Paul Gerhardt
German Lutheran theologian and hymn writer (1607-1676)
Paulus or Paul Gerhardt (12 March 1607 – 27 May 1676) was a German theologian, Lutheran pastor and hymnodist, considered Germany's greatest hymn writer. His songs and hymns were published in contemporary hymnals such as Praxis pietatis melica, and are still part of modern hymnals. Hymn stanzas by him feature prominently in Bach's Passions and the Christmas Oratorio.
Biography
Gerhardt was born into a middle-class family at Gräfenhainichen, a small town between Halle and Wittenberg. His father died in 1619, his mother in 1621. At the age of fifteen, he entered the Fürstenschule in Grimma. The school was known for its pious atmosphere and stern discipline. The school almost closed in 1626 when the plague came to Grimma, but Paul remained and graduated from there in 1627. In January 1628 he enrolled in the University of Wittenberg. There, two teachers in particular had an influence on him: Paul Röber and Jacob Martini.
“Paul Gerhardt” enters the record as german Lutheran theologian and hymn writer (1607-1676). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Paul, Gerhardt and German can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q76331. VIAF identifies the subject as 212149106310568492609. The Library of Congress control number is n81017339. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1607, 1676, 1619 and 1621.
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This entry incorporates text from “Paul Gerhardt” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.