GERHARDT, PAUL. - German religious poet, b. at Gräfenhainichen (Saxony) on 12 March 1607, d. as archdeacon at Lübben on the Spree on 27 March 1676. He studied theology and pursued an ecclesiastical career; from his work as a pastor he drew the occasion for many of his lyrics, which nevertheless never remained occasional poems.
He has been called the greatest Protestant religious poet after Luther. In the seventeenth century it is difficult to find anyone who can stand beside him; the tone of his lyric, however, is not dramatic, as in the founder of the pseudo-reformation, nor sweetly enchanted as in the Catholic Friedrich von Spee, but gathered into a sincere, powerful intimacy that would make him well received by the followers of Pietism toward the end of the century. He availed himself of all the models of Christian hymnody from St. Bernard down to J. Arnd, and his Lieder were immediately set to music by musicians, among whom the most famous was Johann Sebastian Bach (among the others we recall the celebrated O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden from the St. Matthew Passion).
Bibliography5 worksWorks: P. G., Sämtliche Gedichte, edited by P. Kaiser, Leipzig 1906, Studies: R. Eckardt, P. G. Bibliographie, Pritzwald 1909; H. Petrich, P
BIBL.: Works: P. G., Sämtliche Gedichte, edited by P. Kaiser, Leipzig 1906, Studies: R. Eckardt, P. G. Bibliographie, Pritzwald 1909; H. Petrich, P. G., Gütersloh 1914; A. Farinelli, P. G., in L'opera di un maestro, Turin 1920, pp. 167-87; L. Vincenti, in La letteratura tedesca nell'età barocca, ibid. 1935, pp. 71-75; K. Hesselbacher, P. G., Berlin 1936.
Paoli, Rodolfo. “Gerhardt, paul.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VI, coll. 111–112. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951. https://azioneromana.com/article/gerhardt-paul.
MLA
Paoli, Rodolfo. “Gerhardt, paul.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VI, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951, coll. 111–112. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/gerhardt-paul.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec6_gerhardt_paul,
author = {Paoli, Rodolfo},
title = {Gerhardt, paul},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {VI},
pages = {111--112},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1951},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/gerhardt-paul}
}
One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.
Click or scroll to zoom · drag to pan · Esc to close
