Franz Camille Overbeck (16 November 1837 - 26 June 1905) was a German Protestant theologian. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 1837 ( MDCCCXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective In Anglo-American discourse, he is perhaps best known in regard to his friendship with Friedrich Nietzsche; while in German theological circles, Overbeck remains discussed for his own contributions. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist
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Life
Youth
Franz Overbeck was born in Saint Petersburg as a German citizen to Franz Heinrich Herrmann Overbeck, a German-British merchant, and his wife, Jeanne Camille Cerclet, who was born in Saint Petersburg to a French family. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Consequently, his upbringing was European and humanistic: first taking place in Saint Petersburg, then in Paris from 1846 until the February Revolution of 1848, once again in Saint Petersburg, and after 1850 in Dresden. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The February 1848 Revolution in France ended the reign of King Louis-Philippe, and led to the creation of the French Second Republic (1848-1852 Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German This international education helped him gain fluency in the most important European languages.
From 1856 until 1864, Overbeck studied theology in Leipzig, Göttingen, Berlin, and Jena. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong Göttingen ( ˈgœtɪŋən, Low German: Chöttingen is a College town in Lower Saxony, Germany. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Jena (pronunciation ˈjeːna is a university City in central Germany on the river Saale. Primarily through the lectures of Karl Schwarz and in conjunction with the historical theology of Ferdinand Christian Baur, his studies situated him at the beginning of academic criticism against the official theology. Karl Schwarz ( November 19, 1812 - March 25, 1885) was a German Protestant theologian. Ferdinand Christian Baur ( June 21, 1792 - December 2, 1860) was a German theologian and leader of the Tübingen school In 1859, he received his doctorate degree, after which he worked on his Habilitation on Hippolytus until 1864. Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a person can achieve by their own pursuit in certain European and Asian countries For places named after the saint see Saint-Hippolyte Saint Hippolytus of Rome (c After 1864, he taught as a Privatdozent in Jena. Private docent (abbreviates PD or Priv-Doz) is a title conferred in some European university systems especially in German -speaking countries
During his student time in Leipzig, he became close friends with Heinrich von Treitschke, and in Göttingen, Overbeck had become a member of the Burschenschaft 'Hannevera'. thumb Heinrich Gotthard von Treitschke ( September 15, 1834 &ndash April 28, 1896) was a nationalist German German Burschenschaften (abbreviated B!, plural B!B!) are a special type of Studentenverbindungen
Theologian in Basel
In 1870, Overbeck became professor of New Testament Exegesis and Old Church History at the University of Basel. The University of Basel (German Universität Basel) is located at Basel, Switzerland. From that time until 1875, he lived in the same house, one floor under, his colleague Friedrich Nietzsche. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist During this time, the housemates developed a friendship that would remain crucial for each other.
In 1873, Overbeck published his most important work 'How Christian is Our Present-Day Theology?' ('Über die Christlichkeit unserer heutigen Theologie'), in which he argued that the 'historical' Christianity, as developed by the fathers of the church, neither did nor could have to do with the original ideas of Christ. He observed that early Christianity had opposed itself to every type of history, culture, and science, which made a 'Christian theology' impossible. In this work, Oberbeck criticized the conservative ('apologetic') theology, which stuck dogmatically to doctrines, as much as the 'liberal' theology, which asserted that belief and knowledge could be reconciled. According to Overbeck, both failed to capture an essence of Christianity, which excludes every type of scientific knowledge.
This work was primarily incited by David Strauss's 'The Old and New Faith' ('Vom alten und neuen Glauben') and Paul de Lagarde's 'On the Relationship of the German States to Theology, Church, and Religion' ('Über das Verhältniss des deutschen Staates zu Theologie, Kirche und Religion'). David Friedrich Strauss (or Strauß; January 27 1808 &ndash February 8 1874 was a German theologian and writer Paul Anton de Lagarde ( 2 November 1827 - 22 December 1891) was a German Biblical scholar and Orientalist. Both authors attempted to shape a modern Christian religion with the help of theological scholarship. Overbeck regarded this project impossible and fundamentally in error. In his afterword for the second addition in 1903, he renewed this critique against theologian Adolf von Harnack and his work 'The Essence of Christianity' ('Das Wesen des Christentums'). Adolf von Harnack ( May 7, 1851 &ndash June 10, 1930) was a German theologian and prominent church historian
The publication of this book practically destroyed all his chances to become professor at a German university. He remained in Basel, and for more than ten years, he held the same introductory lecture without addressing his provocative theses.
