Philipp Spener
Philipp Spener | |
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Born | Philipp Jakob Spener 30 January 1635 |
Died | 5 February 1705 Berlin, Margraviate of Brandenburg, Holy Roman Empire | (aged 70)
Education | University of Strasbourg |
Occupations |
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Movement | Pietism |
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Lutheranism |
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Philipp Jakob Spener (23 January 1635 – 5 February 1705)
Life
Spener was born in
Spener returned to Strasbourg in 1663, where he was appointed preacher without pastoral duties, with the right of holding lectures. Three years afterwards he was invited to become the chief pastor in the
In Berlin Spener was held in high honour, though the tendencies of the court and the government officials were rather rationalistic than pietistic. The
Theology
Highly influenced by Johann Arndt, Lewis Bayly, Jean de Labadie, and Theophil Großgebauer, Spener's own writings display an emphasis on personal transformation through spiritual rebirth and renewal. It is this focus on individual devotion and piety that places him within the realm of Pietism.[4] Spener wanted to strengthen and renew the church through the development of more knowledgeable and devoted members. In his Pia Desideria, he gave six proposals of how to enact this reform: (1) to more thoroughly acquaint believers with Scripture by means of private readings and study groups in addition to preaching; (2) to increase the involvement of laity in all functions of the church; (3) to emphasize that believers put into practice their faith and knowledge of God; (4) to approach religious discussions with humility and love, avoiding controversy whenever possible; (5) to ensure that pastors are both well-educated and pious; and (6) to focus preaching on developing faith in ordinary believers.[5] As these proposals indicate, Spener saw positive change for the church as dependent primarily upon the pious involvement of individual believers.[6]
Though Spener has been called the "father of Pietism,"
Spener was a prolific writer. The list of his published works comprises 7 vols. folio, 63 quarto, 7 octavo, 46 duodecimo; an edition of his chief writings was published by P. Grunberg in 1889.[2] TVG Brunnen Verlag in Gießen, Germany began a new edition of Spener's works in 1996.
References
- ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica, Philipp Jakob Spener. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Christopher Clark: "Iron Kingdom", 2006. p 125
- ^ Howard C. Kee et al., Christianity: A Social and Cultural History, 2nd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998), 344–45.
- ^ Philip Jacob Spener, Pia Desideria, trans. Theodore G. Tappert (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1964), 87–122.
- ^ Howard C. Kee et al., Christianity: A Social and Cultural History, 2nd ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998), 345.
- ^ Dietrich Meyer and Paul Peucker, eds., Graf ohne Grenzen: Leben und Werk von Nikolaus Ludwig Graf von Zinzendorf (Herrnhut: Unitätsarchiv, 2000), 165–167.
Further reading
- (de) Johannes Wallmann: Philipp Jakob Spener und die Anfänge des Pietismus, Tübingen 1970 (2. Aufl. 1986).
- (de) Reinhard Breymayer, « Der Vater des deutschen Pietismus und seine Bücher. Zur Privatbibliothek Philipp Jakob Speners », in: Bibliothecae selectae da Cusano a Leopardi, a cura di Eugenio Canone, Firenze, Leo S. Olschki Editore, 1993, p. 299–331 (Lessico Intellettuale Europeo, 58).
- (en) Werner Raupp: Art. Spener, Philipp Jacob (1635–1705), in: Heiner F. Klemme / Manfred Kuehn (General Editors), The Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century German Philosophers, Vol. 3, London/New York 2010, p. 1106–1110.
External links
- Online edition of Spener's heraldic works (Latin)
- Pia Desideria by Philipp Jakob Spener (English translation)