Klaus Scholder
Encyclopedia
Klaus Scholder was a German
ecclesiastical historian
, professor of history at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
university.
professor of Chemistry
Rudolf Scholder. After his high school graduation, he studied Germanistics and Theology
at the University of Tübingen and at Göttingen. After his academic promotion and his ordination
as an evangelical pastor, he worked for the FDP's
Bundestag
faction. In 1958 he took up a post with the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg
and at first was a parish steward at Bad Überkingen
, only to move on to the Evangelical Priory of Tübingen
in 1959. After his habilitation
he worked as a private docent
at the University of Tübingen and in 1968 received a professorship for Ecclesiastic Order.
His work focussed on the Kirchenkampf
, the intra-confessional struggle of German Christians during Hitler's Third Reich, on which he wrote Die Kirchen und das Dritte Reich (The Churches and the Third Reich). The two volumes are still considered a standard on the topic in Germany. A third volume was completed posthumously in 2001 by his student Gerhard Besier, now Director of the Hannah Arendt
Institute for Research into Totalitarianism in Dresden
.
/DVP
. He was a major contributor to the cultural and religious points of view in the FDP's "Berlin Agenda" of 1957. In the late 1960s he was chairman of the FDP/DVP Tübingen District Association. In the 1970s, he was vice chairman of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation
.
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...
ecclesiastical historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, professor of history at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen is a public university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of Germany's oldest universities, internationally noted in medicine, natural sciences and the humanities. In the area of German Studies it has been ranked first among...
university.
Life
Scholder was the son of ErlangenErlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
professor of Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
Rudolf Scholder. After his high school graduation, he studied Germanistics and Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the University of Tübingen and at Göttingen. After his academic promotion and his ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
as an evangelical pastor, he worked for the FDP's
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
faction. In 1958 he took up a post with the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg
Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg
The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg is a Protestant church in the German former state of Württemberg, now the part of the state Baden-Württemberg. The seat of the church is in Stuttgart.It is a full member of the Evangelical Church in Germany , and is a Lutheran Church...
and at first was a parish steward at Bad Überkingen
Bad Überkingen
Bad Überkingen is a municipality in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-References:...
, only to move on to the Evangelical Priory of Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
in 1959. After his habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
he worked as a private docent
Privatdozent
Privatdozent or Private lecturer is a title conferred in some European university systems, especially in German-speaking countries, for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor...
at the University of Tübingen and in 1968 received a professorship for Ecclesiastic Order.
His work focussed on the Kirchenkampf
Kirchenkampf
Kirchenkampf is a German term that translates as "struggle of the churches" or "church struggle" in English. The term is sometimes used ambiguously, and may refer to one or more of the following different church struggles:...
, the intra-confessional struggle of German Christians during Hitler's Third Reich, on which he wrote Die Kirchen und das Dritte Reich (The Churches and the Third Reich). The two volumes are still considered a standard on the topic in Germany. A third volume was completed posthumously in 2001 by his student Gerhard Besier, now Director of the Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt was a German American political theorist. She has often been described as a philosopher, although she refused that label on the grounds that philosophy is concerned with "man in the singular." She described herself instead as a political theorist because her work centers on the fact...
Institute for Research into Totalitarianism in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
.
Political activities
Influenced by Karl Georg Pfleiderer, Scholder joined the FDPFree Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
/DVP
Democratic People's Party (Germany)
Democratic People's Party was the name of two liberal parties in southern Germany. It is not to be confused with the Deutsche Volkspartei of 1918 which used the same abbreviation DVP....
. He was a major contributor to the cultural and religious points of view in the FDP's "Berlin Agenda" of 1957. In the late 1960s he was chairman of the FDP/DVP Tübingen District Association. In the 1970s, he was vice chairman of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation
Friedrich Naumann Foundation
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation is a German foundation for liberal politics, related to the Free Democratic Party. Established in 1958 by Theodor Heuss, the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany, it promotes individual freedom and liberalism.The Foundation follows the ideals of the...
.
Selected works
- Die Verwirklichung des Imaginativen in den Romanen Jean Pauls (The Incarnation of the Imaginative in the Novels by Jean Paul), dissertation, Tübingen 1956.
- Die Problematik der politischen Verantwortung in unserer jüngsten Geschichte (The Difficulty of political Responsibility within our most recent Past), 1959.
- Ursprünge und Probleme der Bibelkritik im 17. Jahrhundert (Origin and Problems of the Bible Criticism in the 17th Century), habilitation, Tübingen 1965.
- Die Kirchen und das Dritte Reich. Bd. 1: Vorgeschichte und Zeit der Illusionen, 1918 - 1934 (The Churches and the Third Reich, vol. 1: Case History and Time of Illusions). Berlin 1977.
- Karl Georg Pfleiderer: Der liberale Landrat, Politiker und Diplomat (K. G. Pfleiderer: the liberal District Administrator, Politician and Diplomat), Stuttgart 1979
- Die Kirchen und das Dritte Reich. Bd. 2: Das Jahr der Ernüchterung 1934 (The Churches and the Third Reich, vol. 2: 1934 - the Year of Disenchantment) (postum), Berlin 1985.
- Die Kirchen zwischen Republik und Gewaltherrschaft. Gesammelte Aufsätze (The Churches between Republic and Totalitarianism), ed. Karl Otmar von Aretin and Gerhard Besier, unshortened and corrected edition of the 1988 original, Berlin: Ullstein, 1991. ISBN 3-548-33148-3.
External links
- A brief biography and bibliography (in German)