Johann Arndt

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Johann Arndt

Johann Arndt or Arnd (born December 27, 1555 either in Edderitz or in Ballenstedt , † May 11, 1621 in Celle ) was a German pastor and one of the most important post-Reformation theologians .

Life

Johann Arndt was the son of the village pastor Jakob Arndt. He received his first instruction from his father; later he attended the schools of Aschersleben , Halberstadt and Magdeburg . From 1575 he studied at the University of Helmstedt the liberal arts and medicine . In 1581 he is said to have gone to the University of Wittenberg , where he found a theological teacher in Polykarp Leyser the Elder . He moved on to the University of Strasbourg to Johannes Pappus and then to the University of Basel to Simon Sulcer . In 1582 he returned to his home in Anhalt and initially became a school teacher in Ballenstedt. After he was ordained in Bernburg (Saale) in 1583 , Prince Joachim Ernst von Anhalt gave him the Lutheran pastorate in Badeborn in 1584 .

Prince Joachim Ernst did not accept the concord formula of 1577, but issued a separate confession formula in 1585. In 1589 his successor, Prince Johann Georg von Anhalt , demanded the abolition of exorcism in baptism. Arndt refused and refused to submit to the new creed. On September 10, 1590, Arndt made a corresponding declaration. A few days later he was removed from office and expelled from the country. Arndt rightly suspected that this confession would only be the first step towards the conversion of the Principality of Anhalt to Calvinism . In 1596 Prince Johann Georg introduced Calvinism. In 1590 Arndt therefore accepted a pastor's position at the Nikolaikirche in Quedlinburg , where he stayed until 1599. He then worked as a pastor and author in Braunschweig (until 1609), in Eisleben and from 1611 to 1621 as general superintendent in Celle .

Among other things, Arndt was influenced by mysticism and edited medieval writings such as Theologia deutsch , Thomas von Kempen or Johannes Tauler . From these and others he compiled the Four Books of True Christianity , which together with his Paradise Garden are among the most successful books of Christian edifying literature and a source of later Pietism . "True Christianity" appeared in a total of 123 editions by 1740.

On the one hand, Arndt's diverse spiritual impulses triggered the violent contradiction of Lucas Osiander , but ultimately led to the movement of German Pietism . Arndt's works have been translated into most European and many non-European languages. With Simeon Todorski's translation of the Four Books of True Christianity , published in Halle in 1735 , a history of impact in Russia that is difficult to overestimate began. After almost a decade of uncontrolled distribution in Russia, Arndt's work was banned here in 1743 due to a lack of censorship. Among others, the three later canonized bishops Tikhon von Sadonsk , Arseni Mazejewitsch and Makari Glucharew used the Russian translation of the edification book.

Fonts

From 1695 the four books , the paradise garden and other writings appeared under the title Six Books of True Christianity .

Remembrance day

May 11th in the evangelical name calendar .

literature

in order of appearance

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz:  Arndt (Arnd), Johann. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 226-227.
  2. Hans-Jürgen Hoeppke: Arndt, Johann (1555-1621) . In: Helmut Burkhardt and Uwe Swarat (ed.): Evangelical Lexicon for Theology and Congregation . tape 1 . R. Brockhaus Verlag, Wuppertal 1992, ISBN 3-417-24641-5 , p. 134 .
  3. ↑ However, this cannot be proven on the basis of the Wittenberg register. However, this cannot be considered impossible as the Wittenberg registers also have gaps
  4. Martin H. Jung: Reformation and Confessional Age (1517-1648). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2012 (UTB; No. 3628), p. 251.
  5. ^ Stefan G. Reichelt: Johann Arndts Four Books of True Christianity in Russia. An Early Chapter of West-East European Spiritual Integration In: Piety or Theology. Göttingen, 2007, pp. 315–335 dr-stefan-reichelt.de (PDF; 275 kB) Retrieved on December 27, 2010.

Web links

Commons : Johann Arndt  - album with pictures, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Johann Arndt  - Sources and full texts