Johan Heinrich Ludwig Müller (23 June 1883 – 31 July 1945) was a German

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

, a Lutheran pastor, and leading member of the pro-

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

" German Christians" () faith movement. In 1933 he was appointed by the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

as ''Reichsbischof'' ("Bishop for the

Reich ( ; ) is a German word whose meaning is analogous to the English word " realm". The terms and are respectively used in German in reference to empires and kingdoms. In English usage, the term " Reich" often refers to Nazi Germany, also ca ...

") of the German Evangelical Church ().

Life

Müller was born in Gütersloh, in the Prussian

province of Westphalia The Province of Westphalia () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. In turn, Prussia was the largest component state of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, of the Weimar ...

, where he attended the

Pietist Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life. Although the movement is ali ...

Evangelical Gymnasium. He went on to study

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

theology at the universities of Halle and

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

. Having finished his studies, he worked as a school inspector in his hometown, from 1905 also as a

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

and assistant preacher in Herford and Wanne. In 1908 he became parish priest in Rödinghausen. At the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served as a

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

chaplain in

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...

. After the war, Müller joined '' Der Stahlhelm'' paramilitary organization and continued his career as a

military chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases, they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term ''cha ...

, from 1926 at the

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

garrison. He had been associated with

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

since the 1920s, supporting a revisionist view of "

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

the Aryan" (or a "heroic Jesus") as well as a plan of purifying

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

of what he deemed "

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

corruption," including purging large parts of the Old Testament. Müller had little real political experience and, as his actions would demonstrate to

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, little if any political aptitude. In the 1920s and early 1930s, before Hitler's assumption of the German chancellorship on 30 January 1933, he was a little-known

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

and a regional leader of the German Christians in

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

. However, he was an " old fighter" with Hitler () since 1931, when he joined the

, and had a burning desire to assume more power.''Barnett'' p. 33. In 1932, Müller introduced Hitler to '' Reichswehr'' General

Werner von Blomberg Werner Eduard Fritz von Blomberg (2 September 1878 – 13 March 1946) was a German general and politician who served as the first Minister of War in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1938. Blomberg had served as Chief of the ''Truppenamt'', equivalent ...

when Müller was chaplain of the East Prussian Military District and Blomberg was the district's commander. As part of the '' Gleichschaltung'' process, the Nazi regime's plan was to "coordinate" all 28 separate

regional church bodies into a single and unitary ''Reichskirche'' ("Church of the Reich"). Müller wanted to serve as ''Reichsbischof'' of this newly formed entity.''See'' article on Confessing Church for the background of the Protestant Church in Germany. His first attempt to achieve his post ended in a miserable and embarrassing failure, when the German Evangelical Church Confederation and the

Prussian Union of churches The Prussian Union of Churches (known under multiple other names) was a major Protestant church body which emerged in 1817 from a series of decrees by Frederick William III of Prussia that united both Lutheran and Reformed denominations in P ...

designated Friedrich von Bodelschwingh on 27 May 1933. Eventually, however, after the Nazis had forced Bodelschwingh's resignation, Müller was appointed regional bishop (''Landesbischof'') of the Prussian Union on 4 August, and on 27 September finally was elected ''Reichsbischof'' by a national synod through political machinations. On 13 September 1933, Prussian Minister President

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

appointed him to the Prussian State Council. Müller's advancement angered many Protestant pastors and congregations, who deemed his selection to be politically motivated and intrinsically anti-Christian. Still regional bishop, he handed over more powers to the ''Reichsbischof''—himself—as an example of imitation, to the discontent of other regional bishops like Theophil Wurm (

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 Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

). On the other hand, Müller's support by the "German Christians" within the Protestant Church decreased, as he was not able to wield explicit authority. The radical Nazi faction wanted to get rid of the

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

and create a German National Religion divorced from Jewish-influenced ideas. They supported the introduction of the Aryan Paragraph into the Church. This controversy led to

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

and the foundation of the competing Confessing Church, a situation that frustrated Hitler and led to the end of Müller's power. Many of the German Protestant clergy supported the Confessing Church movement, which resisted the imposition of the state into Church affairs. With Hitler's interest in the group having waned by 1937, and the party taking a more aggressive attitude toward the resistant Christian clergy, Müller tried to revive his support by allowing the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

to monitor churches and consolidating Christian youth groups with the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...

. He remained committed to Nazism to the end. He died of

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

in Berlin in 1945, soon after the Nazi defeat.

Notes

References

* (''Barnes'') * (''Barnett'') * (''Hockenos'') * * Rev. Howard Chandler Robbins (1876–1952), ''The Germanisation of the New Testament by Bishop Ludwig Müller and Bishop Weidemann'', London, 1938

External links

History site
*

in '' ttps://www.nytimes.com/1934/08/20/archives/mueller-hails-hitlers-victory-over-jews-says-antisemitism-is.html The New York Times', 1934 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mueller, Ludwig 1883 births 1945 suicides 1945 deaths Christian fascists German military chaplains Members of the Prussian State Council (Nazi Germany) Nazis who died by suicide in Germany Officials of Nazi Germany People from Gütersloh People from the Province of Westphalia Stahlhelm members 20th-century German Lutheran clergy University of Bonn alumni University of Halle alumni Founders of new religious movements