Johann Friedrich Rock

Johann Friedrich Rock (born October 25, 1678 in Oberwälden near Göppingen , † March 2, 1749 in Gelnhausen ) was a German pietist and mystic. Rock was the best-known representative of the mystical separatist inspiration movement .

Life

Rock came from a probably Lutheran rectory. On his journeyman's journey as a saddler in Berlin (1702) under the influence of Johann Arndt's reading, he came into closer contact with church-oriented Pietism . Returned to Württemberg, he joined the circle around the separatist inspired deacon Eberhard Ludwig Gruber in Großbottwar near Marbach / Neckar. When Gruber was relieved of his office in 1706, he emigrated with some of his followers, including Rock, to the county of Isenburg-Büdingen , which - similar to Count Casimir zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and not just for economic reasons - in the first decades of the 18th century offered pietists, sectarians and separatists of the most diverse and different colors permanent refuge.

Here, the now Countess Hofsattler Rock lived rather quietly and withdrawn, until his first inspirational experience (1714) under the influence of the first inspiration communities in Germany, which had come together in large numbers (10) in the Wetterau since 1711. Characteristics of the "tools" (of the spirit) called inspired are in a trance state and under extreme physical phenomena (glossolalia, twitching, dislocated limbs, screeching, rolling, etc.) directly received revelations of God, who is constantly new along with the testimony of Scripture his "tools" revealed. Rock himself said, according to Johann Heinrich Jung-Stillings (1740-1817), "quite coherently and entirely in the tone of Old Testament prophets", "that even Hochmann (von Hochenau) remained far behind him" (see below, p. 35) .

Johann Friedrich Rock subsequently became the most important “tool” of the “true inspiration community” that gathered around him. Over 900 so-called “pronouncements” Rocks have been preserved, written down and printed by some scribes who accompanied him constantly. The “inspired speeches” subsequently led to a considerable increase in inspired congregations outside of Isenburg-Büdingen, too. Rock himself became the most famous inspired man of his time with broad effectiveness (94 “mission” trips in Germany and Switzerland) for decades away.

Apart from the way in which his “divine communications” were received directly, Johann Friedrich Rock, as a preacher, was more of a representative of silent mysticism , the inner contemplation of God in humility and silence. "All of his speech was aimed at penance and conversion, according to the principles of the mystics and [...] did not contain anything that ran counter to Bible teaching." (Jung-Stilling, ibid.) This may explain the great sympathy that leading Pietists like Friedrich have Christoph Oetinger , Nikolaus von Zinzendorf , and even Johann Konrad Dippel could be recognized.

Beyond the entire environment of pietistic groups of the early 18th century, rock deserves special attention due to the transcription and extensive documentation of the spoken German language, whose influence also extends well into the century.

Works

• Ulf Michael Schneider (Ed.): How God led him and put him on the path of inspiration. Autobiographical Writings , Small Texts of Pietism, Volume 1, Leipzig 1999 (annotated new edition of the most important autobiographical writings)

literature

• Johann Heinrich Jung-Stilling: Theobald or Die Schwärmer , Sämmliche Schriften, Vol. VI, Nuremberg, 1838.
• Max Goebel: History of the true inspiration communities, from 1688 to 1850. In: ZHTh, 1854 and 1855.
• Theodor Schott :  Rock, Johann Friedrich . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 28, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, pp. 735-737.
• Karl Scheig: The Wetterau Inspirant Movement . Their evolution and importance. In: From Theology and Church. Festschr. Hans Frhr. from sod. Munich, 1941 (= BEvTh 6).
• Paul Krauss: Johann Friedrich Rock. Separatist and inspired. 1678-1749. In: Robert Uhland (ed.), Life pictures from Swabia and Franconia. Volume 15. Stuttgart 1983. pp. 86-114.
• Hans-Jürgen Schrader: Literature production and book market of radical Pietism. Göttingen, 1989.
• Ulf-Michael Schneider:  Johann Friedrich Rock. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 8, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, ISBN 3-88309-053-0 , Sp. 466-469.
• Ulf Michael Schneider: Prophets of the Goethe era. Language, literature and impact of the inspired. Göttingen, 1995.
• Eberhard Fritz: "Don't go back immediately, but on and on!". The "inspiration journeys" of Johann Friedrich Rock to Württemberg and south-west German imperial cities . In: Leaves for Württemberg Church History 115/2015. Pp. 35-70.