
Abraham Isaac Steytler (5 February 1840 - 17 December 1922) was a
minister
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
of the
Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. He was dubbed the "Nederduitse Gereformeerde Pous" ("Dutch Reformed Pope") due to his great influence.
Biography
Steytler was born in
Sea Point
Sea Point (Afrikaans: ''Seepunt'') is one of Cape Town's most affluent and densely populated suburbs, situated between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, a few kilometres to the west of Cape Town's Central Business District (CBD). Moving from ...
, a suburb of
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
in 1840, and attended the school of renowned Dr Changuion, after which he went to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and returned with a degree in
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
from the
University of Utrecht. He became a preacher in the
Uitenhage
Uitenhage ( ; ), officially renamed Kariega, is a South African town in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. Along with the city of Port El ...
NG Church in 1863. The town of
Steytlerville
Steytlerville is a settlement on the R329 route in Sarah Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town is situated on the right bank of the Groot River, where the river emerges from a valley in the Grootr ...
was founded after members were cut off from his congregation.
He was called to
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
(
Groote Kerk, Cape Town
The Groote Kerk (Afrikaans and Dutch for "Great Church") is a Dutch Reformed church in Cape Town, South Africa. The church is South Africa's oldest place of Christian worship, built by Herman Schuette in 1841. The first church on this land was ...
) in 1881, where he stayed for the remainder of his career. He was also Moderator of the Cape Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church. He retired in October 1915 and died on 17 December 1922.
[Rosenthal, Eric. 1978. Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa. Cape Town and Johannesburg: Juta and Company Limited]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steytler, Abraham Isaac
1840 births
1922 deaths
South African Protestant ministers and clergy
19th-century Dutch Calvinist and Reformed ministers
Members of the Dutch Reformed Church
Utrecht University alumni
People from Cape Town