Hermann Andreas Pistorius (8 April 1730 – 10 November 1798) was a German Protestant-Lutheran theologian and clergyman, philosopher, reviewer, translator and writer. During his lifetime he was regarded as "the most learned man on Rügen".

Early life

Pistorius was born in Bergen auf Rügen. The son of a Bergen deacon, he lost his father at an early age. His stepfather Brandanus Heinrich Gebhardi (1704-1784) promoted his scientific education. He attended school in Bergen, the Stralsund Gymnasium and the Collegium Carolinum in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

. Afterwards he studied at the universities of

Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (german: Universitäts- und Hansestadt Greifswald, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rosto ...

and

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

. He then spent two years as a private scholar in Hamburg and Altona. During this time he was engaged in the translation of works by

David Hume David Hume (; born David Home; 7 May 1711 NS (26 April 1711 OS) – 25 August 1776) Cranston, Maurice, and Thomas Edmund Jessop. 2020 999br>David Hume" ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 18 May 2020. was a Scottish Enlightenment phil ...

. In Greifswald he obtained a

magister degree A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from la, magister, "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education. The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to th ...

in 1756. In 1757, he took over a position as ''Pastor substitutus'' in

Schaprode Schaprode is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...

. On 27 April 1759, he became pastor and provost in

Poseritz Poseritz is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-ea ...

, where he worked until the end of his life. With the pastors Lorenz Stenzler and Joh. Eberhard Christian Krüger, he formed a learned circle, which had good contacts to

Ernst Moritz Arndt Ernst Moritz Arndt (26 December 1769 – 29 January 1860) was a German nationalist historian, writer and poet. Early in his life, he fought for the abolition of serfdom, later against Napoleonic dominance over Germany. Arndt had to flee to Swe ...

. The University of Greifswald granted him the title of Doctor of Theology in 1790. In 1798, he died in Bergen from pneumonia at age 68.

Career

In addition to his extensive theological knowledge, Pistorius possessed excellent knowledge of languages. He was particularly interested in philosophical studies and addressed, among other matters, topics of interest to the German and English philosophers of his time. He took a moderate

Skeptical Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...

position. He was neither a supporter of

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of math ...

, Christian Wolff, nor of

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

. Following a visit to his brother-in-law

Johann Joachim Spalding Johann Joachim Spalding (1 November 1714 – 25 May 1804) was a German Protestant theologian and philosopher of Scottish ancestry who was a native of Tribsees, Swedish Pomerania. He was the father of Georg Ludwig Spalding (1762–1811), a profess ...

in Berlin in 1764 he became a member of the review journal '. In 33 years he wrote more than a thousand

reviews A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a rating to indic ...

, mainly of philosophical, but also of theological publications. Almost all of Kant's works belonged to this group.Bernward Gesang: ''Kants vergessener Rezensent.'' p. XI f. Known beyond the borders of

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania ( sv, Svenska Pommern; german: Schwedisch-Pommern) was a dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held ...

, Pistorius was mentioned in various descriptions of journeys to Rügen. His guests rarely judged him harshly, like

Wilhelm von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand von Humboldt (, also , ; ; 22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835) was a Prussian philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of the Humboldt University of Berlin, which was named afte ...

, and mostly were enthusiastic like the Kosegarten pupil Karl Nernst or the Berlin Consistorial Councillor Johann Friedrich Zöllner.

Personal life

Pistorius married Sophie Juliane Brunnemann, daughter of the Bergen provost Christian Anton Brunnemann (1716-1774). They had four children: * Christian Pistorius (1765–1823), writer and translator * ''Johann Philipp Pistorius'' (1767–1823), Pastor in Garz/Rügen, married to Charlotte Pistorius (1777–1850), poet * ''Karl Ludwig Pistorius'' (1773–1844), 1798 lawyer at , 1801–1809 Mayor of

Grimmen Grimmen (; csb, Grzëmié) is a town in Vorpommern-Rügen, a district in the Bundesland Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Prior to 2011, when district reforms were made in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, it was the capital of the now bygone Nordvorpomme ...

, 1810–1833 District Court Secretary in

Loitz Loitz () is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Peene, 10 km northeast of Demmin, and 22 km southwest of Greifswald. The German local historian, philolo ...

* Heinrich Julius Pistorius (1781–1861), lawyer, mayor of Wolgast

Writing

: ''Vermischte Schriften über die Handlung, die Manufacturen und über die andern Quellen des Reichthums und der Macht des Staates.'' Translation from English, Grund und Holle, Hamburg and Leipzig 1754. *

Joseph Priestley Joseph Priestley (; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator, and liberal political theorist. He published over 150 works, and conducted exp ...

: ''Liturgie und Gebetsformeln zum öffentlichen Gottesdienst für Christen von allen Confessionen.'' Translation from English, Nicolai, Berlin 1786.

References

External links