Rudolf Dulon
Encyclopedia
Christoph Joseph Rudolf Dulon (April 30, 1807 – April 13, 1870) was a pastor of the Reformed Church (Calvinist) and a socialist agitator in Bremen
; later he was an educator in the United States
.
family. After completing his time in the gymnasium
, and philosophical and theological studies at the University of Halle, he was ordained in Magdeburg
in 1836. He accepted pastorates at Flossau, near Osterberg
. Even at this time, he put himself in opposition to Church authorities, but in so mild a way that they could be lenient. In 1843, Dulon left the Prussian state Evangelical Church to become pastor for a German Reformed congregation in Magdeburg.
His work as an agitator dates from this time. He worked together with the so-called Friends of the Light
and the "Free Congregations," though without adopting their dogmas. What attracted him to them was their common fight against the validity of the articles of faith in the Reformed Church and the Catholic
izing tendencies in the uniting
Evangelical Church. He was reprimanded, but this only seemed to encourage him.
In 1848
, a vote apparently excluded him from his then Our Lady Church, Bremen, but a majority of the congregation overturned the decision and installed him as pastor
; and the Senate of Bremen
, the city-state government and highest authority in the Bremen state church, initimidated by the upheavals of the time, dispensed with many of the initiation requirements only insisting on adherence to "the word of God
." In undertaking his examination, Dulon explained that the Bible
and God
's word were for him two very different things. In November 1849 he protected the leftist Arnold Ruge
, granting him church asylum
from an impending arrestation, and organised a further hiding place at Hermann Allmers
's, before finding refuge in Brighton.
Followers streamed to him from all quarters and levels of society
, and he moved to the front of the democratic movement. Democracy
and revolution
were to him the true Christianity
. His sermon
s were characterized by their socialist content. He was strenuously opposed to the illiberal measures of the Friedrich Eichhorn, Prussian minister of cult and education. In 1850 he established the Bremen Tages-Chronik (Daily Chronicle), a social-democratic sheet - with Ruge contributing from abroad -, and Der Wecker. Ein Sonntagsblatt zur Beförderung des religiösen Lebens (The Alarmist. A Sunday paper for promoting the religious life), a religious weekly.
His string of victories became his fate. In 1851, his newspaper was forbidden in Prussia. The senate drew courage from the changing tenor of the times. In 1852, an intervention in Bremen was resolved upon by the German Confederation
, and 10,000 troops stood on the outskirts of town. Dulon's days were numbered. Even in 1851, members of the Friends of the Light had complained to the senate, accusing him of denying essential articles of faith, mocking the gospel
and open hostility to Christianity. The senate had referred the charges to theologians (Daniel Schenkel
, Friedrich Wilhelm Carl Umbreit
, and others) in Heidelberg
who had confirmed the senate (though some thought deposing pastors was outside its jurisdiction) and declared Dulon unworthy of spiritual office in the Bremen Reformed state Church. Dulon was suspended, then dismissed and sentenced to six months in jail. He fled to Heligoland
, which belonged to the United Kingdom
at that time.
, where he supported himself by lecturing and teaching young people. He became the pastor of an independent congregation in New York City
, and at the same time issued a series of “Sabbath Leaves” in the interests of free religion. He started the first German-American school in the United States. In 1855, he bought the Feldner School in New York City
, and later, from 1866 until his death, directed the Realschule in Rochester, New York
. Future Civil War general Franz Sigel
, a Badensian, taught in Dr. Dulon's New York schools, and subsequently married one of his daughters. At the end of his life, Dulon published a book, The German School in America.
In the history of the Evangelical Church, there has hardly been another, except possibly Thomas Münzer, who has put religion in the service of revolutionary socialism so much as Rudolf Dulon.
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
; later he was an educator in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Life in Germany
Dulon was descended from a HuguenotHuguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
family. After completing his time in the gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
, and philosophical and theological studies at the University of Halle, he was ordained in Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
in 1836. He accepted pastorates at Flossau, near Osterberg
Osterberg
Osterberg is a municipality in the district of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria in Germany....
. Even at this time, he put himself in opposition to Church authorities, but in so mild a way that they could be lenient. In 1843, Dulon left the Prussian state Evangelical Church to become pastor for a German Reformed congregation in Magdeburg.
His work as an agitator dates from this time. He worked together with the so-called Friends of the Light
Friends of the Light
-Origins:It originated in the Province of Saxony, in 1841. The members were also called Protestant Friends. The immediate occasion was an attempt to discipline a Magdeburg preacher who had expressed heretical views. Early leaders in the movement were Leberecht Uhlich and Gustav Adolf Wislicenus,...
and the "Free Congregations," though without adopting their dogmas. What attracted him to them was their common fight against the validity of the articles of faith in the Reformed Church and the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
izing tendencies in the uniting
United and uniting churches
United and uniting churches are churches formed from the merger or other form of union of two or more different Protestant denominations.Perhaps the oldest example of a united church is found in Germany, where the Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of Lutheran, United and Reformed...
Evangelical Church. He was reprimanded, but this only seemed to encourage him.
