Henrich Steffens

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Henrich Steffens. Lithograph by Friedrich Jentzen after a drawing by Franz Krüger .

Henrich Steffens (also Henrik Steffens and Heinrich Steffens ) (born May 2, 1773 in Stavanger , Norway ; † February 13, 1845 in Berlin ) was a Norwegian-German philosopher , naturalist , university professor and poet .

Life

Henrich Steffens was the son of Henrich Steffens (* February 17, 1744 in Berbice ; † March 27, 1798 in Rendsburg ) a barber and surgeon who immigrated from Holstein . His mother was born Bang and died in Copenhagen in 1788. The maternal grandmother was related to the theologian Frederik Grundtvig .

Steffens devoted himself to scientific studies in Copenhagen from 1790 and then traveled to Norway. He then also studied medicine in Copenhagen and Kiel. In 1796 he held natural science lectures at the University of Kiel , received his doctorate there in 1797 and then went to the University of Jena , where he became a supporter of Schelling's natural philosophy . In 1800 he went to the Bergakademie Freiberg . With scientific support from the mineralogist Abraham Gottlob Werner , Steffens was able to work out geognostic geological essays , which he later elaborated on in his Handbuch der Oryktognosie .

1802/03 he lectured at the University of Copenhagen in the hope of a professorship; but he was not welcome in his “fatherland”. In 1804 he received a call to the Friedrichs University in Halle , where he published the basics of philosophical natural science . During this time he was affected by the French occupation of Halle: he felt like a Prussian civil servant on foreign territory and could not accept that the university should be dissolved. With the support of his brother and the Minister von Massow, he was able to leave Halle with his family and travel to Hamburg . The hope of being appointed to the newly founded Berlin University did not materialize. In 1811 he was appointed to the new Silesian Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Breslau . In 1813 he participated as a war volunteer with the Prussian troops in the Wars of Liberation (and in the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig) until the capture of Paris . After the peace he returned to his academic teaching profession in Breslau, where at the end of 1821 he was the godfather of Karl von Holtei's son Heinrich Wolfgang Andreas. In the years 1821/22 and 1829/30 he was rector of the university.

In 1832 he followed the call to the Friedrich Wilhelms University in Berlin . Here included Karl Marx and Søren Kierkegaard to his listeners. In 1834/35 he was rector. Since 1812 he was a foreign member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences . In 1835 he was elected a full member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences .

Henrich Steffens was married to the daughter Johanna of the Berlin conductor Johann Friedrich Reichhardt (1803). Johanna Steffens, born on November 23, 1784, died on December 22, 1855 at the age of 71. In her death report it is said that she was "distinguished by education, by a lively spirit and earlier by high beauty".

Steffens dealt critically with current trends. He took sides in the so-called Breslau gymnastics feud with his caricatures of the most sacred and the gymnastics goal against Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (because of the overemphasis on the German nationality and the physical in education). In church terms, he joined the Old Lutherans . In his book On False Theology and True Faith , he emphasized the importance of individual biblical-theological aspects against his friend Friedrich Schleiermacher : As "the fundamental miracle of the Christian faith" he saw "the generation of Christ through the Holy Spirit and his resurrection". On Heinrich Heine's Young Germany - which displaced romanticism - Steffens said:

“The new poetry did not believe in an afterlife. The earth should give answers to all questions in life; only one believed in death. "

- Henrich Steffens

Steffens was one of the main representatives of the speculative direction in nature research. Its anthropology should be emphasized .

His poetic works include The Walseth and Leith Families , The Four Norwegians and Malkolm . They are distinguished by their masterly descriptions of nature of his Nordic homeland.

Steffens' grave is located in Cemetery II of the Dreifaltigkeitsgemeinde on Bergmannstrasse in Berlin-Kreuzberg (field C), where Schleiermacher also found his final resting place. The gravestone with the inscription HENRICH STEFFENS VON SEINEN FREUNDENbears a relief tondo with Steffens' portrait, created by the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1840).

