Jakob Kroeker

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Jakob Kroeker (born November 12, 1872 in Gnadental , Odessa Oblast , † December 12, 1948 in Mühlhausen ) was a Russian-German Mennonite theologian, revival preacher of southern Russia, co-founder and from 1920 to 1945 director of the Missionary Association of Light in the East , song poet and author.

Live and act

Jakob Kroeker was born in southern Russia in a Mennonite colony . After he and his parents moved to the Crimea in the Mennonite village of Spat near Simferopol in 1881 , he completed a teacher training course from 1885 to 1891 at a private school in Simferopol. His first job was from 1891 to 1893 at a school in Menlerchik (Tatar name), a branch colony of Spat.

Travel preacher in Russia

Even as a teenager he found the Christian faith . Attending an event with Abraham Friesen , who reported on his work in India in Spat, moved him to a theological training. In 1894 he married Anna Langemann, went with her to Hamburg and began studying at the Baptist seminary , which he completed after four years. Since his wife could not obtain an appropriate health certificate for work abroad, he was called by his community as a travel preacher for the German Mennonites throughout Russia.

He used the time between trips for writing activities in order to disseminate the experiences and insights gained during his travel activities. His books were published in German, many also in Russian. The journal Friedensstimme and a Christian tear-off calendar were created . He intensified this work in 1906 after moving to Halbstadt in Molotschna , where the cultural center of the Mennonites of Russia was located. Here, together with Heinrich Braun, David Isaak and his cousin Abraham Kroeker, he founded a printing company with bookbinding and the first Mennonite publishing house, Raduga (Rainbow).

Through his travel activities, Kroeker came into contact with the alliance movement , which had found its way into Russia from England and Germany. As a speaker, the evangelist and world-traveling missionary Friedrich Wilhelm Baedeker exerted the greatest influence on him: “... his church was less a denominational congregation, but the community of saints ... It was he who brought us into close contact with the Russian Stundistenbrüdern and the awakened brought spiritual life within the Petersburg aristocracy. "But the generosity Kroekers that he had won as a result of its many interfaith contacts, brought him into conflict with several elders of his fraternity. But he remained a Mennonite with a message among other denominations.

Emigration and work in Germany

So it happened that in 1910 he emigrated with his wife and eight children to Germany, to Wernigerode am Harz. From here he made numerous trips to St. Petersburg and southern Russia until the outbreak of war in 1914, but as a Russian citizen was not allowed to leave Wernigerode during the war without permission. The fact that he was not interned was probably due to the fact that he was an ordained minister of the Mennonites. In the meantime he studied the Old Testament and Hebrew language at the University of Berlin in 1917/18 . He then resumed his writing activities and published the multi-volume, approximately 4,000-page work The Living Word , a Bible commentary on the Old Testament, which remained unfinished due to his death. In 1926 a Bible Concordance was published in Russian for Bible schools and Bible study in Russian congregations.

Between 1918 and 1920 Kroeker and the reformed pastor Walter Ludwig Jack, who had been expelled from Russia as a Reich German , held Bible courses for Russian soldiers in POW camps. Until the peace agreement in 1921, before the prisoners of war and refugees returned to their homeland, they were able to attend a Bible school in Wernigerode. Kroeker's service to prisoners of war in Germany was the decisive impetus for the great religious movement in Russia after the First World War .

These experiences prompted Jack and Kroeker to found the mission union Light in the East (today Light in the East ) in 1920 with the aim of spreading Christian literature among the Russian population. Millions of Bibles and parts of the Bible have been sent to the Russian Empire over the years by the Mission Light in the East . In the same year, the mission sheet Thy Kingdom come was published for the first time . From 1921 international Bible and mission conferences were held in Wernigerode every year. After the war, Kroeker traveled to Estonia, Finland and Sweden as a popular speaker. From autumn 1931 to June 1932 he stayed with his wife on a study trip to Palestine, in the two Templar colonies of Sarbino near Jaffa and Sarona near Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean Sea, where there were also some Mennonite families. In 1939 his first collaborator and co-founder, Pastor Walter Jack, died. Then came the Third Reich and the Second World War , which severely restricted the Missionsbund's work opportunities. The external circumstances in 1945/46 prompted Kroeker to move to Mühlhausen (Stuttgart) , where he fell seriously ill shortly afterwards.

