Heinrich Lang (born in

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...

, 14 November 1826) was a German Protestant

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

who was well known for preaching that all were equal before God without class distinction.

Early life and teaching

Although known for works in Switzerland, Lang grew up in the German state of

near Frommern. He was the eighth of ten children. In Frommern his father was a pastor and the ministry had been the family's occupation for generations. His father's teachings were highly influential, and from them Heinrich took his understanding of

supernatural revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religious meaning of knowledge, knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entiti ...

, and his belief that all people are equal before God. Heinrich and his brothers were taught Latin by their father while preparing for divinity school. Heinrich studied theology in

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...

, where he was influenced by

Ferdinand Christian Baur Ferdinand Christian Baur (21 June 1792 – 2 December 1860) was a German Protestant theologian and founder and leader of the (new) Tübingen School of theology (named for the University of Tübingen where Baur studied and taught). Following Hegel ...

. In 1840, he graduated from college with honors, continued his education, and began living in a Roman Catholic school where he taught. In 1866, he was promoted and began teaching at a college and living at a monastery. He experienced bouts of melancholy while teaching mathematics, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, but he said that he was reinvigorated by each new group of students.

Works and ministry

Lang's theology writings got him invited to the Saint Peter Church in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

as a pastor, where he served until his death. In 1859, Lang became the editor of the ''Zeitstimmen für die reformierte Schweiz'' periodical, which was replaced by ''Reform'' in 1872. The Protestáns Society was formed in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

in 1860 as a result of Lang's ideas. In 1863, he moved from the bank of

Lake Zürich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...

Meilen Meilen is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. History Archaeological finds in Meilen date back more than 4,000 years. In January 1854 the level of lake Zürich was particularly low and the locals ...

. He was invited to the Saint Peter Church in Zürich as a pastor, where Lang served until his death. He died in 1876.

Works

* ''Versuch einer christlichen Dogmatik'' (2. ed. 1865); * ''Ein Gang durch die Welt'' (2. ed. 1870); * ''Religiöse Charaktere'' (2. ed. 1872); * ''Stunden der Andacht'' (1862–65, 2 vol); * ''Das Leben des Apostels Paulus'' (1866); * ''Martin Luther'' (1870);

Sources

Pallas Nagy Lexikona
*

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lang Heinrich German Protestant clergy 1826 births 1876 deaths People from the Kingdom of Württemberg