Julius Kühlewein

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Walter Wolfgang Julius Kühlewein (born January 18, 1873 in Neunstetten ; † August 2, 1948 in Freiburg im Breisgau ) was a Protestant theologian and prelate and from 1933 to 1945 regional bishop of the Evangelical Church in Baden .

Life and work

Kühlewein was born as one of seven children of the dean Heinrich Ludwig Kühlewein and his wife Anna Sophie nee. Krauss was born in Neunstetten. He attended elementary school in his hometown and later the grammar school in Wertheim , where he passed the Abitur in 1890. Then he studied theology in Erlangen , Halle (Saale) and Heidelberg . During his studies in 1890 he became a member of the C. St. V. Uttenruthia Erlangen and in 1891 of the Black Castle Association Tuiskonia Halle . He took his state exams in 1893 and 1894. He was then vicar in Lahr / Black Forest and Freiburg im Breisgau , before he took up a pastor's position in Mauer in 1898 . In 1901 he became a pastor at the deaconess institution in Mannheim . In 1906 he moved to Karlsruhe as a pastor and in 1921 to Freiburg. In 1924 he was appointed prelate and thus spiritual head of the Evangelical Church in Baden. Together with the President of the Upper Church Council, Nikolaus Wurth , his deputy and six (from 1932 four) members of the regional synod, he formed the church government of the Baden regional church.

After the National Socialists came to power, Kühlewein had a pastoral word read out in all Protestant churches in Baden on March 28, 1933 in which he expressly welcomed the developments:

Evangelical fellow believers, what we have hoped and longed for for years has come. The vast majority of our German people have formed a strong national front and have unanimously stood behind the men whom the head of our Reich has appointed to lead the German people. Even today we have every reason to thank God that he did not let our people sink into the ground, but kept them from perishing at the last hour.

According to the church law of June 1, 1933, the office of prelate and church president was abolished and the new office of regional bishop was established. From then on, he was to have the spiritual leadership and chairmanship of the upper church council. The regional synod elected Kühlewein on June 24, 1933 as the first regional bishop of the Evangelical regional church in Baden. During his tenure, Kühlewein was always able to successfully oppose the incorporation of the regional church into the German imperial church.

Although he was bishop of a state church with a committed denomination , in the church struggle he explicitly sought the connection of the Baden church to the council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and less to the consciously united part of the Confessing Church .

In 1937 he was one of those who signed the declaration of the 96 Protestant church leaders against Alfred Rosenberg because of his writing Protestant Rome Pilgrims .

After the war he convened the first synod in Bretten on November 27, 1945 , where he announced his resignation. The synod then elected Julius Bender as his successor as regional bishop.

Kühlewein was married, the marriage had four sons and three daughters.

Honors

In 1926, Kühlewein was awarded the title of Dr. theol. hc awarded.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hermann Goebel (ed.): Directory of members of the Schwarzburgbund. 8th edition, Frankfurt am Main 1930, p. 98 No. 1760.
  2. ↑ Hannelore Braun / Carsten Nicolaisen (ed.): Responsibility for the Church. Stenographic notes and transcripts from Regional Bishop Hans Meiser 1933-1955 . tape 2 : autumn 1935 to spring 1937. Göttingen 1993, p. XXII .
  3. ↑ Friedrich Siegmund-Schultze (Ed.): Ecumenical Yearbook 1936–1937 . Max Niehans, Zurich 1939, pp. 240–247.

literature

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personal data
SURNAME Kühlewein, Julius
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kühlewein, Walter Wolfgang Julius (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Protestant theologian, regional bishop of Baden
DATE OF BIRTH January 18, 1873
PLACE OF BIRTH Neunstetten
DATE OF DEATH August 2, 1948
Place of death Freiburg in Breisgau