Private

Jakob Kroeker married Anna Langemann in 1894. He had eleven children with her, including the architect and university professor Immanuel Kroeker . He died in 1948 after patiently enduring illness and was buried in the cemetery in Stuttgart-Mühlhausen. The words of the Bible are written on his tomb: "We have no permanent city here, but we are looking for the future one." ( Heb. 13:14  EU )

Publications (selection)

Monographs

  • Alone with the master. Protestant bookstore P. Ott, Gotha 1912; Spener-Verlag, Giessen 1952; Christian literature distribution , Bielefeld 1989, ISBN 978-3-89397-384-2 .
  • The growth of faith. Koezle, Chemnitz 1913; Brunnen Verlag (Giessen) 3rd revised. 1969 edition.
  • Veiled blessings of faith. Ott, Gotha 1914; 7th edition, Brunnen Verlag, Gießen 1985, ISBN 978-3-7655-5906-8 .
  • Consecrated bearers of blessings. Ott, Gotha 1917.
  • On homesickness of the soul: testimonies of faith from the Old Testament psalms literature ( transl . And elaborated by J. Kroeker). 2nd edition, Koezle, Chemnitz 1920.
  • The longing of the east. Publishing house Licht dem Osten, Wernigerode 1920.
  • Religious struggles. G. Koezle, Wernigerode 1921.
  • God's blessing bearer. 4. completely redesigned. u. exp. Ed., Verlag Licht dem Osten, Wernigerode 1922; Christian literature distribution, Bielefeld special edition 1999, ISBN 978-3-89397-394-1 .
  • The hidden contact with God. Publishing house Licht dem Osten, Wernigerode 1922.
  • Holy losses. Verlag Licht dem Osten, Wernigerode 1923, 3rd edition 1931.
  • The Christ-centered image of Paul. Publishing house Licht dem Osten, Wernigerode 1923.
  • Noah and the Last Judgment. Publishing house Licht dem Osten, Wernigerode 1924.
  • New areas of life. Publishing house Licht dem Osten, Wernigerode 1924.
  • The closed sanctuary. Publishing house Licht dem Osten, Wernigerode 1924.
  • Sources of power in life: thoughts from the writings of Jakob Kroeker. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1927, 3rd edition 1942.
  • World state and kingdom of God in the light of the prophet Daniel chap. 1-6. Missionsverlag Licht im Osten, Wernigerode 1928.
  • Signal calls from the priests of God. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1930.
  • The demand from God for the respective world power. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1930.
  • The Spiritual Message to the Church of Christ today. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1930.
  • The spiritual battle between world power and God's kingdom. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1930.
  • "The Century of the Church" or "The Church of the Centuries?" In: In the struggle for the church. Ott, Gotha 1930, pp. 11-29.
  • He said to me: Biblical reflections for the quiet hours of daily dealings with God. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1934.
  • Light from His light: words from eternity and transience. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1935.
  • Christ who are you Part 1: The Christ Expectations of the Prophets. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1938.
  • Christ who are you Part 2: Paul's Gospel of Christ. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1938.
  • Is praying nonsense? Ostwerk-Verlag, Berlin 1938.
  • The hidden contact with God. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1939.
  • In the morning dew: poems. 2nd edition, Buchdienst-Verlag, Kreuztal / Westphalia 1947.
  • His pastoral office. Buchdienst-Verlag, Kreuztal / Westphalia 1947.
  • Christ and the final story. Reith, Wüstenrot / Württemberg 1949 (posthumous).
  • Romans: chap. 1–8: From the child's position (a hand comment). Oncken, Stuttgart 1949.
  • In the sanctuary of the Lord's Prayer: edifying thoughts and speeches about the Lord's prayer according to Matt. 6, 9-13. Brunnquell-Verlag, Metzingen / Württemberg 1951.
  • There is a people, scattered and separated. SCM Hänssler , Holzgerlingen 1977, ISBN 978-3-7751-0293-3 .
  • Living words: Jakob-Kroeker-Brevier (Ed. Armin Jetter). Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 2008, ISBN 978-3-7655-1927-7 .
  • Discouraged souls: deeper life in Christ. Samenkorn-Verlag, Steinhagen 2015, ISBN 978-3-86203-137-5 .

