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Paul Eber (8 November 1511 – 10 December 1569) 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 ...
, reformer and
hymnwriter A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who is traditional ...
, known for the hymn for the dying, " Herr Jesu Christ, wahr Mensch und Gott".


Life

He was born at
Kitzingen Kitzingen () is a town in the Germany, German state of Bavaria, capital of the Kitzingen (district), district Kitzingen. It is part of the Franconia geographical region and has around 21,000 inhabitants. Surrounded by vineyards, Kitzingen County i ...
in
Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...
, and was educated at
Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
then
Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...
, where he became the close friend of
Philipp Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, an intellectual leader of the ...
. In 1541 he was appointed professor of
Latin grammar Latin is a heavily inflected language with largely free word order. Nouns are inflected for number and case; pronouns and adjectives (including participles) are inflected for number, case, and gender; and verbs are inflected for person, numbe ...
at Wittenberg, and in 1557 professor of the
Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
at
Wittenberg University Wittenberg University (officially Wittenberg College) is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students drawn from 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Wittenberg University is associated with the Evangelical ...
. His range of learning was wide, and he published a handbook of
Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...
, a historical calendar intended to supersede the Roman Saints' Calendar, and a revision of the Latin Old Testament. He was an effective preacher and faithful collaborator of Melanchthon. A proponent of a mild Lutheran doctrine, he played an important role in the theological conflicts of the time, trying to mediate between the extreme tendencies, particularly between the Gnesio-Lutherans and the Crypto-Calvinists. From 1559 to the close of his life he was superintendent general of the electorate of
Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
. He attained some fame as a
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
writer, his best-known composition being ''Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein.'' In Wittenberg he lived on the north east corner of Kirchplatz/Judenstrasse, close to the Stadtkirche.Plaque to Paul Eber, Wittenberg He died at Wittenberg on 10 December 1569. He is buried near the altar in St Mary's Church (
Stadtkirche Wittenberg The Stadt- und Pfarrkirche St. Marien zu Wittenberg (Town and Parish Church of St. Mary's) is the civic church of the German town of Lutherstadt Wittenberg. The reformers Martin Luther and Johannes Bugenhagen preached there and the building ...
). The grave is less than 100m from his home.


Memorials

In 1573
Lucas Cranach the Younger Lucas Cranach the Younger (, ; 4 October 1515 – 25 January 1586) was a German Renaissance painter and portraitist, the son of Lucas Cranach the Elder and brother of Hans Cranach. Life and career Lucas Cranach the Younger was born in Wittenber ...
created a memorial painting, showing Eber in the Garden of Gethsemane in the church.


Remembrance

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
composed in 1725 a
chorale cantata A chorale cantata is a church cantata based on a chorale—in this context a Lutheran chorale. It is principally from the Germany, German Baroque music, Baroque era. The organizing principle is the words and music of a Lutheran hymn. Usually a chor ...
on Eber's hymn in eight stanzas, ''Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott'', BWV 127. Bach also composed a
church cantata A church cantata or sacred cantata is a cantata intended to be performed during Christian liturgy. The genre was particularly popular in 18th-century Lutheran Germany, with many composers writing an extensive output: Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel ...
''Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir, BWV 130'', BWV 130, based on his eponymous 1554 hymn in twelve stanzas.


References


Further reading

* Werner Raupp: Art. Eber, Paul, in: Lexikon der Reformationszeit. Ed.: Klaus Ganzer u. Bruno Steimer, Herder, Freiburg/Basel/Wien 2002 (ISBN 3-451-22019-9) (engl.: Dictionary of reformation. Transl. by Brian McNeil, New York: Crossroad Publ. Co. 2004; ISBN 0-8245-2119-6), col. 205-206. * Daniel Gehrt und Volker Leppin (Ed.): Paul Eber (1511–1569). Humanist und Theologe der zweiten Generation der Wittenberger Reformation, Leipzig 2014 (ISBN 978-3-374-03056-9).


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eber, Paul 1511 births 1569 deaths People from Kitzingen German Lutheran theologians Philippists Academic staff of the University of Wittenberg German Christian hymnwriters 16th-century German Protestant theologians German male non-fiction writers 16th-century hymnwriters 16th-century German male writers