Eberhard Arnold

Eberhard Arnold ( born July 26, 1883 in hooves in Königsberg, East Prussia, † November 22, 1935 in Darmstadt ) was a German theologian, educator and journalist.

Life

His father, Carl Franklin Arnold, born on March 10, 1853 in Williams Field, Ohio, USA, was at the time of birth Eberhard's teacher at the Gymnasium in Königsberg. His mother, Elizabeth, nee Voigt came from old academic circles and was born on September 20, 1852 in Oldenburg. Eberhard Arnold was the third child in his family. He had a brother and three sisters. He was quite young when his father was appointed as a theologian and church historian at the University of Breslau in Silesia.

From Arnold's early years is told that he was a boisterous boy who made ​​a lot of trouble especially his teachers. This and also the parents of his classmates were not always happy about the influence that he often had on his comrades. Also, he was even then in contradiction to his parents home, because he felt very attracted to the poor and vagrants. He felt this much more natural and warm-hearted than the people of the middle class. That was for his family often difficult to understand, and there was even then some disputes.

Early as 1899 as a 16- year-old student in Breslau had heard a strong inner call of Christ to complete succession Arnold. In his student days in Halle an der Saale, he stood in 1907 under the strong impression of a revival movement, under whose influence he and his bride Emmy von Hollander already at that time from the old state church, the early Christian believers' baptism assumptions, and after a true church in the New Testament, early Christian sense investigated.

From 1905 to 1909 studied Arnold theology, philosophy and pedagogy; He was at the University of Erlangen late 1909 due to a dissertation on " Original Christian and anti- Christian in the career of Friedrich Nietzsche " Dr. phil. doctorate. In the years 1910 to 1915, Arnold worked then as a freelance writer and orator of Halle, Leipzig and Berlin, only to be 1915-1920 literary director of the furrow - Verlag in Berlin and editor of its magazine " The Furrow ".

In those years, Arnold has performed with many living representatives of the youth movement and the religious socialism with their pursuit of a more primitive way of life and for true justice in connection. The message of the kingdom of Blumhardt, father and son, Arnold impressed even then crucial, as is the radical way of life in the original Anabaptism in Moravia in the 16th century, and above all, the testimony of early Christianity in the New Testament of the community property of the Jerusalem church.

In the summer of 1920, Arnold called together with some friends (including Normann Körber, Heinrich Schultheis ) Neuwerk the movement into being, a religious- social Association, whose merger was on the Pentecost meeting in Schlüchtern. In Sannerz, Hesse, at Schlüchtern he moved with his wife and five children, three small rooms in the back building of an inn. Initially it was in contact with the lying - in Schlüchtern Elm Habertshof, on the Max and Maria zinc, the parents of Jörg Zink settled, later Emil Blum founded one of the first folk high schools. From Sannerz they then settled in 1927 after the nearby Sparhof in the Rhön order. The community grew steadily and soon comprised about 80 to 100 adults and children. The Eberhard Arnold Publishing House was at that time the book series "Sources of Christian testimonies from all centuries " out, which consisted of about 20 volumes.

In the years 1930 to 1931 Arnold attended the Hutterites in North America. There he joined in December 1930 in the name and on behalf of the Community in Germany with the Hutterite brethren, and was commissioned by them with the mission to Germany and Europe.

After his return from America Arnold was working on a new edition of his 1923 first published book " Inland, a guide to the soul of the Bible ", but appeared in print until after his death. He devoted himself to the study of the time also particularly rich yet unpublished Anabaptist and Hutterite literature, which he discovered in America and in European libraries. In those years grew and became strong, the Bruderhofgemeinschaft constantly. She also acted by written and spoken strongly outward, and its membership has grown steadily.

Since the coming to power of the Nazis in January 1933, however, there were considerable hardships and difficulties for siblings, which led to the founding of the Principality of Liechtenstein Almbruderhofes 1934. In the midst of this difficult situation Eberhard Arnold died suddenly and unexpectedly on 22 November 1935 in Darmstadt at the consequences of the operation of a complicated broken leg.

Founded by Arnold Bruderhofgemeinschaften now exist in Germany, England, Australia and the USA.