Johann Christoph Blumhardt (16 July 1805 – 25 February 1880) was a German

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

, 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 Stuttgart, in the Electorate of Württemberg. 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 Möttlingen. Blumhardt wrote a book about her two-year-long

demonic possession Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and ...

, 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 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 Christoph is a male given name and surname. It is a German variant of Christopher. Notable people with the given name Christoph * Christoph Bach (1613–1661), German musician * Christoph Büchel (born 1966), Swiss artist * Christoph Dientzenh ...

, 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, a major branch of study within Christian theology, deals with "last things". Such eschatology – the word derives from two Greek roots meaning "last" () and "study" (-) – involves the study of "end things", whether ...

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

Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Calvinist 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 Declara ...

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''
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''Blumhardt's Battle''
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(free ebook edited by Vernard Eller) {{DEFAULTSORT:Blumhardt 1805 births 1880 deaths People from Stuttgart People from the Electorate of Württemberg 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