In 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
, a vote apparently excluded him from his then Our Lady Church, Bremen, but a majority of the congregation overturned the decision and installed him as pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
; and the Senate of Bremen
Senate of Bremen
The Senate of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is the government of the city-state of Bremen . The senate has existed since mediæval times. The senate is headed by a President, who also holds the title of Mayor. The President's deputy also holds the title Mayor...
, the city-state government and highest authority in the Bremen state church, initimidated by the upheavals of the time, dispensed with many of the initiation requirements only insisting on adherence to "the word of God
Biblical literalism
Biblical literalism is the interpretation or translation of the explicit and primary sense of words in the Bible. A literal Biblical interpretation is associated with the fundamentalist and evangelical hermeneutical approach to Scripture, and is used almost exclusively by conservative Christians...
." In undertaking his examination, Dulon explained that the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
's word were for him two very different things. In November 1849 he protected the leftist Arnold Ruge
Arnold Ruge
Arnold Ruge was a German philosopher and political writer.-Studies in university and prison:Born in Bergen auf Rügen, he studied in Halle, Jena and Heidelberg. As an advocate of a free and united Germany he was jailed for five years in 1825 in the fortress of Kolberg, where he studied Plato and...
, granting him church asylum
Sanctuary movement
The Sanctuary Movement was a religious and political campaign that began in the early 1980s to provide safe-haven for Central American refugees fleeing civil conflict...
from an impending arrestation, and organised a further hiding place at Hermann Allmers
Hermann Allmers
Hermann Allmers was a German poet.He was an only child, and was privately tutored. He began his career in public education, but took over the family farm after the death of his father in 1849....
's, before finding refuge in Brighton.
Followers streamed to him from all quarters and levels of society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
, and he moved to the front of the democratic movement. Democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
were to him the true 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...
. His sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
s were characterized by their socialist content. He was strenuously opposed to the illiberal measures of the Friedrich Eichhorn, Prussian minister of cult and education. In 1850 he established the Bremen Tages-Chronik (Daily Chronicle), a social-democratic sheet - with Ruge contributing from abroad -, and Der Wecker. Ein Sonntagsblatt zur Beförderung des religiösen Lebens (The Alarmist. A Sunday paper for promoting the religious life), a religious weekly.
His string of victories became his fate. In 1851, his newspaper was forbidden in Prussia. The senate drew courage from the changing tenor of the times. In 1852, an intervention in Bremen was resolved upon by the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
, and 10,000 troops stood on the outskirts of town. Dulon's days were numbered. Even in 1851, members of the Friends of the Light had complained to the senate, accusing him of denying essential articles of faith, mocking the gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
and open hostility to Christianity. The senate had referred the charges to theologians (Daniel Schenkel
Daniel Schenkel
Daniel Schenkel , Swiss Protestant theologian, was born at Dagerlen in the canton of Zürich....
, Friedrich Wilhelm Carl Umbreit
Friedrich Wilhelm Carl Umbreit
Friedrich Wilhelm Carl/Karl Umbreit was a German Protestant theologian and a Hebrew Bible scholar....
, and others) in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
who had confirmed the senate (though some thought deposing pastors was outside its jurisdiction) and declared Dulon unworthy of spiritual office in the Bremen Reformed state Church. Dulon was suspended, then dismissed and sentenced to six months in jail. He fled to Heligoland
Heligoland
Heligoland is a small German archipelago in the North Sea.Formerly Danish and British possessions, the islands are located in the Heligoland Bight in the south-eastern corner of the North Sea...
, which belonged to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at that time.
Life in the United States
In 1853 he emigrated with his numerous family to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he supported himself by lecturing and teaching young people. He became the pastor of an independent congregation in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and at the same time issued a series of “Sabbath Leaves” in the interests of free religion. He started the first German-American school in the United States. In 1855, he bought the Feldner School in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and later, from 1866 until his death, directed the Realschule in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. Future Civil War general Franz Sigel
Franz Sigel
Franz Sigel was a German military officer, revolutionist and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union major general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, a Badensian, taught in Dr. Dulon's New York schools, and subsequently married one of his daughters. At the end of his life, Dulon published a book, The German School in America.
In the history of the Evangelical Church, there has hardly been another, except possibly Thomas Münzer, who has put religion in the service of revolutionary socialism so much as Rudolf Dulon.
External links
- Carl SchurzCarl SchurzCarl Christian Schurz was a German revolutionary, American statesman and reformer, and Union Army General in the American Civil War. He was also an accomplished journalist, newspaper editor and orator, who in 1869 became the first German-born American elected to the United States Senate.His wife,...
, In Chapter XI of Volume One, Schurz describes a ruse concocted by Dulon. To divert the Prussian police pursuing Gottfried KinkelGottfried KinkelJohann Gottfried Kinkel was a German poet also noted for his revolutionary activities and his escape from a Prussian prison in Spandau with the help of his friend Carl Schurz.-Early life:...
, who had escaped from prison in Spandau with the aid of Schurz, Dulon described in a newspaper article how Kinkel had sailed from Bremen to London. In reality, Schurz and Kinkel were resting in MecklenburgMecklenburgMecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
and still preparing to sail to England.