Hermann Theodor Wangemann (27 March 1818 – 18 June 1894) was a German theologian and missionary.

Biography

Early life

Wangemann's father, Johannes Theodosius, arrived with his family in

Demmin Demmin () is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in north-eastern Germany. It was the capital of the former district of Demmin. Geography Demmin lies on the West Pomeranian plain at the confluen ...

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

around 1821, where he became a subrector and later received the title of music director. Hermann Theodor attended the town school here, followed by the Gymnasium in Berlin from 1832 to 1836. After studying

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at the

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 ...

, Wangemann first held a position as a house teacher in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

from 1840 to 1844. During this time he was awarded a doctorate in theology by the

University of Halle Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...

. From 1845 he worked as a rector and assistant teacher in

Wollin Wolin (; ) is a Polish island in the Baltic Sea, just off the Polish coast. Administratively, the island belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Wolin is separated from the island of Usedom (Uznam) by the Strait of Świna, and from mainlan ...

Farther Pomerania Farther Pomerania, Hinder Pomerania, Rear Pomerania or Eastern Pomerania (; ), is a subregion of the historic region of Pomerania in north-western Poland, mostly within the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, while its easternmost parts are within the Po ...

(''Hinterpommern'').

Berlin Missionary Society

After becoming a seminary director and ''Archidiakon'' in Cammin in 1849, he was actively involved in the ''Erweckungsbewegung'' (revival movement). From 1858 he edited the monthly magazine for the Protestant Lutheran Church of Prussia. In 1865 he was appointed director of the

Berlin Missionary Society The Berlin Missionary Society (BMS) (German: ''Berliner Missionsgesellschaft'' (BMG)) was a Berlin-based German Protestant (Lutheran) Christianity, Christian missionary society, active from 1824 to 1972 in South Africa, East Africa and China. In 197 ...

, one of four German Protestant mission societies active in 19th and 20th century South Africa. From 1866 onwards Wangemann visited the mission offices in Africa and was editor of the Berlin Mission reports. In his book ''Maleo und Sekukuni – Ein Lebensbild aus Südafrika'', he describes his first journey (1866–67) through the territory of the Berlin Missionary Society in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. A second journey followed in 1884–85 to celebrate the golden jubilee of the first Berlin Mission Society station in South Africa at

Bethanie Bethany (,Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p152/ref> Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ ''Bēṯ ʿAnyā''), locally called in Arabic Al-Eizariya or al-Aizariya (, " laceof Lazarus"), is a Palestinian town in the Jerusalem Governorate of Palestine, bordering East ...

. The mission station ''Wangemannshöh'' in

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; ) was a German colonial empire, German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Portugu ...

was named after him.

Marriage

Wangemann married three times during his life. His first wife died during the birth of his daughter Elisabeth, who would eventually marry BMS missionary Johannes Winter, and his second after a prolonged illness, but his third marriage was a long and happy one.

Death

Wangemann passed away on 18 June 1894 in Berlin.

Publications

* ''Ein Reisejahr in Südafrika'' (1868) * ''Maleo und Sekukuni, ein Lebensbild aus Südafrika'' (1868) * ''Lebensbilder aus Südafrika'' (1871) * ''Südafrika und seine Bewohner'' (1881) * ''Ein zweites Reisejahr in Südafrika'' (1886)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wangemann, Hermann Theodor 1818 births 1894 deaths 19th-century German theologians Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg alumni German Lutheran missionaries German Lutheran theologians People from Prignitz People from Demmin