full pastoral office for women. That's what she advocated. She wrote letters to the church leadership and prepared submissions for the synods. She was a pioneer and champion of the rectory for women. She wrote to the church leadership that it was "perhaps more important that Christ be preached in all sorts of ways than the question of whether by man or woman". The whole question of the proclamation of the word by women has so far been viewed more from "the point of view of ecclesiastical customs and sentiments than from biblical reasons".
It took a while for the church leadership to agree. Nevertheless, as a result of the war, women were used in Baden from 1944 to provide for the orphaned parishes. From today's point of view, they were withdrawn after the end of the war, which is surprisingly natural. The dispute over ordination and full pastoral office for women dragged on for years. It was not until 1971 that the following was valid in the Baden regional church: “The pastor is also a pastor in the sense of the constitution.” With that, equality in the pastoral office was finally achieved.
Grete Gillet remained personally connected to the theological convention. The strengthening community of the sisters was important to her. When in 1970 the question arose whether the association should be dissolved, since equality had been achieved in the pastoral office, she spoke out against it.
Head of women's work
From 1940 Grete Gillet headed the women's work at the Evangelical Church in Baden. After the development and expansion of women's work, the time of probation had come. Concentration on the essentials was required even more than before: Bible study, pastoral care and training work. Songs and prayers were collected and passed on for consolation in difficult times. The travel service was continued, despite all obstacles to the war and also in the event of a bomb alarm. Pastors' wives and parish helpers were trained so that the parishes would not be left without preaching, without consolation and support.
After the war, Grete Gillet returned to Karlsruhe, in order for the first time to head up women's work in Baden on a full-time basis. Confirmation mothers evenings and catechetical groups, lecture and discussion evenings, conferences for pastors and leaders of women's groups - all of this combined with arduous business trips on cold trains. The connection to the women's circles all over Baden had to be rebuilt. A tremendous amount of work was mastered with all efforts. The task of women's work is to give women orientation based on the Gospel for responsible participation in shaping life in all areas, in family and work, in church and society. Grete Gillet formulated this mission, which still defines the self-image of Protestant women in Baden, and fills it with life.
The central communication medium was The Circle. A sheet for the evangelical woman . The booklet was published by the women's work of the Evangelical Church in Baden from 1949 to 1976. The circle owed its creation to Grete Gillet, who was editor of the monthly magazine for over 20 years. The magazine served the women as reading in quiet hours, to read aloud and to give away. But it also established the connection between women throughout the country, between the participants in camps and preparation days, older and younger people, employed people and mothers of families, between refugees, resettlers and long-established residents. Its content included information from the regional church, articles on current family, social and church issues, recommended literature as well as spiritual impulses and Bible studies.
Impetus from Grete Gillet
The Bible in the center
For Grete Gillet, the Bible was the guideline and orientation point for life and faith. She opened up the treasure of the Bible anew and made it accessible, especially for women. Bible studies, theological preparation times and further training in religious education formed an essential focus of her work.
Christ, the light of the world, light of life
The longing for the light of life has accompanied Grete Gillet since her confirmation, shaped her piety and later her theological reflection: Christ overcomes the human order that divides into above and below. Through Christ something new comes into the world. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither man nor woman; for you are all one in Christ ”( Gal 3:28 LUT ). Women became followers of Jesus, women were the first messengers of the resurrection, women were part of the Pentecostal church, women exercised the most important offices in the early church. In numerous contributions in the circle , she showed biblically founded, theologically reflective and with a critical view of tradition: "The woman (has) no subordinate position in the Bible", she is an "equal partner".
To draw faith into life
Gillet's theological reflection asked about the relevance of the gospel in the present, about its power to break down clichés of social and church gender roles. She found traces of this new beginning in faith in the life stories of women at the time of the Reformation ( Wibrandis Rosenblatt , Katharina Zell and others) but also in the more recent present ( Elsa Brandström , Helen Keller and others). She asked how "believing" can show itself in everyday life, in marriage and family, in work and commitment.