In private, Overbeck made voluminous notes for a 'Church Lexicon', in which he develops personal accounts, principally theological but also political, cultural, philosophical, and a literature bibliography with commentary. The goal of this collection fulfilled the only purpose Overbeck saw for a scholarly theologian: a profane history of the church. Exactly what Christianity itself would not explain or could not understand, moreover what it would deny, Overbeck documented, thereby demonstrating his primary dilemma: that a 'Christian theology' is impossible.
In 1876, Overbeck married Ida Rothpletz, and for one year was Rector of the University of Basel. The word rector ("ruler" from the Latin regere and Rector meaning "Teacher" In Latin has a number of different meanings but all of them indicate an academic
Friendship with Nietzsche
'How Christian is Our Present-Day Theology?' was published at the same time as the first of Nietzsche's 'The Untimely Meditations'. The Untimely Meditations are four works by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, started in 1873 and completed in 1876 Both writings were critical of David Strauss and shared similar main theses. Although these were the only books Nietzsche and Overbeck published together, theses similar to Overbeck's can be found in Nietzsche's writings through 'The Antichrist'.
After Nietzsche left Basel in 1879, he and Overbeck continued a personal friendship through regular correspondence. In a letter from 1881, Nietzsche wrote to Overbeck:
- My dear friend, what is this our life? A boat that swims in the sea, and all one knows for certain about it is that one day it will capsize. Here we are, two good old boats that have been faithful neighbors, and above all your hand has done its best to keep me from 'capsizing'! Let us then continue our voyage -- each for the other's sake, for a long time yet, a long time! We should miss each other so much! Tolerably calm seas and good winds and above all sun -- what I wish for myself, I wish for you, too, and am sorry that my gratitude can find expression only in such a wish and has no influence at all on wind or weather. [1]
At the beginning of January 1889, Nietzsche sent letters to friends that exhibited symptoms of a mental collapse. After Overbeck received such a letter, he travelled to Turin the same day to retrieve the sick Nietzsche and his manuscripts. He continued to visit Nietzsche until the latter's death in 1900.
To remain sincere to his friend, Overbeck maintained a critical distance from the content of Nietzsche's writings, and denounced the beginnings of a hero-worship and revisionism. He refused to cooperate with Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche and her Nietzsche-Archiv and, mostly in private notes and letters, accused her of misinterpreting Nietzsche. Therese Elisabeth Alexandra Förster-Nietzsche ( July 10, 1846 Röcken, Germany, - November 8, 1935 Weimar, Germany The Nietzsche-Archiv, also known as the Nietzsche Archive, was the first organization that dedicated itself to archive and document the life and work of the philosopher He refused to give her his correspondence with Nietzsche - which turned out to be right, as she would forge other correspondents' letters.
Old Age and Legacy
After long periods of sickness, in 1897 Overbeck became an Emeritus professor, and in the following year, noticeably weakened, he gave up this honorary appointment at Basel. In 1903 and after long hesitation, he accepted an honorary doctorate degree from the University of St Andrews. The University of St Andrews is the oldest University in Scotland and third oldest in the English-speaking world, having been founded between In 1905, Franz Overbeck died in Basel.
After his death, Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche continued to pursue him and his reputation. In 1907, she revived a campaign against him, which in turn was rebuffed by his wife Ida and his longtime friend Carl Albrecht Bernoulli.
It was not until several decades after Overbeck's death that his (anti-)theological views were taken seriously, notably by Karl Barth, Karl Löwith, and Martin Heidegger. Karl Barth ( May 10, 1886 &ndash December 10, 1968) (pronounced "bart" a Swiss Reformed theologian was one Karl Löwith ( January 9, 1897 in Munich – May 26, 1973 in Heidelberg) was a German - Jewish Philosopher Martin Heidegger ( September 26, 1889 &ndash May 26, 1976) (ˈmaɐ̯tiːn ˈhaɪ̯dɛgɐ was an influential German philosopher Since c. 1980, interest in Overbeck has grown, at least in German academic circles, as is shown by the increasing number of publications in that country.
Works
Although a complete collection of Overbeck's writings and notes are currently available in print in German, seemingly little is available in English. There appear to be two relatively new translations of 'Über die Christlichkeit unserer heutigen Theologie':
- 'On the Christianity of Theology', trans. by John Elbert Wilson, Pickwick Publications, 2002, ISBN 1-55635-040-6
- 'How Christian is Our Present-Day Theology?', trans. by Martin Henry, T & T Clark/Continuum, 2005, ISBN 0-567-08429-9
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