300th birthday of Johann Albrecht Bengel - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1987 - 80 Pfennig

No landscape in Germany is so deep and lasting in its religious and spiritual character as the piety of piety like Württemberg. The leading figure of Swabian pietism was Johann Albrecht Bengel, in whose person superior scholarship and convincing piety have found a connection whose effects can still be felt to this day. Born on June 24, 1687, as a pastor's son in the Winnenden town of Wuerttemberg, Bengel absorbed the influences of Pietism, which began at that time, even in his youth. The study of theology at the famous Tübingen pin opened his eyes to the depth and richness of Scripture, revealing surprising details and connections to the Greek text of the New Testament. So Bengel became one of the authoritative biblical theologians of his time. He worked for 28 years from 1713 as a preceptor at the Protestant convent school in Denkendorf near Stuttgart. There, through his quiet erudition and his educational wisdom, he has shaped a whole generation of later Württemberg ministers. At the same time, these years gave him the opportunity to prove his philological knowledge and observations in the original text of the New Testament. As a major scientific work Bengels in his time Denkendorfer "Gnomon" ("Wegzeiger"), one of theological clarity and pastoral wisdom characterized word-for-word explanation of the New Testament. His hand edition of the Greek text assigned the numerous surviving manuscripts of the biblical original text to various "families" and broke the path for the production of a reliable text. Bengel paid special attention to the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of John, and its prophetic content. He has repeatedly interpreted this biblical writing and applied its apocalyptic pictures to the course of the Universal Age, though not without the temptation to completely deduce indications and predictions from the numerical symbolism of the Revelation to the time of the coming world end. As a prelate of Herbrechtingen Bengel 1741 seat and vote in the Württemberg Landtag, felt by him more as a burden rather than dignity. In 1748 he took over the Prälatur Alpirsbach, became a member of the church leadership as Consistorialrat and came into the "Engeren Committee", the decisive body of the Landtag in the then Duchy of Württemberg. On 2 November 1752 Bengel died in Stuttgart. To the end, he remained the quiet, meticulous Bible scholar. His text-oriented research, his prophetic history, and his attachment to the Church have left their mark on Pietism, the church, and theology in Wuerttemberg, and far beyond, which are effective even today. (Text: Prelate Theo Sorg, Stuttgart)