Claus Harms (25 May 1778 in Fahrstedt – 1 February 1855 in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

) was a German clergyman and

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 the ...

Life

Harms was born at Fahrstedt in

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...

, and in his youth worked in his father's mill. At the

University of Kiel Kiel University, officially the Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel, (german: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in ...

he repudiated the prevailing

rationalism In philosophy, rationalism is the epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification".Lacey, A.R. (1996), ''A Dictionary of Philosophy' ...

and under the influence of

Schleiermacher Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (; 21 November 1768 – 12 February 1834) was a German Reformed theologian, philosopher, and biblical scholar known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional ...

became a fervent Evangelical preacher, first at Lunden (1806), and then at

(1816). Harms's trenchant style made him very popular, and he did great service for his cause especially in 1817, when, on the 300th anniversary of

the Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, he published side by side with Luther's theses, ninety-five of his own, attacking reason as "the pope of our time" who "dismisses Christ from the altar and throws God's word from the pulpit." As a musician, Harms sought to restore

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

hymns back to their original state. To this end, he researched the original texts from people such as

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (gi ...

, Gerhardt, and others, hoping to find the original texts for the

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 ...

s his people were singing. In this he was mostly successful - the textual reforms he made still remain in hymnals today. He was unsuccessful, though, in restoring the tunes to their original states. The

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

-style tunes employed by the early Reformers had largely been smoothed out, such that the lively syncopations common to music of that era had been replaced by simple meters. His attempts met with early resistance, and he abandoned the project. Besides volumes of sermons Harms published a good book on ''Pastoraltheologie'' (1830). He resigned his pastorate on account of blindness in 1849 and died on 1 February 1855.

Quotations

References

Sources

Endnotes

* ''Autobiography'' (2nd ed., Kiel, 1852) *

Michael Baumgarten Michael Baumgarten (March 25, 1812 – July 21, 1889), was a German Protestant theologian. Baumgarten was born at Haseldorf in Schleswig-Holstein. Life He studied at Kiel University (1832), and became professor ''ordinarius'' of theology at Ros ...

, ''Ein Denkmal für C. Harms'' (Brunswick, 1855). {{DEFAULTSORT:Harms, Claus 1778 births 1855 deaths People from Dithmarschen German Lutheran theologians German Lutheran hymnwriters Lutheran sermon writers People from the Duchy of Holstein German male non-fiction writers 18th-century Lutheran theologians 19th-century Lutheran theologians