Johannes Bähr (theologian)

Johannes Bähr (born August 28, 1767 in Heidelberg , † April 4, 1828 in Karlsruhe ) was a Protestant theologian and prelate of the Evangelical Church in Baden .

Life and work

Bähr was born in Heidelberg as the son of a master baker who immigrated from Rapperschwyhl in Switzerland and later became a hospital administrator. He belonged to the Reformed Confession . In Heidelberg he attended elementary school and the reformed grammar school. He then studied theology in Heidelberg and Halle (Saale) . In 1786 he passed his state examination and was then tutor in various places. In 1790 he took up his first pastor's position in Darmstadt . At that time he married Philippine Koch, the daughter of a civil servant. The couple had two sons, including the later classical philologist Johann Christian Felix Bähr .

In 1799 he moved from Darmstadt to the Heiliggeistkirche in Heidelberg . Here he later became inspector of the diocese (today church district ) Unterheidelberg (later in Ladenburg ). He participated intensively in the unification process of the Lutheran and Reformed Church in Baden, which led to the union of the two churches in 1821 . From 1821 he also belonged to the first general synod of the unified Baden regional church.

In 1822 he was appointed to the Protestant church section at the Ministry of the Interior and thus successor to the late Ministerialrat Ewald. When Prelate Johann Peter Hebel died in September 1826 , Grand Duke Ludwig appointed Bähr as his successor. He was thus spiritual director of the regional church. At his side was the secular director, State Councilor Dr. Ludwig Georg Winter . Almost a year after taking office, Bähr fell ill, so that he could only fulfill his office under difficult conditions. He then died in April 1828.

In addition to his full-time activity, Bähr also worked on a new catechism for the Baden regional church. But his design was not introduced.