Joachim Betke

Portrait of Joachim Betke based on Martin Friedrich Seidel's picture collection

Joachim Betke , also Joachimus Betke , Joachim Bethke , Joachim Betkius and Joachim Beatus (born October 8, 1601 in Spandau , † December 12, 1663 in Linum (Fehrbellin) ) was a German Protestant theologian and spiritualist .

Life

Born in Spandau , he first attended the school in his hometown, later the grammar schools in Dresden and Gera . On June 1, 1624 he enrolled as a theologian at the University of Wittenberg . On January 28, 1628 he married Gratia Pankow, b. Wagner. The marriage remained childless. During the year 1628 he was initially active as vice-principal in Neuruppin , until he was offered a pastorate in Linum near Fehrbellin, where he spent the rest of his life. After a long illness he died in Linum in 1663.

Betke was a theologian who fought against the brutalization of society and the disobedience to the authorities during the Thirty Years' War . His writings are shaped by a mystical spiritualism within the evangelical community. As a representative of an ethical Christianity, he demanded the resumption of the spiritual priesthood of the laity in the spirit of Luther and thus turned against the orthodox monopoly of theologians. He saw in this the possibility that Christians would find their way back to the “right faith”, which, according to Betke, was shaped by the image of the suffering Christ. With his attitude, he found approval from Johann Valentin Andreae , Gottfried Arnold and Philipp Jacob Spener , who took up Betke's ideas in their works and interpreted them further. His house in Linum became a refuge for many persecuted people like Friedrich Breckling and Christian Hoburg .

Works (selection)

• Christianism ethnicus. Berlin 1633
• Mensio Christianismi et ministerii Germaniae. Amsterdam 1636
• Mystery crucis. Berlin 1637
• Sacerdotium, hoc est, New Testament Kgl. Priesthood. Amsterdam 1640
• Antichristism. Amsterdam 1650, 1661
• Irenicum sive fortitudo pacis or trusteeship admonition to the whole Christian people of the current Turkish war . Amsterdam 1660
• Divine community of suffering. Amsterdam 1660
• Excidium Germaniae, ed. Friedrich Breckling. Amsterdam 1686, 1701

Literature (selection)

• Julius August Wagenmann:  Betke (Betkius), Joachim . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 2, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1875, p. 576 f.
• Dibelius:  Betkius, Joachim . In: Realencyklopadie for Protestant Theology and Church (RE). 3. Edition. Volume 2, Hinrichs, Leipzig 1897, p. 671.
• Evamarie Gröschel-Willberg: Christian Hoburg and Joachim Betke. A contribution to the prehistory of German Pietism. Dissertation Erlangen 1954
• Martin Schmidt :  Betke, Joachim. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 2, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1955, ISBN 3-428-00183-4 , p. 194 ( digitized version ).
• Margarete Bornemann: The mystical spiritualist Joachim Betke. Dissertation Berlin 1959
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  BETKE (Betkius), Joachim. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 566-567.
• Margarete Bornemann:  Betke, Joachim . In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie (TRE). Volume 5, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1980, ISBN 3-11-007739-6 , pp. 763-765.
• Dietrich Blaufuß: "Betke, Bethke, Betkius, Joachim (us)". In: Walther Killy (ed.): Literaturlexikon Volume 1 (1988), pp. 483-484

List of works and references

• Gerhard Dünnhaupt : Joachim Betke (1601–1663) . In: Personal bibliographies on Baroque prints . Volume 1, Hiersemann, Stuttgart 1990, pp. 544-549, ISBN 3-7772-9013-0

Web links

• Publications by and about Joachim Betke in VD 17 .