Works

Grave of Henrich Steffens
  • Contributions to the inner natural history of the earth. Freyberg, Craz 1801.
  • Basic features of the philosophical natural science. Verlag der Realschulbuchhandlung, Berlin 1806 Digitized .
  • About the idea of ​​universities . Lectures, Berlin 1809. pp. 205–280 in Eduard Spranger (ed.): Fichte, Schleiermacher, Steffens. About the nature of the university. Leipzig 1910 ( online  - Internet Archive ).
  • Geognostic geological essays as preparation for an internal natural history of the earth. GB Hoffmann, Hamburg 1810 digitized .
  • About the meaning of colors in nature , in Runge, PO: Farben-Kugel, Hamburg 1810 ( full text ).
  • Complete manual of oryctognosia. 4 volumes. Curtsche Buchhandlung, Halle 1811–1824.
  • Gymnastics goal. Letter to Professor Kayßler and the gymnastics friends. Josef Max and Komp., Breslau 1818 Digitized .
  • The good thing. An invitation to say what it is to everyone who thinks they know, prompted by the author's last meetings in Berlin. FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1819 ( digitized version ).
  • Caricatures of the holiest. In two parts. FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1819–1821.
  • Anthropology. 2 volumes. Josef Max, Breslau 1824 Volume 1 digitized Volume 2 digitized .
  • From false theology and true belief. A voice from the community. Josef Max and Komp., Breslau 1823 ( new edition 1831 digitized ).
  • The Norwegian Storthing in 1824. History and documents. Duncker and Humblot, Berlin 1825 digitized .
  • The Walseth and Leith families. 5 volumes. Josef Max and Komp., Breslau 1827.
  • Malkolm. 2 volumes. Josef Max and Komp., Breslau 1831.
  • How I became a Lutheran again, and what Lutheranism means to me. A confession. Josef Max and Komp., Breslau 1831 digitized .
  • Speech in the auditorium of the Friedrich Wilhelms University. In: Three speeches on the day of the funeral of the former professor of theology and preacher Dr. Schleiermacher on February 15, 1834 , Berlin 1834, pp. 25-36.
  • Novellas. Total edition , 16 volumes. Josef Max and Komp., Breslau 1837–1838 ( pdfs ).
  • Christian Philosophy of Religion , 2 volumes. Josef Max and Komp., Breslau 1839 First part theleology digitized .
  • What i experienced. 10 volumes. Josef Max and Komp., Breslau 1840–1844 digitized .
  • Legacy writings. With a foreword by Schelling. EH Schroeder, Berlin 1846 digitized .

literature

  • Invitation and contributions to help against Professor Steffens. Summarized in a letter to the author of the "rune stones". Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1819
  • Johann Heinrich Gelzer : In memory of Henrich Steffens. Four memorial speeches, given on the day of his burial on February 18, 1845. Josef Max and Komp., Breslau 1845 digitized .
  • Adolph Helfferich: Henrich Steffens and the science of the present: Introduction to the lectures on university studies, held in the summer semester of 1845 at the University of Berlin. Hermann Schultze, Berlin 1845 digitized .
  • Honorary memory of Henrich Steffens. In: Scholarly Ads. Munich 1846. No. 77-80 digitized .
  • Max Tietzen (Ed.): In memory of Henrich Steffens. From letters to his publisher. With d. Portrait of Steffens after Thorwaldsen. Schulze, Leipzig 1871.
  • Richard Petersen: Henrik Steffens. A picture of life. From the Danish by Alexander Michelsen . Perthes, Gotha 1884.
  • Steffens, Hendrich. In: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon. An encyclopedia of general knowledge. 4. Completely redesigned. Edition fifteenth volume. Soda water - Uralit. Leipzig 1889, p. 255
  • Otto Liebmann :  Steffens, Henrich . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 35, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1893, pp. 555-558.
  • Reinhard Bruck: Henrich Steffens. A contribution to the philosophy of romanticism. Noske, Borna-Leipzig 1906 (Erlangen, Univ., Phil. Fac., Diss., 1906).
  • Otto Tschirch: Hendrik Steffens' political development in connection with his lectures from 1808. In: Association for the history of the Mark Brandenburg. Contributions to Brandenburg and Prussian history. Festschrift for Gustav Schmoller's 70th birthday. Edited by the Association for the History of the Mark Brandenburg. Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1908, pp. 253-274.
  • Else Huesmann: Henrich Steffens in his relations to German early romanticism with special consideration of his natural philosophy. West Holstein publishing house "Heider Anzeiger", Heide / Holstein 1929 (dissertation).
  • Viktor Waschnitius: Henrich Steffens. A contribution to Nordic and German intellectual history. Volume I: Legacy and Beginnings. Wachholtz, Neumünster 1939 (publications of the Schleswig-Holstein University Society, 49).
  • Friedrich Jung: Hendrik Steffens and the problem of the unity of reason and revelation. (Inaugural dissertation Dr. theol. Berlin 1961).
  • Ingeborg Möller: Henrik Steffens. Free Spiritual Life Publishing House, Stuttgart 1962.
  • Ingetraut Ludolphy : Henrich Steffens. His relationship with the Lutherans and his share in the development and fate of the old Lutheran congregation in Wroclaw. Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1962 (Dissertation Leipzig, May 28, 1956).
  • Heinrich Scheel , Heinz Warnecke : Steffens, Hendrik. In: Biographical Lexicon on German History. Edited by Karl Obermann et al. Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin 1967, p. 448 f.
  • Fritz Paul : Henrich Steffens. Natural philosophy and universal romance. Fink, Munich 1973 (Munich, Univ., Habil.-Schr., 1972).
  • Werner Abelein: Henrik Steffens' political writings. On political thinking in Germany in the years around the Wars of Liberation (= Studies on German Literature. Volume 53). Niemeyer, Tübingen 1977, ISBN 3-484-18049-8 .
  • Wolfgang Feigs: Descriptive edition on allograph, word and sentence level, demonstrated by handwritten German-language letters from Henrich Steffens. 2 vols. Lang, Frankfurt a. M. 1979-1982 (Trondheim, Univ. Diss. 1981).
  • Steffens, Hendrik. In: Literature Lexicon. Authors and works of German language. Edited by Walther Killy . Volume 9 Ore - Roq. Bertelsmann-Lexikon-Verlag, Gütersloh 1991 ISBN 3-570-04679-6 , p. 146 ff.
  • Hans-Jürgen Hube: On the 150th anniversary of Hendrik Steffen's death. Wanderer between the worlds. In: Northern Europe Forum. Journal for politics, economy and culture. Berlin Verlag, Berlin 1995 ISSN  0940-5585 , Volume 5.1995, 1, pp. 40-41.
  • Steffens, Hendrik. In: Kindler's new literary lexicon. Volume 15. Edited by Walter Jens . Kindler, Munich 1996, p. 917 ff.
  • Sibille Mischer: The intertwined train of the soul. Nature, organism and development in Schelling, Steffens and Oken (= Epistemata. Philosophy series. Volume 222). Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 1997, ISBN 3-8260-1331-X .
  • Otto Lorenz, Bernd Henningsen (eds.): Henrik Steffens. Mediator between nature and spirit (= elective affinity - the north and Germany. Volume 3). Berlin-Verlag Spitz, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-8305-0000-9 .
  • Dietrich von Engelhardt : Steffens, Henrik. In: German Biographical Encyclopedia . Edited by Walter Killy and Rudolf Vierhaus . Volume 9 Schmidt - Theyer. Saur, Munich 1998 ISBN 3-598-23169-5 , p. 465.
  • Wolfdietrich von Kloeden :  STEFFENS, Heinrich (Henrik). In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 15, Bautz, Herzberg 1999, ISBN 3-88309-077-8 , Sp. 1308-1318.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  • Werner E. Gerabek : Steffens, Henrik. In: Werner E. Gerabek u. a. (Ed.): Encyclopedia of medical history. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , p. 1357.
  • Notger Slenczka: "On false theology and true faith" Philosophy of religion and diagnosis of the times in Henrich Steffens' amicable opposition to Schleiermacher. In: University - Theology - Church. Opportunities to interpret the relationship between culture and religion in conversation with Schleiermacher. Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Leipzig 2011, pp. 203–226.
  • Henrich Steffens: Introduction to philosophical thinking. Translated and provided with a preliminary remark by Heiko Uecker . Frankfurt am Main et al: Peter Lang 2012, ISBN 978-3-631-63950-4 .
  • Marit Bergner: Henrich Steffens: A political professor in times of upheaval 1806-1819. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang 2016, ISBN 978-3-631-66896-2
  • Bernd Henningsen, Jan Steeger (ed.) Henrik Steffens: Introduction to the philosophical lectures. Translated by Jan Steeger. Freiburg / Munich: Alber, 2016, ISBN 978-3-495-48493-7 .

