Johann Christoph Blumhardt (16 July 1805 in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

– 25 February 1880 in Boll) was a German

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

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 ...

, best known for his contribution in thought towards a kingdom-now or kingdom-come theology and his motto and centralization of Christianity around the idea that "Jesus is Victor." Blumhardt was born in

, in the

Electorate of Württemberg The Electorate of Württemberg was a short-lived state of the Holy Roman Empire on the right bank of the Rhine. In 1803, the Imperial diet raised the Duchy of Württemberg to an Electorate, the highest form of a princedom in the Holy Roman Empire. ...

. He was the father of Christoph Blumhardt.

Jesus is Victor

The phrase "Jesus is Victor" (aside from its Latin origin, Christus Victor) originated from his claims to have exorcised in 1842 the girl Gottliebin Dittus in . Blumhardt wrote a book about her two-year-long

demonic possession Spirit Possession is an altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors which are purportedly caused by the control of a human body and its functions by Supernatural#Spirit, spirits, ghosts, demons, angels, or Deity, gods. The concept ...

, published in 1850, called ''Blumhardt's Battle''. His account, which identifies the girl only as "G." for the sake of discretion, describes her possession not only by several demons but mainly by the spirit of a widow who had killed two children and buried them in a field. Blumhardt claims G. was finally freed one night from all her demonic possessions and their manifestations when the last demon to be cast out shouted, "Jesus is the victor!" Although many praised Blumhardt as a hero for performing the exorcism successfully, he said otherwise: "That I don't know, but this I do know; Jesus is the victor." The event led to a revival in Blumhardt's parish. It was claimed there were many healings, conversions of some of the church's most determined opponents, and radical transformations of life and character. Marriages were supposedly saved and enemies reconciled amidst an outpouring of evangelistic zeal. Blumhardt took revivals on the road and began administering

faith healing Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healin ...

s as well. In 1853 he purchased a thermal spa in

Bad Boll Bad Boll () is a municipality in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History In 1321, the County of Württemberg purchased title over Bad Boll and came to possess it ''de jure'', but it was '' de facto'' still controlled b ...

to serve as a Christian retreat mostly for people seeking his renowned healing abilities. He lived and worked there until his death in 1880.

Legacy

Both Blumhardt and his son Christoph, while unsystematic in their theology, had very significant pastoral and theological impact. Their ideas on the perennial breaking-in of God's kingdom from the future helped transform

Christian eschatology Christian eschatology is a minor branch of study within Christian theology which deals with the doctrine of the "last things", especially the Second Coming of Christ, or Parousia. The word eschatology derives from two Greek roots meaning "last ...

in the twentieth century. They had particular influence on the work of

Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Reformed theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Decl ...

and Eduard Thurneysen. A biography of Blumhardt written by Friedrich Zuendel was published in English as ''Pastor Johann Christoph Blumhardt: An Account of His Life'' (Cascade Books/Plough Publishing House 2010). Dieter Ising's biography ''Johann Christoph Blumhardt, Life and Work'' (Wipf and Stock 2009) provides historical and theological background for a modern assessment of Blumhardt.

References

Full texts

''Action in Waiting''
(free ebook)

(free ebook)
''Blumhardt's Battle''
(free ebook)

(free ebook)

(free ebook)

(free ebook)

(free ebook)

(free ebook edited by

Vernard Eller Vernard Marion Eller (July 11, 1927 – June 18, 2007) was an American author, Christian pacifism, Christian pacifist and minister in the Church of the Brethren. Born in Everett, Washington, Everett, Washington (U.S. state), Washington, and ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Blumhardt 1805 births 1880 deaths Clergy from Stuttgart German Lutheran theologians German exorcists 19th-century German Protestant theologians 19th-century German male writers 19th-century German writers German male non-fiction writers Demonic possession People educated at Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium People from the Kingdom of Württemberg