Friedrich Christoph Oetinger

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Friedrich Christoph Oetinger (May 2, 1702 - February 10, 1782), was a German theosophist.

He was born at Göppingen. He studied philosophy and theology at Tübingen (1722-1728), and was impressed by the works of Jakob Böhme. On the completion of his university course, Oetinger spent some years travelling. In 1730 he visited Count Zinzendorf at Herrnhut, remaining there some months as teacher of Hebrew and Greek. During his travels, in his eager search for knowledge, he made the acquaintance of mystics and separatists, Christians and learned Jews, theologians and physicians alike. The Philadelphians influenced him to accept apocatastasis, the belief that all people would eventually be saved; he wove this into his theological system, depending chiefly upon I Corinthians 15 and and Ephesians 1:9-11.^[1]

After some delay he was ordained to the ministry, and held several pastorates (since 1738). While pastor (from 1746) at Walddorf near Tübingen, he studied alchemy and made many experiments, his idea being to use his knowledge for symbolic purposes. These practices exposed him to the attacks of persons who misunderstood him. "My religion," he once said, "is the parallelism of Nature and Grace." Oetinger translated a part of Emanuel Swedenborg's philosophy of heaven and earth, and added notes of his own. Eventually (1765/1766) he became prelate at Murrhardt, where he died.

[edit] Works

Oetinger's autobiography was published by Julius Hamberger in 1845 and later by Julius Rößle:

• Oetinger, Friedrich Christoph: Selbstbiographie. Genealogie der reellen Gedanken eines Gottesgelehrten. Hrsg. und mit Einführung versehen von J[ulius] Roessle. Metzingen: Ernst Franz Verlag 1990, ISBN 3-7722-0035-4

- See the English translation with commentaries:

• Oetinger, Friedrich Christoph: Genealogy Of the Well-Grounded Thoughts of a Theologian [Genealogie der reellen Gedanken eines Gottesgelehrten] Reutlingen 1818 - Stuttgart 1859. In: Herzog, Frederick: European pietism reviewed. San José, California: Pickwick Publications (2003) (Princeton Theological Monograph Series; 50), pp. (103)-177 (pp. [105]-108: Editor's Introduction]).

Oetinger published about hundred works, in which he expounded his theosophic views. A collected edition, Sämtliche Schriften (1st section, Homiletische Schriften, 5 vols., 1858-1866; 2nd section, Theosophische Werke, 6 vols., 1858-1863), was prepared by Karl Christian Eberhard Ehmann, who also edited Oetinger's Leben und Briefe (1859). See also CA Auberlen: Die Theosophie Friedr. Chr. Oetinger's (1847; 2nd ed., 1859), and Herzog: Friedrich Christoph Ötinger (1902).

• Oetinger, Friedrich Christoph: Die Lehrtafel der Prinzessin Antonia. Herausgegeben von Reinhard Breymayer und Friedrich Häußermann. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter 1977, ISBN 3-11-004130-8
• Oetinger, Friedrich Christoph: Theologia ex idea vitae deducta. Herausgegeben von Konrad Ohly. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter 1979, ISBN 3-11-004872-8
• Oetinger, Friedrich Christoph: Biblisches und Emblematisches Wörterbuch. Herausgegeben von Gerhard Schäfer in Verbindung mit Otto Betz [Tübingen], Reinhard Breymayer, Eberhard [Martin] Gutekunst, Ursula Hardmeier [, geb. Paschke], Roland Pietsch, Guntram Spindler. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter 1999.

[edit] Literature

a) 1945 - 1990:

• [Breymayer, Reinhard (Comp.)]: Oetinger, Friedrich Christoph 1702-1782. In: Heiner Schmidt [Hauptbearbeiter und Hrsg.]: Quellenlexikon zur deutschen Literaturgeschichte, vol. 24. (Duisburg:) Verlag für Pädagogische Dokumentation 2000, pp. 106 - 114
• Yeide, Jr., Harry [Elwood]: A Vision of the Kingdom of God. The Social Ethic of Friedrich Christoph Oetinger. Ph. D. Diss. (in religion) Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1965 [unpublished].
• Erb, Peter C. (Editor): Pietists: Selected Writings. Paulist Press, 1983 - ISBN 0-8091-2509-9 - Wurttemberg Pietism: Johann Albrecht Bengel (1687-1752) & Friedrich Christoph Oetinger (1702-1782) p. 253-288.

b) newest literature:

• Weyer-Menkhoff, Martin: Christus, das Heil der Natur. Entstehung und Systematik der Theologie Friedrich Christoph Oetingers. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 1990 (Arbeiten zur Geschichte des Pietismus, vol. 27), pp. 272-326 Bibliography.
• Weyer-Menkhoff, Martin: Friedrich Christoph Oetinger. Bildbiographie. Wuppertal und Zürich: R. Brockhaus / Metzingen: Ernst Franz Verlag 1990, ISBN 3-417-21107-7 (R. Brockhaus), ISBN 3-7722-0215-2 (Franz).
• Yeide, Jr., Harry [Elwood]: Studies in Classical Pietism. The Flowering of the Ecclesiola. New York; Washington, DC; Baltimore [et alibi] Peter Lang 1997 (Studies in Church History, vol. 6), pp. 109-123 with notes 1-45 on pp. 172-176.
• Herzog, Frederick: European pietism reviewed. San José, California: Pickwick Publications (2003) (Princeton Theological Monograph Series; 50), pp. (35)-38: Sacred Philosophy? Oetinger.
• Weyer-Menkhoff, Martin: The Pietist Theologians. An Introduction to Theology in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Edited by Carter Lindberg. Malden, MA; Oxford, UK; Carlton, Victoria, Australia: Blackwell (2005) (The Great Theologians. A comprehensive series devoted to highlighting the major theologians of different periods), pp. 239-255: Friedrich Christoph Oetinger (1702-1782).
• Mathesis, Naturphilosophie und Arkanwissenschaft im Umkreis Friedrich Christoph Oetingers (1702-1782). Hrsg. von Sabine Holtz, Gerhard Betsch und Eberhard Zwink in Verbindung mit dem Institut für Geschichtliche Landeskunde und Historische Hilfswissenschaften der Universität Tübingen. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag 2005 (Contubernium. Tübinger Beiträge zur Universitäts- und Wissenschaftsgeschichte, vol. 63). - VIII, 314 pp. - ISBN 3-515-08439-8.
• Breymayer, Reinhard: Oetinger, Friedrich Christoph (pseudonyms: Halatophilus Irenaeus, Bibliophilus Irenaeus). In: Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism. Edited by Wouter J[acobus] Hanegraaff in collaboration with Antoine Faivre, Roelof van den Broek, Jean-Pierre Brach. Leiden / Boston: E. J. Brill 2005, vol. 2, pp. 889-894.
• Wouter J[acobus] Hanegraaff: Swedenborg, Oetinger, Kant: Three Perspectives on the Secrets of Heaven, The Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pennsylvania 2007 (Swedenborg Studies Series, no. 18) ISBN 978-0-87785-321-3, pp. 67 - 85: "Friedrich Christoph Oetinger".
• Tonino Griffero: Il corpo spirituale. Ontologie "sottili" da Paolo di Tarso a Friedrich Christoph Oetinger. Mimesis Edizioni, Milano (2006 [2007]), ISBN 978-88-8483-413-3. [pp. 417 - 510 bibliography.]

[edit] References

1. ^ "Apocatastasis". New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. I.