Heinrich Gottlieb Tzschirner
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Gottlieb Tzschirner (November 14, 1778 – February 17, 1828) was a German Protestant theologian born in Mittweida
, Saxony
.
He studied theology
at the University of Leipzig
, receiving his habilitation in 1800 with assistance from Dresden
examinator Franz Volkmar Reinhard
(1753-1812). For a period of time he worked as a private lecturer at the University of Wittenberg, and following his father's death became deacon in his home town of Mittweida. In 1805 he was appointed professor of theology at Wittenberg
, and in 1809 returned to Leipzig
, where in 1811 he became rector
of the university.
In 1813 he joined the Saxon Army as a chaplain
during the Napoleonic Wars
. He returned to Leipzig the following year, and subsequently became archdeacon
of St. Thomas Church and superintendent of the Diocese of Leipzig.
As a theologian, Tzschirner was an advocate of ethical and critical rationalism
, believing that common sense morality was the supreme principle of Christianity
. In one of his better known works, Protestantismus and Katholicismus aus dem Standpunkte der Politik betrachlet, he staunchly defended the Protestant cause versus Catholicism
. In addition to his own written works, he continued publication of Johann Matthias Schröckh
's Christliche Kirchengeschichte seit der Reformation (Church History since the Reformation
) after Schröckh's death in 1808.
Mittweida
Mittweida is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, in the Mittelsachsen district. It is situated on the Zschopau River, 18 km north of Chemnitz, and 54 km west of Dresden....
, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
.
He studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
, receiving his habilitation in 1800 with assistance from Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
examinator Franz Volkmar Reinhard
Franz Volkmar Reinhard
Franz Volkmar Reinhard was a German Protestant theologian who was a native of Vohenstrauß.In 1780 he became an associate professor of theology and philosophy at the University of Wittenberg, where he was rector in 1790-91...
(1753-1812). For a period of time he worked as a private lecturer at the University of Wittenberg, and following his father's death became deacon in his home town of Mittweida. In 1805 he was appointed professor of theology at Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
, and in 1809 returned to Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, where in 1811 he became rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the university.
In 1813 he joined the Saxon Army as a chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. He returned to Leipzig the following year, and subsequently became archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of St. Thomas Church and superintendent of the Diocese of Leipzig.
As a theologian, Tzschirner was an advocate of ethical and critical rationalism
Rationalism
In epistemology and in its modern sense, rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" . In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive"...
, believing that common sense morality was the supreme principle of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. In one of his better known works, Protestantismus and Katholicismus aus dem Standpunkte der Politik betrachlet, he staunchly defended the Protestant cause versus Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. In addition to his own written works, he continued publication of Johann Matthias Schröckh
Johann Matthias Schröckh
Johann Matthias Schröckh was an Austrian-German historian and literary scholar born in Vienna. He was a grandson to Pietist preacher Matthias Bel ....
's Christliche Kirchengeschichte seit der Reformation (Church History since the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
) after Schröckh's death in 1808.
Selected publications
- Geschichte der Apologetik (History of Apologetics), 1805
- Ueber die Verwandtschaft der Tugenden und der Laster (Relationship of Virtues and Vices), 1809
- Predigten (Collection of Sermons), 1812
- Ueber Johann Matthias Schröckh's Leben, Charakter und Schriften (Johann Matthias Schröckh's Life, Character and Writings), 1812
- Ueber den Krieg, ein philosophischer Versuch (About the War, a Philosophical Approach), 1815
- Die Ehe aus dem Gesichtspunkte der Natur, der Moral und der Kirche (Marriage of the Elements of Nature, Morality and the Church), 1819
- Protestantismus und Katholicismus aus dem Standpuncte der Politik (Protestantism and Catholicism from a Political Standpoint), 1822
- Die Gefahr einer Deutschen Revolution (The Danger of a German Revolution), 1823
- Der Fall des Heidenthums (The Fall of Heathenism), 1829