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Etymology 1. ‘Millenarianism’ is derived from the Latin mille (‘thousand’) and annus (‘year’), and denotes the expectation of a ‘thousand-year reign.’ ‘Chiliasm,’ with the same meaning, is derived from the Greek chílioi (‘thousand’). The original theological concept was taken over from other disciplines, and bound up with various kinds of expectations of ‘end and revolution’ in religious and social movements. Millenarianism as a Christian Expectation of the End 2. In the history of Christianity, millenarianism can be understood in terms of Rev 20:2,7, as the exp…

Determination of the Concept 1. ‘Pietism’ (from Lat. pietas, ‘devotion’) is an umbrella concept for intra-church devotional and renewal movements in → Protestantism. It especially denotes a movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Germany and certain neighboring countries. Its aim was a religious interiorization of the → Reformation achievements, and their translation into practical living (‘tätiges Christsein’ [Ger., ‘active being-a-Christian’], …

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[German Version] denotes the individual, subjective aspect of the religious – as contrasted with religion in the sense of something objectively given, with professional theologies, dogmas, and doctrines, or religious institutions, churches, and religious communities. Its semantic structure was developed from the late 18th century onward in the context of German Enlightenment philosophy, Idealism, and Romanticism (I.H. Fichte, G.W.F. Hegel, J.G. Herder, F.D.E. Schleiermacher). The main interest foc…

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[German Version] (Jul 4, 1876, Dresden – Dec 17, 1966, Ehingen). Of humble rural background, Gutmann studied at the seminary of the Leipzig Mission from 1895 to 1902. He spent the years 1902–1920 and, with interruptions, 1926–1938 as a missionary in the Kilimanjaro area in Tanganyika, from 1910 onward in Old Moshi among the Chagga. Parallel to his theological studies, he devoted himself to ethnology and later entertained close contacts with Felix Krueger's school of ¶ holistic psychology in Leipzig. Through his meticulous documentation of the culture and “tribal teachin…

[German Version] (Aug 25, 1865, Caana bei Niesky, Oberlausitz – Feb 27, 1948, Niesky). Of rural background, Bachmann attended the missionary school of the Bohemian/Moravian Brethren (II) in Niesky from 1890 to 1892, joining the order in 1891. From 1892 to 1916, he was active as a missionary in the Moravian mission territory in German East Africa, working in Rungwe from 1892 to 1899 and setting up a mission station in Mbozi (Nyassa region) from 1899 to 1916. After being held by the English as a prisoner of war, he returned to Germany in 1919, performed diaspora work in Wetzlar, undertook travels and lectures, and resided in Niesky from 1931 onward. In 1895, he married Elisabeth Künzel from Niesky. Bachmann devoted himself to the study of the language and culture of the Nyika in the Nyassa region; he translated portions of the Bible and had other useful texts printed. He developed an independent evaluation of native traditions and took it into account when drawing up practical mission strategies. For example, he interpreted the so-called bride purchase as a social institution with an educational aspect, especially for t…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies The term socialization is used in various academic fields, especially sociology, (social) psychology, and the educational disciplines (Education, Theory of ). Already used by É. Durkheim in 1907, it experienced a wave of popularity in the 1960s and again in the 1980s. Initially it emphasized the formation of individuals by society; recently it has focused more on the interaction between individuals’ own activity and outside influences and between individuation and …

[German Version] I. Religious Studies Both the etymology and the usage of the word sect are disputed. Derivation from Latin secare (“separate”) is p…

[German Version] I. History of Religions – II. Bible – III. Church History – IV. Systematics – V. Practical Theology – VI. Law – VII. Judaism – VIII. Islam I. History of Religions The term confession refers to various phenomena, including the confession of faith and of sin. A confession of faith can be understood as an officially sanctioned, formulaic summary of the central doctrines of a religious or a confessional community (“denomination”). Recited in cultic procedures and/or in everyday piety, it serves as a formula of affirmation and identification, marks out the individual and corporate religious identity and is, consequently, sign…