Rudolf von Schmid

Karl Rudolf Schmid , from 1889 by Schmid , (born January 17, 1828 in Altensteigdorf near Nagold , † August 7, 1907 in Obersontheim Castle ) was a German Protestant theologian .

He was born the son of a pastor and has attended the Latin school in Marbach am Neckar since 1836 . After the state examination, he moved to the Evangelical-theological seminar in Blaubeuren in October 1841 and, four years later, the Evangelical Monastery of Tübingen . In 1845 he became a member of the fraternity association Nordland Tübingen .

Shortly before completing his studies, Schmid moved to Baden as a militant during the German Revolution in June 1849 to fight the Prussians, but his father brought him back before fighting broke out. This adventure brought Schmid four days of detention and the discharge from the pen with repayment of the training costs (which was later waived).

Schmid then went to Heiligkreuztal as a private tutor , in 1851 as vicar to Calw and in 1852 was employed as a tutor in the Evangelical-theological seminary in Maulbronn . On the mediation of his future brother-in-law Julius Köstlin he came in 1854 as court master to the Scottish Duke of Argyll . Here he taught the duke's three sons for four years, including a future son-in-law of Queen Victoria . During this time he made numerous acquaintances and met well-known personalities, such as the future Prime Minister Lord Palmerston , the Africa explorer David Livingstone and the author Harriet Beecher Stowe . Schmid maintained contacts with Scotland for a long time, which among other things led to the fact that shortly before the First World War he tried - admittedly in vain - to reach a German-English understanding.

After parish administration and the second exam, he was employed as the third parish priest of Heilbronn in 1861 , which made it possible to found his own household. His wife chose Schmid from one of the most respected families in Württemberg, Thusnelde Köstlin (1827-1896), daughter of the physician Karl Heinrich Gotthilf von Köstlin , who gave him six children. In 1868 Schmid became the parish priest in Friedrichshafen , which brought him into closer contact with the Württemberg royal family. Ten years later he moved to Schwäbisch Hall as dean , in 1888 he became prelate and general superintendent of Heilbronn and thus a member of the state parliament . In 1890, Schmid was appointed to succeed Karl von Gerok as senior preacher and senior consistorial advisor at the Stuttgart court, and in 1896 he was still field provost .

Schmid was involved in numerous secondary positions: he was chairman of the higher teachers' seminar , chairman of the commission for the educational institutions and royal commissioner of the Katharinen - und Olga foundation in Stuttgart and also a member of the central committee for the inner mission in Berlin. In 1889 he was awarded the Knight of Honor Cross of the Order of the Württemberg Crown , with which the personal nobility was associated, for his services , and in 1898 he received the Commander's Cross.

In 1897 Evangelical Theological Faculty of the received Schmid from the University of Tuebingen , the honorary doctorate conferred, for which he thanked in 1906 with the publication "The scientific faith of a theologian." In this book, a “word for understanding between natural science and Christianity”, he takes a stand that on the one hand takes the natural sciences seriously in all their freedom, but on the other hand also fully adheres to Christian convictions.

Rudolf von Schmid died in the summer on August 7, 1907, of a stroke at Obersontheim Castle and was buried three days later with great honors in the Prague cemetery in Stuttgart .

literature

• Stefan J. Dietrich: Faith and Science. Prelate and court preacher Rudolf von Schmid died 100 years ago , Evangelisches Gemeindeblatt für Württemberg, Stuttgarter Ausgabe, 102 (2007), No. 31/32 (5th / 12th August), p. 10
• Frank Raberg : Biographical handbook of the Württemberg state parliament members 1815-1933 . On behalf of the Commission for Historical Regional Studies in Baden-Württemberg. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-17-016604-2 , p. 801 .
• Rudolf Schmid: Memories from my life, Constance 1909.

Sources and individual references

1. ^ Helge Dvorak: Biographical Lexicon of the German Burschenschaft. Volume I: Politicians. Sub-Volume 5: R – S. Winter, Heidelberg 2002, ISBN 3-8253-1256-9 , pp. 262-263.