Paul Gerhardt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Gerhardt
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| Born | 12 March 1607 Gräfenhainichen, Electorate of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire
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| Died | 27 May 1676 (aged 69) Lübben, Duchy of Saxe-Merseburg in the Holy Roman Empire
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Paul Gerhardt (born March 12, 1607 – died May 27, 1676) was a German Lutheran minister and a famous writer of hymns. He is known as one of Germany's greatest hymn writers.
Contents
Paul Gerhardt's Early Life and Education
Paul Gerhardt was born in Gräfenhainichen, a small town in Germany. His family was not rich, but they were not poor either. Paul's father passed away in 1619, and his mother died in 1621.
When he was 15, Paul went to a special school called the Fürstenschule in Grimma. This school was known for being very religious and strict. In 1626, a serious illness called the plague almost closed the school. But Paul stayed and finished his studies there in 1627.
In 1628, he started studying at the University of Wittenberg. Two of his teachers, Paul Röber and Jacob Martini, were very important to him. They were strong supporters of the Lutheran faith. They taught Paul how to use hymns to help people and share religious lessons.
Life During the Thirty Years' War
Paul Gerhardt finished his studies around 1642. At this time, Germany was going through a very difficult period called the Thirty Years' War. Because of the war, he could not immediately become a pastor.
So, he moved to Berlin and worked as a private teacher for a family. While in Berlin, his hymns and poems became popular. A church musician named Johann Crüger noticed his talent. Crüger was the organist at the Nicolaikirche in Berlin. He was very impressed by Gerhardt's hymns.
Crüger included many of Gerhardt's hymns in his famous hymn book, Praxis pietatis melica. The hymns became very popular. Gerhardt and Crüger became good friends and worked together for many years.
Becoming a Pastor and Family Life
In September 1651, Paul Gerhardt got his first church job. He became a pastor in Mittenwalde, a small town near Berlin. He wrote most of his famous hymns during his time there.
While in Mittenwalde, he also got married to Anna Maria Barthold. She was one of the daughters of the family he had tutored in Berlin. Their first child was born in Mittenwalde in 1656, but sadly, the baby died very young. A special stone in the church shows how sad they were.
Gerhardt loved being a pastor in Mittenwalde. But he seemed to miss Berlin. In 1657, he was asked to become an associate pastor at the Nikolaikirche in Berlin. After thinking about it for a long time, he decided to accept the job.
Challenges in Berlin
When Gerhardt moved to Berlin, he found the city full of arguments between two groups of Christian leaders: the Lutherans and the Reformed. The ruler at that time was Friedrich Wilhelm I of Brandenburg. He was from the Reformed group. He wanted to bring peace between the church groups. However, he mostly tried to make his lands more like the Reformed faith.
He only allowed Reformed pastors in churches. He also removed Lutheran teachers from a university and stopped students from his lands from studying at the University of Wittenberg.
The ruler also set up meetings between the Lutheran and Reformed leaders. He hoped they would agree on things. But the meetings made them argue even more. Paul Gerhardt was a strong voice for the Lutherans. He wrote many statements to defend the Lutheran faith.
Even so, he was known for being friendly with everyone, including the Reformed leaders. Everyone respected him. His sermons were so peaceful that many Reformed people came to his church. Even the ruler's wife, Louisa Henrietta, admired him and his hymns.
The ruler became impatient because the meetings did not work. In 1664, he ended the meetings and issued a new rule. This rule did not allow the "Formula of Concord," which was an important Lutheran belief. Many Lutheran pastors could not agree to this rule. Because of this, Gerhardt lost his job in 1666.
The people of Berlin asked for him to get his job back. An exception was made for Gerhardt, but he felt he could not keep a job that seemed to go against his beliefs. For over a year, he lived in Berlin without a job. During this time, his wife also passed away. He was left with only one child.
A few months later, the ruler's rule was taken back. But by then, the ruler's wife, who had supported Gerhardt, had also died. So, he was still without a job. In October 1668, he was called to be a church leader in Lübben. He worked there for eight years and passed away on May 27, 1676.
Paul Gerhardt's Hymns
Paul Gerhardt is thought to be Germany's best hymn writer. Many of his well-known hymns were first printed in church hymn books. Some appeared in Johann Crüger's Geistliche Kirchenmelodien (1647) and Praxis pietatis melica.
The first full collection of his hymns was called Geistliche Andachten. It was published in 1666–1667 by Ebeling, a music director in Berlin. No hymns written by Gerhardt after 1667 are known to exist.
The famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach used parts of Gerhardt's hymns in many of his musical works. These include his cantatas, motets, and the Christmas Oratorio. For example, the hymn "Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn" is the basis for Bach's cantata BWV 92.
Some of Paul Gerhardt's most famous hymns include:
- "Auf, auf, mein Herz, mit Freuden" (Awake, My Heart, with Gladness)
- "Befiehl du deine Wege" (Commit Whatever Grieves Thee)
- "Die güldne Sonne voll Freud und Wonne" (The Golden Sun, Full of Joy and Delight)
- "Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld" (A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth)
- "Geh aus, mein Herz, und suche Freud" (Go Forth, My Heart, and Seek Delight)
- "Ich singe dir mit Herz und Mund" (Rejoice My Heart, Be Glad and Sing)
- "Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier" (I Stand Here at Your Manger)
- "Nun danket all und bringet Ehr" (Now Thank All and Bring Honor)
- "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" (O Sacred Head, Now Wounded)
- "Wie soll ich dich empfangen" (O How Shall I Receive Thee)
Commemoration
Paul Gerhardt is remembered on October 26 in the Calendar of Saints used by some Lutheran churches in the United States. On this day, the achievements of Philipp Nicolai and Johann Heermann are also celebrated.
In Wittenberg, there is a special plaque that marks where he lived. It is close to the university.
Images for kids
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Paul Gerhardt, a portrait from around 1700.
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The Paul Gerhardt Building in Münster.
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Paul Gerhardt's house in Wittenberg.
