Johann Stapfer (theologian)

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Johann Stapfer , also Johannes Stapfer (born December 27, 1719 in Trub , † October 21, 1801 in Bern ) was a Swiss Protestant clergyman and university professor .

Life

family

Johann Stapfer came from the Bernese family of theologians Stapfer. He was the son of Johannes Stapfer (* October 5, 1677 in Brugg; † December 1730), pastor in Trub and Münsingen and his wife Elisabeth (* 1681 in Zofingen ; † 1761), daughter of Hans Rudolf Ringier (1651–1701) , Baker and landlord of the “Zum Ochsen” inn in Zofingen; his six siblings included:

Johann Stapfer was unmarried all his life.

Career

After studying theology at the high school in Bern, he was ordained in 1745 and looked after a parish in Aarburg as a pastor .

In 1756, as the successor to David Samuel Daniel Wyttenbach , he became professor of practical theology at the high school in Bern; In 1774, as the successor to Johann Jakob Salchli (1694–1774), he was appointed first professor with the additional chair of didactic theology, until he resigned from his position in 1796 for reasons of age.

From 1765 to 1768 and from 1787 to 1790 he was rector of the high school and supervised book production as the chief censor .

His teaching activity was interrupted between 1761 and 1773 when he was head of the Bern Latin School .

Working as a church musician

With his work New Metrical Translation of the Psalms, based on the old melody for the use of the churches , in which he combined the meter with Goudimel's melodies based on the arrangement by Johann Ulrich Sultzberger (1638–1701), he made a special contribution. It was put into use after it was published, after the church had used the adaptation of the psalms after Ambrosius Lobwasser . His meter was considered to be common understandable and linguistically clear; it has been compared with the works of Johann Jacob Spreng and Johann Andreas Cramer , on which his psalm transmission was based.

In 1775 he was the editor of the Bernese Hymnal from 1775.

The Bern hymn book of 1853 has retained 71 psalm numbers, 41 according to Stapfer's editorial staff , including 21 completely unchanged; similar to the Schaffhausen hymn book.

Five of his sacred songs have become known nationwide and are in church hymn books of the 19th and 20th centuries. One of his songs was included in the Protestant hymn book of 1993; It is a psalm song with seven stanzas, can be found there under number 290, and is called Now thank God, exalt and praise and refers to Psalm 105.

Theological work

Johann Stapfer was one of the last advocates of the old orthodoxy and published an extensive collection of conversion and moral sermons. In his Theologia analytica he systematically presented the main doctrines in the form of detailed sermon dispositions.

His seven-volume work Sermons is characterized by simplicity and transparency; he also had a major influence on his student David Müslin in his later sermons. The sermons of Johann Stapfer, who was a popular pulpit speaker, exhausted his respective subject in detail; Thus, among other things, in a sermon about thunder he considered what might have caused the thunder, about God's omnipotence, justice, goodness, long-suffering and patience and what duties should result from it, such as living fear of God, trust, humility and worship of God , Submission to God's will, sincere repentance and faith in the Savior, prayer, preparation for death and remembrance of the Last Judgment.

Memberships

  • Johann Stapfer was a co-founder of the Patriotic Society founded in Bern .

Fonts (selection)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stapfer, Albrecht. Retrieved June 27, 2020 .
  2. ^ Rudolf Wolf: Biographies on the cultural history of Switzerland . Orell, Füßli and Comp., 1858 ( google.de [accessed on June 28, 2020]).
  3. ↑ Historical Family Lexicon of Switzerland - Persons. Retrieved June 28, 2020 .
  4. ^ Alfred Ehrensperger: The service in the city and landscape of Bern in the 16th and 17th centuries . Theological Verlag Zurich, 2011, ISBN 978-3-290-17594-8 ( google.de [accessed June 27, 2020]).
  5. ^ German biography: Sultzberger, Johann Ulrich - German biography. Retrieved June 27, 2020 .
  6. ^ Hymn books in Reformed German-speaking Switzerland. Retrieved June 27, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Now thank God, exalt and give praise (Poems on Bible Verses (Bible Poems)). Retrieved June 27, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Jan Andrea Bernhard: Rosius à Porta (1734-1806): a life in the field of tension between orthodoxy, enlightenment and pietism . TVZ, Theologischer Verlag Zurich, 2005, ISBN 978-3-290-17345-6 ( google.de [accessed June 27, 2020]).
  9. ↑ Gottlieb Ludwig Lauterburg: Berner Taschenbuch . Haller, 1872 ( google.de [accessed June 28, 2020]).
  10. ↑ E. Bloesch: History of the Swiss Reformed Church: Volume II . 2015, ISBN 978-3-7340-0766-8 ( google.de [accessed June 27, 2020]).
  11. ↑ Erne, Emil: Review of: M. Genna-Stalder u. a .: The Patriotic Society in Bern. Retrieved June 28, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Stapfer, Johann
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Stapfer, Johannes; Stapffer, J.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss Protestant clergyman and university professor
DATE OF BIRTH December 27, 1719
PLACE OF BIRTH Turbidity
DATE OF DEATH October 21, 1801
Place of death Bern