Charlotte von Kirschbaum
Encyclopedia
Charlotte von Kirschbaum (June 25, 1899 – July 24, 1975) was a German
theologian, and pupil of Karl Barth
.
Charlotte von Kirschbaum was born in Ingolstadt
. In 1916 her father died in the war. This induced her to be trained as a nurse. In 1924 she met Karl Barth
personally and in 1929 moved in with Nelly and Karl Barth and their five children in Münster
.
relationship developed between Barth, Kirschbaum and Barth's wife, Nelly, which lasted for 35 years. The long standing relationship was not without its difficulties. "Lollo", as Barth called the 13 year younger Charlotte, once wrote to Barth's sister Gertrud Lindt in 1935, where she expressed her concern about the precarious situation:
The relationship caused great offence among many of Barth's friends, as well as his own mother. Barth's children suffered from the stress of the relationship. Barth and Charlotte took semester break vacations together.
While Nelly supplied the household and the children, Charlotte and Barth shared an academic relationship. She was the secretary and prepared his lectures.
, Greek
and Hebrew. She also visited the philosophical lectures of Heinrich Scholz. She made an important contribution to the production of Barth's Church Dogmatics. In 1935 Barth moved to Basel
. Charlotte followed into Switzerland
. From there they supported the German Resistance
.
, where she died ten years later. She was buried alongside Barth, where Nelly was also laid to rest.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
theologian, and pupil of Karl Barth
Karl Barth
Karl Barth was a Swiss Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas...
.
Charlotte von Kirschbaum was born in Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...
. In 1916 her father died in the war. This induced her to be trained as a nurse. In 1924 she met Karl Barth
Karl Barth
Karl Barth was a Swiss Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas...
personally and in 1929 moved in with Nelly and Karl Barth and their five children in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
.
35 year relationship with Karl Barth and Nelly Barth
After being invited by Barth to move into the Barth household, a kind of household of threeMénage à trois
Ménage à trois is a French term which originally described a domestic arrangement in which three people having sexual relations occupy the same household – the phrase literally translates as "household of three"...
relationship developed between Barth, Kirschbaum and Barth's wife, Nelly, which lasted for 35 years. The long standing relationship was not without its difficulties. "Lollo", as Barth called the 13 year younger Charlotte, once wrote to Barth's sister Gertrud Lindt in 1935, where she expressed her concern about the precarious situation:
"The alienation between Karl and Nelly has reached a degree which could hardly increase. This has certainly become accentuated by my existence."
The relationship caused great offence among many of Barth's friends, as well as his own mother. Barth's children suffered from the stress of the relationship. Barth and Charlotte took semester break vacations together.
While Nelly supplied the household and the children, Charlotte and Barth shared an academic relationship. She was the secretary and prepared his lectures.
Work with Karl Barth
For the sake of the work she learned LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Hebrew. She also visited the philosophical lectures of Heinrich Scholz. She made an important contribution to the production of Barth's Church Dogmatics. In 1935 Barth moved to Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
. Charlotte followed into Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. From there they supported the German Resistance
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
.
Theological work
In 1949 her theological book Die wirkliche Frau (The Real Woman) was published. It discussed the role of women.End of life and burial
In the early 1960s she came to be ill from a cerebral disturbance. She moved to a nursing home in RiehenRiehen
Riehen is a municipality in the canton of Basel-Stadt in Switzerland. Together with the city of Basel and Bettingen, Riehen is one of three municipalities in the canton....
, where she died ten years later. She was buried alongside Barth, where Nelly was also laid to rest.
Writings
- The Question of Woman: The Collected Writings of Charlotte Von Kirschbaum, Eerdmans Publishing Company (1996), ISBN 0802841422
Further reading
- Suzanne Selinger, Charlotte von Kirschbaum and Karl Barth: A Study in Biography and the History of Theology, Penn State University Press (1998), ISBN 0-271-01824-0 - reviewed by George Hunsinger, Princeton Theological Seminary http://libweb.ptsem.edu/collections/barth/reviews/CharlotteKirschbaum.aspx?menu=296&subText=468
- Renate Kobler, In the Shadow of Karl Barth: Charlotte Von Kirschbaum, Westminster John Knox Press (1989), ISBN 0664250726
- Renate Köbler, In de schaduw van Karl Barth: Charlotte von Kirschbaum, Uitgeverij Kok Pharos- Kampen (1991), ISBN 90-242-3327-5, translated (from German to Dutch)- by Inge Scholtheis.