Book series

  • Series: Psalms-Words of Faith (Translated and explained by Jakob Kroeker):
    • Book 1: The Song of Faith. Koezle, Chemnitz 1917.
    • Book 2: The Pilgrim Song of Faith. Koezle, Chemnitz 1918.
    • Book 3: The Nevertheless of Faith. Koezle, Chemnitz 1918.
    • Book 5: The Homesickness of Faith. Koezle, Chemnitz 1919.
  • Row: Present Salvation Life:
    • Book 1: Born of God. Johannis-Verlag , Lahr 1918.
    • Book 2: The full salvation life. Johannis-Verlag, Lahr 1918.
    • Book 3: Increased Grace. Johannis-Verlag, Lahr 1918.
    • Book 4: Interrupted Victory Life. Johannis-Verlag, Lahr 1918.
    • Book 5: The Trial by Fire. Johannis-Verlag, Lahr 1918.
    • Book 6: Under the Pillar of Cloud. Johannis-Verlag, Lahr 1918.
  • Series: The Living Word (as publisher and co-author with Hans Brandenburg), a series of interpretations on the history of salvation , published by Brunnen Verlag (Gießen) and Verlag der Liebenzeller Mission . First published in 12 volumes under the title The Living Word: an introduction to the divine thought processes and life principles of the Old Testament ; later with a changed volume division into 15 volumes under the title The Living Word: Contributions to the introduction to the divine thought processes and life principles of the Old Testament:
    • Volume 1: The First Creation: Its Fall and Restoration. Noah and the Last Judgment. Missionsverlag Licht im Osten, Wernigerode 1926.
    • Volume 2: The Patriarchs. The basics of belief. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1959.
    • Volume 3: Israel - a miracle of history. The kingship and the theocracy in Israel. Missionsverlag Licht im Osten, Wernigerode 1927.
    • Volume 4: Amos and Hosea. Herald of justice and love. Missionsverlag Licht im Osten, Wernigerode 1929.
    • Volume 5/1: Isaiah Part I: Immanuel and the peoples. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1931.
    • Volume 5/2: Isaiah II. Part: The book of redemption. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1931.
    • Volume 6: Jeremiah: The prophet of deepest inwardness and heaviest soul guidance. 2nd edition, Brunnen Verlag, Gießen 1958.
    • Volume 7: Ezekiel. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1958.
    • Volume 8: Daniel: Statesman and Prophet. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1959, PDF .
    • Volume 9: The minor prophets I: Joel, Obadja, Jona, Micha, Nahum, Habakuk, Zaphanja. The warning voices of the guard. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1960.
    • Volume 10: The little prophets II: Haggai, Sacharia, Malachi (with Ezra and Nehemiah). The returned church. Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 1968.
  • Row: The Living Word. Special edition. The interpretation series for the Old Testament (15-volume special edition), VLM, Bad Liebenzell 4th edition 1982, ISBN 978-3-88002-200-3 ; Brunnen-Verlag, Giessen 1997, ISBN 978-3-7655-5400-1 :
    • Volume 1: The Creation - Noah (Genesis 1–11)
    • Volume 2: Abraham - Isaac - Jacob (Genesis 12-50)
    • Volume 3: Israel (2nd – 5th Moses / Joshua / Judges / Samuel / Kings)
    • Volume 4: Amos and Hosea
    • Volume 5: Isaiah I (Isaiah 1–39)
    • Volume 6: Isaiah II (Isaiah 40-66)
    • Volume 7: Jeremiah
    • Volume 8: Ezekiel
    • Volume 9: Daniel
    • Volume 10: The little prophets I (Joel / Obadja / Jona / Micha / Nahum / Habakuk / Zephanja)
    • Volume 11: The Little Prophets II (Haggai / Zechariah / Malachi with Ezra and Nehemiah)
    • Volume 12: The Book of Job
    • Volume 13: Psalms I (Psalm 1–72)
    • Volume 14: The Psalms II (Psalm 73-150)
    • Volume 15: Proverbs - Preachers - Song of Songs
  • Series: People of the Bible:
    • Volume 5: Isaiah the Elder, the Prophet of Faith. Acker-Verlag, Berlin 1935, 2nd edition 1937.

literature

  • Mission director Jakob Kroeker (1872–1948) . In: Zeitschrift Dein Reichommen , Missionsbund zur Spreading the Gospel, Stuttgart-Mühlhausen, January 1949 edition, ISSN  0011-7692 .
  • Anna and Maria Kroeker: A rich life: memories from the life of the mission director Jakob Kroeker. Kurt Reith Verlag, Wüstenrot 1949.
  • Helmut Ollesch: The death of Jakob Kroekers. In: The last way. Luther Verlag, Witten Ruhr 1955, pp. 179–180.
  • Hans Brandenburg : Jakob Kroeker: An authorized interpreter of the Bible (= Our spiritual ancestors. Row 34). Evangelischer Missionsverlag, Stuttgart 1957.
  • Hans Jürgen Goerz: Jakob Kroeker. In: The Mennonite Settlements in the Crimea. Echo Verlag, Winnipeg 1957, p. 54.
  • Wolfgang Heller:  Kroeker, Jakob. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 4, Bautz, Herzberg 1992, ISBN 3-88309-038-7 , Sp. 674-676.
  • Helmut T. Huebert: Events and People: Events in Russian Mennonite History and the People that made them happen. Winnipeg Springfield 1999, ISBN 978-0-92064306-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gerhard Ratzlaff: Jakob Kroeker: Evangelist, Writer and Theologian ( Memento of March 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), menonitica.org.
  2. Jakob Kroeker: Vita , clv.de.
  3. ^ John B. Toews: Russian Mennonites and Alliance . In: Journal of Mennonite Studies , 14th year 1996, p. 54.
  4. ^ Heinrich Sawatzky: Templars of Mennonite origin , Echo Verlag, Winnipeg 1955.