Honors

Monument in Stavanger

The Henrik Steffens memorial was erected for Steffens in Stavanger .

Web links

Commons : Henrich Steffens  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Henrich Steffens  - sources and full texts
Wikiquote: Henrich Steffens  - Quotes

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ What I experienced. Volume 1, p. 8.
  2. ^ Dietrich von Engelhardt.
  3. ↑ What I experienced. Volume 1, pp. 10 and 11.
  4. ↑ Georgi Schischkoff (Ed.): Philosophical dictionary. Kröner, Stuttgart 1991, Lemma Steffens.
  5. ↑ Hal Koch: Grundtvig. Life and work. Translated from Danish by H. Winkler et al. Victor Schmitz. Gustav Kiepenheuer, Cologne a. Berlin, 1951, p. 15.
  6. ↑ Michael Sachs: 'Prince Bishop and Vagabond'. The story of a friendship between the Prince-Bishop of Breslau Heinrich Förster (1799–1881) and the writer and actor Karl von Holtei (1798–1880). Edited textually based on the original Holteis manuscript. In: Medical historical messages. Journal for the history of science and specialist prose research. Volume 35, 2016 (2018), pp. 223–291, here: p. 280.
  7. ↑ a b Rector's speeches (HKM)
  8. ^ Abelein: Steffens' political writings. P. 18
  9. ^ Members of the previous academies. Heinrich Steffens. Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences , accessed on June 19, 2015 (with short biography).
  10. ↑ Illustrated calendar. Yearbook of Events, Efforts and Progress (…) 1857, Appendix Statistical Yearbook. P. 106.
  11. ↑ Steffens: From false theology. P. 27.
  12. ↑ cit. after Möller: Steffens. P. 205.
personal data
SURNAME Steffens, Henrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Steffens, Henrik
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Norwegian-German philosopher, naturalist and poet
DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1773
PLACE OF BIRTH Stavanger , Norway
DATE OF DEATH February 13, 1845
Place of death Berlin