Johann Blumhardt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions.(December 2007)

Johann Christoph Blumhardt (1805-1880) was a German Lutheran theologian and the father of Christoph Blumhardt.

Johann Blumhardt is best known for his contribution in thought towards a kingdom-now/come theology and his motto and centralization of Christianity around the idea that "Jesus is Victor." This phrase (aside from its Latin origin, Christus Victor) originated from the exorcism of Gottliebin Dittus that took place in Möttlingen in 1842. This event lead to a revival in Blumhardt's parish. His life post-exorcism was characterized by revivals and healings of infirmities. In 1853 he purchased a thermal spa in Bad Boll to serve as a Christian retreat, where people came to seek his renowned healing abilities. There he spent the rest of his life.

Both Johann and son Christoph, while unsystematic, generated enormous pastoral and theological waves. Their ideas on the perennial breaking-in of God's kingdom from the future helped transform Christian eschatology in the twentieth century. They were particularly influential on the work of Karl Barth and Eduard Thurneysen.

Friedrich Zuendel later documented Johann Blumhardt's dramatic life, translated into English with the book, The Awakening.