Theodore Parker
Theodore Parker (born August 24, 1810 in Lexington , Massachusetts , † May 10, 1860 in Florence ) was an American theologian , abolitionist and writer and belonged to the group of transcendentalists .
After earning his living as a teacher, Theodore Parker studied at Harvard University from 1830 and later at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge / Massachusetts . He became a preacher in a Unitarian church in Roxbury in 1836 . His freer religious views, which have also been published in the transcendentalist journal The Dial since 1840 , caused great offense that he resigned from office after a few years.
His Boston sermon The Transient and Permanent in Christianity in May 1841 became famous. It is considered the cause of the rift with the Unitarians.
Parker traveled to England , Germany , France and Italy and made himself particularly familiar with the German language and science. In 1844 he returned and in 1846 took over a pastoral office in a congregational church in Boston, which he held until his death. He devoted all of his strength to fighting slavery .
He died after a long illness during a vacation trip.
Selection of works
- German Literature . In: The Dial I / III (1841)
- A Discourse of Matters Pertaining to Religion, 1842
- Theism, atheism, and the popular theology, 1853
literature
- Theodore Parker, Frances Power Cobbe: Discourses of Slavery: The Collected Works of Theodore Parker, Part Five. ISBN 1-4179-4691-1 .
- Henry Steele Commager : Theodore Parker. 1936, ISBN 1-4191-5974-7 ( archive.org ).
- Lothar Bily : Parker, Theodore. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 6, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-044-1 , Sp. 1536-1537.
Web links
- Entry in the American National Biography Online
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Parker, Theodore |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American theologian, abolitionist, and writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 24, 1810 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lexington , Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 10, 1860 |
| Place of death | Florence |