Emanuel Hirsch (14 June 1888 in Bentwisch, Province of Brandenburg – 17 July 1972 in

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

) was a German

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

and also a member of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

and the Nazi supporting body. He escaped

denazification Denazification () was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by removing those who had been Nazi Par ...

at the end of the war by quitting his professorship, allegedly for health reasons, losing the pension from his University. Hirsch studied at the

Humboldt University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

where his teachers were Karl Holl and

Adolf von Harnack Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is sometimes credited ...

. He earned his PhD with the thesis '' Fichte's

Philosophy of Religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known Text (literary theo ...

in the context of his overall philosophical development'' (in German: ''Fichtes Religionsphilosophie im Rahmen der philosophischen Gesamtentwicklung Fichtes''). Hirsch was a member of the Wingolf student fraternity. He was a professor at

Göttingen University Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

(1921–1945). Shortly after the

Nazi seizure of power The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He quickly rose t ...

he wrote:

No other people of the world has a statesman who is so serious about Christendom; when Adolf Hitler concluded his great speech on May 1st with a prayer everybody could feel the wonderful candor therein.

In 1933 Hirsch signed the ''

Vow of allegiance of the Professors of the German Universities and High-Schools to Adolf Hitler and the National Socialistic State officially translated into English as the Vow of allegiance of the Professors of the German Universities and High-Schools to Adolf Hitler and the National Socialistic State was a document presented on 11 November 1933 at the Albert Hall in Leipzi ...

''. Emanuel Hirsch joined the

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

in 1937 and also became a Patron Member of the SS and joined the

National Socialist People's Welfare The National Socialist People's Welfare (, NSV) was a social welfare organization during the Third Reich. The NSV was originally established in 1931 as a small Nazi Party-affiliated charity, which was active locally in the city of Berlin. On 3 Ma ...

Ernst Klee Ernst Klee (15 March 1942, Frankfurt – 18 May 2013, Frankfurt) was a German journalist and author. As a writer on Germany's history, he was best known for his exposure and documentation of medical crimes in Nazi Germany, much of which was conce ...

: Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945. Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Zweite aktualisierte Auflage, Frankfurt am Main 2005, p. 258. Hirsch was a leader of the German Christians and an advisor of Reich Bishop Ludwig Müller.

Literary works

* An editor of the "'' Theologische Literaturzeitung''" (i.e. ''Theological Literary Magazine''; with

, Emil Schürer) * '' Luthers Gottesanschauung'', 1918 * ''

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

us, der Herr'', 1926 * ''Die idealistische Philosophie und das Christentum. Gesammelte Aufsätze.'', 1926 (i.e. ''Idealism and Christianity. Collected Essays'') * '' Kierkegaardstudien'', 1933 * ''Die gegenwärtige geistige Lage im Spiegel philosophischer und theologischer Besinnung. Akademische Vorlesungen zum Verständnis des deutschen Jahres 1933'', 1934 (i.e. ''The contemporary spiritual situation in the mirror of philosophical and theological consciousness. Academic lectures for the understanding of the German Year 1933''.) * ''Hilfsbuch zum Studium der Dogmatik'', 1937 (''Manual for Studying Dogmatics''), 4th ed. 2002, * ''Leitfaden zur christlichen Lehre'', 1938 (i.e. ''Compendium for the Christian Doctrine'') * ''Die Auferstehungsgeschichten und der christliche Glaube'', 1940 (i.e. ''Resurrection Narratives and the Christian Faith'') * ''Frühgeschichte des

Evangelism Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...

us'', 1941

References

External links

*
Paul Tillich: theologian of nature, culture and politics By A. James Reimer, 2004
Tillich's debate with Hirsch and more
Christian Faith in Dark Times: Theological Conflicts in the Shadow of Hitler By Jack Forstman, 1992
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirsch, Emanuel 1888 births 1972 deaths People from Wittenberge People from the Province of Brandenburg Nazi Party members German Lutheran theologians 20th-century German Protestant theologians Förderndes Mitglied der SS Christian fascists Academic staff of the University of Göttingen 20th-century German male writers German male non-fiction writers Humboldt University of Berlin alumni