Johann Friedrich glove

Johann Friedrich Handschuh (born January 14, 1714 in Halle (Saale) , Saxony-Anhalt , † October 9, 1764 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) was a German Lutheran pastor and missionary ( Pietism ).

Life

Handschuh spent his school days at the schools of the Frankesche Stiftungen in his hometown. In 1733, at the age of 19, he began to study theology at the University of Halle . After successfully completing his studies in 1737, he took over the post of court master for a family in or near Leipzig for two years .

In 1739, at the request of Duke Christian Ernst, he was brought to the court of Saalfeld / Saale as the preceptor for the pages . Handschuh held this office until 1744. That year he was called to the consistory in Coburg . At the same time, Handschuh took over the office of pastor of the community of Graba .

In a letter dated June 12, 1746, Gotthilf August Francke asked him to go to Pennsylvania ( USA ) as a missionary . In his letter of July 29 of the same year, Handschuh accepted and arrived in New York in the spring of 1748 . From there he traveled to Pastor Henry Melchior Mühlenberg in Germantown (Philadelphia). At his request, Handschuh took on pastoral duties in the Lancaster community, Pennsylvania, and remained there until 1750.

In May 1750 he married Susanne Barbara Belzner there; the two were married by Pastor Mühlenberg in the Church of Lancaster. Shortly after the wedding, Handschuh left his ward with his wife and settled in Germantown. There he worked mainly as a preacher and in March of the following year he was appointed first preacher there .

In 1755 Handschuh resigned from this office and devoted himself - together with Pastor Peter Brunnholz († 1757) - to pastoral care in the parish of St. Michael (Philadelphia). At the same time, he was appointed to teach the French language at the local academy. In 1758 Handschuh was chosen to succeed the late Pastor Brunnholz.

Johann Friedrich Handschuh died in Philadelphia in 1764 at the age of 50 and found his final resting place there.

Works

• Death as a bliss for those who die in the Lord . Philadelphia 1756.

literature

• Kurt Aland et al. a. (Ed.): Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg's correspondence from the early days of German Lutheranism in North America. 1740–1752 (texts on the history of Pietism; vol. 3.2). DeGruyter, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-11-010069-X .