Uwe Steffen

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Grave of Uwe Steffens and his wife in the cemetery at Ratzeburg Cathedral

Uwe Steffen (born June 12, 1928 in Westerland / Sylt ; † June 22, 2010 in Ratzeburg ) was a German Evangelical Lutheran theologian who worked as a pastor , provost and cathedral provost and was of national importance due to his extensive journalistic activities including radio and television work attained.

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Uwe Steffen was born on June 12, 1928 on the island of Sylt . He comes from an old family of whalers and pastors. You can still find the magnificently designed tombstone of his ancestor Matthias Petersen on the island of Föhr . His father Richard Steffen and his grandfather were already provosts.

As a fourteen and fifteen year old he was trained to be a seaman on a sailing training ship. He had already signed up for twelve years as an active naval officer in the Navy when the collapse of the Third Reich thwarted his plans. Steffen, versatile and interested, passed his Abitur in Neumünster in 1949 , studied theology in Kiel and Göttingen , received his practical training in Neumünster and Preetz , married in 1954 and took over his first pastor in Lütjensee in 1955 . Over time, he and his wife Hille had three children.

Steffen has been active as a journalist since 1959. He devoted himself to extensive radio and television work. Numerous articles by Steffen have appeared in various magazines.

From 1966 to 1975 he was provost of the Norderdithmarschen provost in Heide (Holstein) .

From 1976 until his retirement in 1993 he was provost in Ratzeburg Cathedral .

The then Ratzeburg cathedral organist Neithard Bethke described Steffen in his foreword to the publication of the book Mitteilungen vonfahren in 1993 as being able to verbally capture the essentials concisely and emphasized his extraordinary productivity as a writer . He had expressed himself on questions of everyday life, pastoral care, daily politics, church and theological problems with often only short but accurately formulated stories, reflections and sermons and based on apparently everyday occurrences, speeches picked up or how newly found ancient knowledge people in thought led to the recognition of the relation of all things to one origin - God . One of Steffen's favorite biblical characters was the prophet Jona , whose depiction also adorns his tombstone.

