Dietrich Bonhoeffer Biography

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theologian

Attr: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1987-074-16, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE

Occup.	Theologian
From	Germany
Born	February 4, 1906 Breslau, Germany
Died	April 9, 1945 Flossenbürg, Germany
Cause	Executed by the Nazis
Aged	39 years

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on February 4, 1906, in Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland) right into a well-educated and famous family. His papa, Karl Bonhoeffer, was a distinguished psychoanalyst and specialist, while his mommy, Paula von Hase, came from a family members of armed forces policemans. Bonhoeffer had 5 siblings, and among them, Sabine, became a close adviser throughout his life.

At the age of fourteen, Bonhoeffer was sent to a boarding college in Berlin, where he stood out academically and also developed an interest for theology. He took place to examine theology and philosophy at the University of Tübingen, where he was deeply influenced by the theologians Karl Barth as well as Friedrich Gogarten. After receiving his doctorate in faith in 1927, Bonhoeffer invested a year in Barcelona, Spain, working as a priest to German-speaking parishes.

In 1930, Bonhoeffer was assigned a lecturer at the University of Berlin, where he swiftly developed himself as a leading theologian and also preacher. He also became involved in the ecumenical motion, advertising better unity amongst Protestants worldwide. In 1933, however, Adolf Hitler came to power, and also Bonhoeffer became one of one of the most prominent voices opposing the Nazi regime. He spoke out against Hitler's persecution of Jews and various other minorities, as well as he worked tirelessly to secure Jews from expulsion and execution.

In 1935, Bonhoeffer was appointed supervisor of the newly-founded underground academy of the Confessing Church, which intended to train pastors that were devoted to withstanding the Nazi routine. He took a trip extensively throughout Germany, teaching and also training, and even took a trip to London and also New York to raise understanding of the plight of Jews in Germany.

In 1938, Bonhoeffer was outlawed from teaching as well as teaching by the Nazi program, but he remained to work underground, arranging resistance efforts and also helping Jews leave persecution. In 1943, he was arrested and locked up, initially in Berlin and later in different prisoner-of-war camp. Despite extreme pressure to recant his ideas, Bonhoeffer remained steadfast in his resistance to the Nazi regime as well as his commitment to Christian concepts. He was performed by hanging on April 9, 1945, just two weeks before the liberation of the camp.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's legacy as a theologian and also saint remains to motivate individuals worldwide. His writings, including "The Cost of Discipleship" and "Letters and Papers from Prison", are taken into consideration standards of Christian literary works. His guts and also commitment to justice when faced with evil continue to be an instance to all who seek to endure their belief in a busted as well as unjust world.

Our collection contains 16 quotes who is written / told by Dietrich.

Related authors: Adolf Hitler (Criminal), Karl Barth (Theologian), Philo (Philosopher)

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16 Famous quotes by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"It is the characteristic excellence of the strong man that he can bring momentous issues to the fore and make a decision about them. The weak are always forced to decide between alternatives they have not chosen themselves"

"If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction"

"Human love has little regard for the truth. It makes the truth relative, since nothing, not even the truth, must come between it and the beloved person"

"Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy"

"God's truth judges created things out of love, and Satan's truth judges them out of envy and hatred"

"A god who let us prove his existence would be an idol"

"We must learn to regard people less in light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer"

"To endure the cross is not tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ"

"The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children"

"The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children"

"The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy"

"Politics are not the task of a Christian"

"Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes"

"One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons"

"It is very easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements in comparison with what we owe others"

"It is the nature, and the advantage, of strong people that they can bring out the crucial questions and form a clear opinion about them. The weak always have to decide between alternatives that are not their own"