Frederick Augustus Rauch
n Germany, Friedrich August Rauch(27 July 1806,
Hesse-Darmstadt
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt () was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse among the four sons of Landgrave Philip I. ...
- 2 March 1841,
Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
Mercersburg is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, the state capital.
Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively la ...
) was an educator and the founding president of
Marshall College. He was a professor of
systematic theology
Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...
and is often credited as the originator of
Mercersburg Theology Mercersburg theology was a German- American theological movement that began in the mid-19th century. It draws its name from Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, home of Marshall College from 1836 until its merger with Franklin College (Lancaster, Pennsylvania ...
, although
Philip Schaff
Philip Schaff (January 1, 1819 – October 20, 1893) was a Swiss-born, German-educated Protestant theologian and ecclesiastical historian, who spent most of his adult life living and teaching in the United States.
Life and career
Schaff was ...
and
John Williamson Nevin were more integral in the development of its views.
Biography
He graduated from the
University of Marburg
The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Prote ...
, afterward studied at
Giessen
Giessen, spelled in German (), is a town in the Germany, German States of Germany, state () of Hesse, capital of both the Giessen (district), district of Giessen and the Giessen (region), administrative region of Giessen. The population is appro ...
and
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
, and became extraordinary professor at the University of Giessen. He was appointed to a full professorship at the University of Heidelberg at twenty-four years of age. "Such an appointment at so early an age has to my knowledge only once been repeated in this century, viz., in the case of
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...
, who is considered the profoundest philosophical thinker of modern Germany".
He fled from Germany on account of a public expression of his political views, and landed in the United States in 1831. He learned English in
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...
, where he gave lessons on the
pianoforte
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an action mechanism where hammers strike strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a chromatic scale in equal temp ...
, and was for a short time professor of German in
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...
.
He was then chosen as principal of a
classical school that had been established by the authorities of the
German Reformed Church at
York, Pennsylvania
York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...
. A few months later, he was ordained to the ministry and appointed professor of biblical literature in the theological seminary at York, while retaining charge of the academy, which in 1835 moved to Mercersburg. Under his management, the school flourished, and in 1836 was transformed into Marshall College, of which he became the first president.
Rauch died on 2 March 1841. He was buried in Mercersburg; however, his remains were later moved to
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...
.
Writings
Learned in
German philosophy
German philosophy, meaning philosophy in the German language or philosophy by German people, in its diversity, is fundamental for both the analytic and continental traditions. It covers figures such as Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Immanuel Kant, ...
and theology, especially Hegelian thought, Rauch's particular contribution was the writing of his book ''Psychology: Or, A View of the Human Soul; Including Anthropology''. This was the first English exposition of
Hegelian philosophy for an American audience.
[See E. Brooks Holifield, ''Theology in America: Christian thought from the Age of the Puritans to the Civil War'', ]New Haven, CT
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
: Yale University Press, 2003; p. 470.
He left in an unfinished state works on "Christian Ethics" and "Aesthetics". A volume of his sermons, edited by
Emanuel V. Gerhart, was published under the title ''The Inner Life of the Christian'' (Philadelphia, 1856).
Notes
References
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Attribution
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rauch, Friedrich August
1806 births
1841 deaths
19th-century German philosophers
19th-century German theologians
19th-century German Christian theologians
German male non-fiction writers
19th-century American male writers
Reformed Church in America members
Presidents of Franklin & Marshall College
University of Marburg alumni
University of Giessen alumni
Heidelberg University alumni
German emigrants to the United States
People from Mercersburg, Pennsylvania