Johannes Erb

Johannes Erb (* 1635 in Thun ; † 1701 in Oberburg ) was a Swiss Protestant clergyman.

Life

Johannes Erb was the son of Samuel Erb and his wife Maria (née Hächler).

After growing up in modest circumstances, he was able, with financial support from the Council of Thun, to begin studying theology at the High School in Bern and to continue at the University of Heidelberg as well as at universities abroad, with a longer stay in England for shaping his mindset , where Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667) and Richard Baxter had a great influence on his way of thinking.

In 1667 he was elected pastor of Grindelwald , which then numbered twelve hundred souls and was one of the most arduous communities in the Bernese region. At the beginning of 1669 there was a striking increase in mortality in the community after an infectious disease had spread there. The Landvogt von Unterseen had this disease examined and it was found that it was the Asian plague , which led to the immediate closure of the community. In order to provide medical care to the population, Johannes Erb was instructed in the use of the necessary medication, and at the beginning of April 1669 two doctors appointed by the authorities came to Grindelwald who were housed in the rectory. The problem was exacerbated by the attitude of the population, who were dull and disregarded the recommendations of the doctors and ultimately, at the end of May, forced them to leave. This attitude came about through the sermons of Johannes Erb, who portrayed the visitation as God's punishment, whereby the inhabitants drew the conclusion that one should not evade this punishment, although Johannes Erb warned that the epidemic must be prevented from spreading. At the beginning of June 1669 he also fell ill with the disease, but survived it, but his son died on June 25, 1669. On August 1, 1669 the epidemic in Grindelwald had died down; the number of victims was 788 within seven months.

After this crisis he was elected pastor to Oberburg in 1670, which was also associated with an increase in salary. During his tenure in 1671 he built a new schoolhouse and a new fortress-like churchyard wall, in 1673 a new pulpit was built in the church , in 1675 a supper table was set up, which he equipped with communion and baptismal implements, and in 1683 he left a sound cover attach over the pulpit.

In 1693 he wanted to donate a city library to his hometown Thun and informed the local council of his intention to cede his extensive book collection to the city of Thun, provided that a library was built for this purpose. A library commission created for this purpose met with considerable resistance from the citizens and was not able to provide a room for it. He then gave the library as a gift to his friends; the largest share was given to his godchild, Pastor Jakob Rubin in Wattenwill ; he tried again in 1706 to build the library, but also failed.

In addition to his work as a pastor, he was also active as a writer and published his first writings and translations of the edification writings by Richard Baxter and Jeremy Taylor in Basel as early as 1673.

Johannes Erb married Rosina (née Christen) in the church of Amsoldingen on March 7, 1664 , and although the marriage resulted in two children, they died in childhood.

On September 7, 1694, he married the widow of the infirmary Isaak Walter († 1680), Susanne (née Clerc).

Pietistic work

Because Jeremy Taylor and Richard Baxter, who rejected the Calvinist doctrine of predestination, were his role models, it can be seen that Johannes Erb no longer adhered to the strictly orthodox formula consensus, but was ahead of his time without being attacked for it. Through the translations of the English authors, whose theology went beyond the framework of Reformed Orthodoxy, and through his own edification books, he is one of the pioneers of Pietism in Switzerland.

Fonts (selection)

• Emanuel Lutz; Johannes Erb: Disputatio ethica prima, De felicitate humana . Bern 1660.
• Mother sin . Basel 1673.
• Richard Baxter; Johannes Erb: Eternal rest of the saints . Basel 1673.
• The narrow crossed piers . Schaffhausen 1674.
• Reformed Hauss-Kirch . 1675.
• Thomas Taylor; Johannes Erb; Georg Sonnleitner; Margaritha Kachelhofer; Friedrich Kuhn: Christ's controversy and overcoming or lion out of the tribe of Juda / Who overcame and repudiated the roaring lion in its three hellish and few temptations . Bern Printed and published / by Georg Sonnleitner / ordered Buchtrucker 1676.
• Highly moving and deeply minded thoughts . Bern 1677.
• Richard Baxter; Johann Heinrich Ringier ; Johann-Theodor Pauli; Johannes Erb: Spiritual, instructive and consoling reflections on death / As the last enemy / who is raised . Bern Sonnleitner 1678.
• The Christian House Church . Basel 1680.
• The Schnäll-Eylende Evangelische Bott, or mourning calender . Publishing house Samuel Kupfferschmids in Burgdorff, 1681.
• Richard Baxter; Johannes Erb: Way of Christianity . Bern 1685.
• Franciscus Ridderus; Johannes Erb; Johannes Spiegl; Kneubühler, Samuel (Offizin, Bern): Francisci Ridderi Blood mirror of religion: to cheer up the lazy Christians, presented by examples of the martyrs . Bern: Printed and published by Sam. Kneubülers Blessed Wittib, in the year of Christ 1686.
• Johannes Erb; Anton Herport; Johann Rudolph Genath: Officivm Vltimvm Amici Fidi, Seu Descriptio genuina Vitæ & obitûs D. Anthoniii Herporti, Pastoris olim Ecclesiæ, quæ Christo in Burgdorff colligitur . Basel 1689.
• Blaunerus redivivus . Bern 1691.
• Jacob Blauner past. bernensis vita et mors . Basel 1695.
• Prayers for the Christian Youth in Thun - An Easter present . 1695.
• Letters to his relatives from 1695 to 1697 . Sheets for Bernese history, art and antiquity, booklet. 2nd 1907.

literature

• Johannes Erb . In: Collection of Bernese biographies. Bern, 1884–1944. P. 267 f.

Web links

• Rudolf Dellsperger: Johannes Erb. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Claudia Ulbrich, Kaspar von Greyerz, Lorenz Heiligensetzer (ed.): Mapping the 'I': Research on Self-Narratives in Germany and Switzerland . BRILL, 2014, ISBN 978-90-04-28397-8 , pp. 69 f . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
2. ↑ Major Events 1146-2002. Grindelwald municipality, accessed on November 26, 2019 . 
3. ^ Formula Consensus. Retrieved November 26, 2019 . 
4. ↑ Isabelle Noth: Ecstatic Pietism: the Inspirationsgemeinden and their prophet Ursula Meyer (1682-1743) . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2005, ISBN 3-525-55831-7 , pp. 56 ( limited preview in Google Book search).