Christoph Hoffmann

Gottlob Christoph Jonathan Hoffmann ( born December 2, 1815 in Leonberg, † December 8, 1885 in Rephaim near Jerusalem ) was the founder of the German Temple Society.

Christoph Hoffmann, brother of the Protestant theologian Wilhelm Hoffmann and son of Gottlieb Wilhelm Hoffmann and his wife, studied Protestant theology, philosophy and history at the Protestant Foundation in Tübingen. In 1840 he was Repetent the Protestant Foundation 1841 Teacher at the Salon in Ludwigsburg, 1848 deputy to the German National Assembly, from 1853 to 1855 head of the Evangelist School in St. Chrischona in Basel and issued in 1854 in conjunction with Christopher Paul a call for a great emigration of believers to there with all the pious Jews and Catholics to fulfill the law of Moses to Palestine.

For the time being so that a beginning in Kirschenhardthof at Burgstetten but a repeat call to the Christian world has been made thereon in 1861 adopted for the foundation of a central sanctuary in Jerusalem. In 1858 he made ​​his first expedition to Palestine, where he moved in 1868.

Since 1869 saw the establishment of well-organized colonies to Haifa, Jaffa and Sarona in Palestine, and in 1878 the central line of the German temple was moved to Jerusalem.

But as the founder (1875 Stuttgart) the Trinitarian and Christological basic teachings of the Church declared war in the Süddeutsche waiting and in his book Occident and Orient, the kingdom brothers covenant to Haifa said under the temple chief George David Hardegg ( 1812-1879 ) of the main temple going on.

Hoffmann gave out Bible studies (1882-1884, 2 volumes) and his autobiography My Way to Jerusalem ( from 1882 to 1884, 2 volumes).

Son Christoph Hoffmann II

Hoffmann's son Christoph (1847-1911) was from 1890 superintendent of the Temple Society, after it has been conducted from 1884 to 1890 by Christopher Paul.