Ecumenism and World Day of Prayer
In Grete Gillet's view, faith today also includes ecumenism and the World Day of Prayer, the importance of which she was one of the first to recognize after the war: “The ecumenical movement brings together the churches that are 'brotherly' to one another in the spirit of the Gospel and reconciliation are (...) - I think we women are especially called to build bridges between people and people (...). This resulted in the World Women's Day of Prayer on the first Friday of the Passion. "
Services
As one of the first theologians and the longest-serving theologian in Germany, Grete Gillet made a significant contribution to enabling women to enter the pastoral profession, which had long been blocked by the churches. Her passion was the gospel and its credible preaching and interpretation in our times. She also dealt critically and yet loyally with her church. On April 19, 1960, on the 40th anniversary of her service, she was thanked for the loyal, varied and valuable service she had done over the past four decades. Her path was a pioneering struggle for the service of the woman and the vicar in the church.
From today's perspective, some of what Grete Gillet wrote about the role and assignment of the sexes may seem conventional or conservative. Nevertheless, as a pedagogue and theologian, she did decisive things for girls and women in the social upheavals of the war and post-war years. In addition to a wide range of practical life and survival help, she has especially reminded single women, to whom she herself belonged, of their dignity and repeatedly held up the mirror of the gospel to the church's work, which is still strongly couple and family-oriented, which all people equally into the Succession calls.
Fonts
- From the catechetical office, in: Communications of the Association of Protestant Theologians in Germany 1 (1939), 5–9.
- (Ed.): The song of consolation. From the more recent spiritual poetry of the present, Lahr 1946 (8th edition 1970).
- (Ed.): It probably shines in the middle of the night. A Christmas book, Lahr 1947.
- (Ed.): A prayer book for the family. Choir of prayers from old and new times, Lahr 1947 (3rd revised and expanded edition 1962).
- (Ed.): The light of life. A Christmas book, Lahr 1949.
Numerous essays by Grete Gillet in:
- The circle. A sheet for the evangelical woman, u. a .;
- The woman in early Christianity, April 1952;
- The woman in the Bible. Thoughts on the question of equality, July 1952;
- The woman in the ministry, October 1962;
- Protestant women's work in Baden (ed.): 40 years of Protestant women's work in Baden, 1916–1956. An accountability report by Dr. Grete Gillet, 1956.
literature
- Hilde Bitz: Article by Dr. Grete Gillet . In: Lexicon of early Protestant theologians. Biographical sketches. Neukirchen-Vluyn 2005, p. 129.
- Hilde Bitz: In strength and dignity: early theologians in women's work . In: "Strength and dignity are her garb and she laughs the coming day ...". 90 years of Protestant women's work in Baden. 2006, p. 43.
- Hilde Bitz: Grete Gillet . In: Lebensbilder der Badischen Kirchengeschichte, Vol. 4 (in press).
- Gabriele Klappenecker: Grete Gillet (1895–1970) . In: Peter Zimmerling (ed.): Evangelical pastors. Biographical sketches, texts and programs. Göttingen 2005, pp. 279-297.
- Ruth Pfisterer: Grete Gillet . In: Heike Köhler, Dagmar Henze, Dagmar Herbrecht, Hannelore Erhart (eds.): So close to heaven, so far from the rectory. First Protestant theologians in spiritual office. Neukirchen-Vluyn 1996, pp. 34-37.
Web links
- Women and the Reformation - Grete Gillet (contribution by Annegret Brauch)
- Protestant women in Baden
Individual evidence
- ^ Curriculum vitae, personal file Grete Gillet, regional church archive of the Evangelical High Church Council in Karlsruhe
- ^ Curriculum vitae, personal file Grete Gillet, regional church archive of the Evangelical High Church Council in Karlsruhe
- ↑ Grete Gillet: For the World Day of Prayer on February 20. In: Der Kreis, February 1953, pp. 14-16.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gillet, Grete |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German theologian |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 23, 1895 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nienburg / Weser |
| DATE OF DEATH | 2nd June 1970 |
| Place of death | Heidelberg |