Wilhelm Stein (pastor)

Wilhelm Stein, frontispiece from sermons on the evangelical pericopes , 1850

Gravestone of Wilhelm Stein on the grounds of the Niederkleener Church

Wilhelm Stein (* July 8, 1807 in Kirchen an der Sieg , † July 1, 1849 in Niederkleen ) was a German Protestant pastor and mining engineer .

Life

Wilhelm Stein sometimes attended the grammar school in Wetzlar . In 1825, the German-American mining company in Elberfeld offered his father Johann Ludwig Stein a contract to participate in the exploitation of Mexican silver mines. The father accepted the offer and traveled to Mexico with his eldest son, who was then 18 years old . After a three-month crossing they reached the port city of Alvarado on November 30th , after another 15-day march to Mexico City and finally their destination, the silver mines of Chico . The father died on April 30, 1826, exhausted from the long journey and sick. Wilhelm then offered his services to the mining company, whereupon he ran a silver ore mine for three years.

In 1829 Stein returned to Germany to study mining science at the Bergakademie in Freiberg . Pneumonia shortly before the start of his studies, the effects of which would accompany him throughout his life, and which ultimately also caused him to die early, no longer allowed him to have an exhausting life in the mine. On the advice of relatives, he now studied Protestant theology , from autumn 1829 in Bonn , from spring to autumn 1831 in Halle , then again in Bonn. In 1833 and 1834 he passed the first and second theological exams . Because of the many candidates there was no prospect of employment as a pastor, which is why he worked as a tutor in Elberfeld . As a theologian, Stein was initially rather indifferent to theology and faith and even scoffed at the “mystical-pietistic nature” in Elberfeld. However, after reading the writings of Friedrich Schleiermacher and Wilhelm Leipoldt (head of the Barmer Missionsgesellschaft ), he turned from rationalism to faith. Stein offered his services to the Barmer Mission Society , which wanted to send him to North America. However, his relatives tried to dissuade him from the project and asked the Koblenz church authorities for a job as a pastor.

Ev. Church in Niederkleen, south view

The church authorities offered a position in Niederkleen , where the old pastor went into retirement. Stein was ordained on August 10, 1836 in the Evangelical Church of Niederkleen . Stein impressed the congregation with his determination and unsophisticated simplicity in preaching, not least because the old pastor had left the sermons to young vicars with no experience due to years of illness . Stein's sermons were very attractive, so that believers also came from nearby villages and the church was often overcrowded, especially in summer. A revival movement went from Niederkleen to the surrounding Hüttenberger Land . In the neighboring villages, however, stone was also reviled as a "blatant zealot ", "sinister preacher of morals", "pietist" and "mystic". Stone's influence became more noticeable through casualty speeches , school lessons and public catechizations . Church feasts and funeral feasts were abolished, and youth meetings in spinning rooms were criticized. Stein shared the parish income with his predecessor in the rectory, who continued to live in the rectory, until his death in 1842. Stein's sister Friedericke ran the household for her brother. In 1839 the church authorities wanted to give him a more profitable position as a pastor in recognition of his performance. However, because he wanted to stay in the community, he asked for a financial allowance instead, which he received. At the age of 39, Stein married Margaretha von Schönberg in 1846, despite the large age difference, who, coming from Nuremberg, had been raised by Stein and his sister in the parsonage. The couple had two children. Since 1847 Stein's health fluctuated so much , despite repeated spa stays in Bad Ems , that he was only able to carry out his duties to a limited extent. At the end of June 1849 he suffered a hemorrhage from which he did not recover.

Works

• A. Lindenborn (Ed.): Sermons on Evangelical Pericopes. 1850

literature

• Ulrich Kulke: XIII The life of the pastor Wilhelm Stein. In: From the history of the church in Niederkleen , monthly booklet for Protestant church history of the Rhineland, volume 27, 1978, booklet 26, pp. 40–47
• Otto Renkhoff : Stein, Wilhelm (biography no.2647). In: Nassau biography. Short biographies from 13 centuries. 2. completely revised u. exp. Edition, Wiesbaden 1992, p. 780