Books and writings

  • The "Altar of Revelation" by Otto Flath in the Anchark Church in Neumünster . CH Wäser Verlag, Bad Segeberg 1950
  • The image of people in Otto Flath's work. CH Wäser Verlag, Bad Segeberg 1955
  • Together with Friedrich-Ernst Missfeldt: I believe in the Triune God. An Interpretation of the Apostles' Creed. Moritz Diesterweg publishing house, Frankfurt a. M. / Berlin / Bonn 1960
  • The mystery of death and resurrection. Forms and changes of the Jonah motif. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1963
  • Children's stories for adults. Lutheran Publishing Company, Kiel 1966
  • Children's stories for adults. Westholsteinische Verlagsanstalt Boyens & Co., Heide 1969; 5th ed. 1983
  • Everyday stories for the thoughtful. Westholsteinische Verlagsanstalt Boyens & Co., Heide 1967; 2nd edition 1975
  • Everyday things - considered thoughtfully. West Holstein Publishing House Boyens & Co., Heide; 3rd expanded edition of "Everyday stories for pensive people" 1980; 4th edition 1986
  • Art under the sign of Jonah. (Artist's monograph on the sculptor and graphic artist Rolf Goerler). With an introduction by H.-M. Red mouth. Friedrich Lometsch Verlag, Kassel 1968
  • Everything is yours. Direction for young people. Rauhen Haus agency, Hamburg 1966; 4th revised edition 1971
  • Trial by Fire of Faith. The three men in the fiery furnace. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1969
  • Save me too. Biblical meditations. Christian Jensen Verlag, Breklum 1970; 2nd edition 1975
  • Witnesses of Christ in our time. Three radio addresses. Christian Jensen Verlag, Breklum 1971
  • Christian life through the ages . Brief addresses. (Christian Jensen Verlag) Breklum 1971; 2nd edition 1977
  • Jesus today. Christian Jensen Verlag, Breklum 1972; 2nd edition 1975
Danish translation by Walter Deckert: Jesus i dag. Lohses Verlag, Fredericia 1975
  • And your neighbor as yourself. Variations on the theme of selflessness and self-love. Breklumer Verlag, Breklum 1973
  • And your neighbor as yourself. Variations on the theme of self-love, neighborly love, love of God. Breklumer Verlag, Breklum; 2nd revised edition 1977
  • Power - salvation - peace. Thoughts on the Christmas message. (Series of publications for evangelical women - issue 254). Laetare Verlag, Stein / Nuremberg 1974
  • Jonah - symbol of present existence. Poems and graphics of the 20th century. Breklumer Verlag, Breklum 1974: 2nd edition 1975
  • The hardest art. Broadcast speeches. Breklumer Verlag, Breklum 1975
  • It's about the whole. Broadcast speeches. Breklumer Verlag, Breklum 1976
  • The godly secret. Christmas contemplations. Rauhen Haus agency, Hamburg 1976
  • The return of Lazarus. Essays. Breklumer Verlag, Breklum 1977
  • Marriage - yes or no. Breklumer Verlag, Breklum 1977
  • Light on my way. Daily devotions. Rauhen Haus agency, Hamburg 1977; 2nd edition 1978
  • The beggar on crutches. A donation from the Barlach family for the Ratzeburg Cathedral. (Series of publications by the Association of Friends of the Ratzeburg Cathedral eV). Ratzeburg 1978
  • The Christmas story of Luke. Rauhen Haus agency, Hamburg 1978
  • If it happened today ... Christmas viewing. Rauhen Haus agency, Hamburg 1979
  • Subjugate the earth! On the current crisis of humanity. Breklumer Verlag, Breklum 1980
  • Heinrich the Lion and Ratzeburg. (Series of publications by the Association of Friends of the Ratzeburg Cathedral eV) Ratzeburg 1980
  • The Ratzeburg Lion. (Series of publications by the Association of Friends of the Ratzeburger Domes eV) Ratzeburg 1981
  • Joy and comfort to my heart. Daily devotions. Rauhen Haus agency, Hamburg 1981; 2nd edition 1982
  • Jonah and the fish. "Symbols" book series. (Kreuz Verlag) Stuttgart / Berlin 1982; 4th edition 1990
  • Stay on the trail of love. Ratzeburg radio devotions. (Verlag Michael Jung) Kiel 1984
  • Dragon fight. The myth of evil. "Symbols" book series. (Kreuz Verlag) Stuttgart 1984; 2nd edition 1986. Translated into Italian by Donatella Besana, Incontro Col Drago. Immagini e simboli della lotto col male. Como, red./studio redazionale, 1988 (Immagini del profondo, 19)
  • Add. with Werner v. Wyszecki, The Art Chamber of the Ratzeburg Cathedral. A documentation. (Series of publications by the Association of Friends of the Ratzeburg Cathedral eV) Ratzeburg 1985
  • The two brothers. Everyone has a different me. "Wisdom in Fairy Tales" series. (Kreuz Verlag AG) Zurich / Stuttgart 1986
  • The Jonah motif in stained glass. Reprint from "Ratzeburger Sommermusiken 1986", Ratzeburg 1986
  • Bible illustrations. For the exhibition “Old Bibles and other old books from the Ratzeburg Cathedral Library”. Ratzeburg 1987
  • Baptism. Origin and meaning of the Christian initiation rite. "Symbols" book series. (Kreuz Verlag) Stuttgart 1988; 2nd edition 1992
  • Save me too. Biblical meditations. (Friedrich Wittig Verlag) Hamburg 1989
  • The altar of the apostles in the Ratzeburg Cathedral. (Series of publications by the Association of Friends of the Ratzeburg Cathedral eV) Ratzeburg 1990
  • The four evangelist symbols. (Series of publications by the Association of Friends of the Ratzeburg Cathedral eV) Ratzeburg 1992
  • Notifications on the go. Thoughts from four decades. (Breklumer Verlag) Breklum 1993
  • The Jonah story in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (Neukirchener Verlag) Neukirchen-Vluyn 1994
  • Islands. Dream image and illusion. (Agency of the Rauhen Haus) Hamburg 1994
  • Between heaven and earth. (EB-Verlag) Hamburg 1995
  • Fairy tales and bible. (EB-Verlag) Hamburg 1995
  • On the trail of archetypes. (Radius Verlag) Stuttgart 2000
  • Through the sea of ​​life. (Agency of the Rauhen Haus) Hamburg 2002
  • Matthias the lucky and his time. (Association of the North Frisian Institute) Bräist / Bredstedt 2004
  • The most successful whaler of the North Frisians. (Nordfriisk Institute) Bräist / Bredstedt 2004, ext. Edition 2009
  • Like the blowing of the wind. (Agency of the Rauhen Haus) Hamburg 2005

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Messages while on the move , p. 20
  2. ↑ Richard Steffen was provost in Neumünster from 1933 to 1966. Born in Lügumkloster , he was the initiator of a rich building activity until old age, which began with the renovation of the Vicelinkirche and the new building of the Christ Church in Einfeld as a small chapel in 1934 and its climax after the tireless efforts for the reconstruction of the Anchark Church in the new buildings of the post-war period. [1] . Critical to Steffen in the causa Biberstein : Pastors under the swastika . In a letter to the editor to Die Zeit, Uwe Steffen saw it as "defamation".
  3. ↑ Messages while on the move , p. 13 ff.
  4. ^ Foreword by Neithard Bethke in: Mitteilungen von Fahrt , pp. 5–7
  5. ↑ This altar was installed on the initiative of his father Richard Steffen.
personal data
SURNAME Steffen, Uwe
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lutheran theologian
DATE OF BIRTH June 12, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Westerland / Sylt
DATE OF DEATH June 22, 2010
Place of death Ratzeburg