Karsdorp, Gerrit, Jr. (1729-1811)
Gerrit Karsdorp Jr., son of Gerrit Karsdorp (d. 1750), b. 23 May 1729, d. 11 October 1811, was minister of the Hamburg-Altona Mennonite Church. He studied history and church history (Mosheim) independently. To learn merchandising he was apprenticed to Isaac Stokman, a Mennonite, whose daughter Sara he married in 1758. In 1750, at the age of 21 years, he became a ministerial candidate; in 1753 he became a preacher of the congregation, and in 1764 he was ordained to the ministry. He served the church nearly 61 years. He refused a salary because being in business he did not need it. During his long service he ordained many preachers.
He was well-read, and owned a library of over 9,000 volumes. Theologically he showed no particular stamp, except that he is an illustration of how the practical Mennonite traditions and beliefs were easily adapted to the religious language of the time. He was a member of the Hamburg Society for the Promotion of the Arts and Useful Crafts, in which his love for humanity and his tolerance could find expression outside the church, so that he could be called an "enlightened spirit" in this regard.
A portrait of Karsdorp adapted from an etching by L. Wolf is contained in Gesammelte Dekmäler der Liebe und Achtung Altona, 1812. His published works are ]ubelpredikatie ter gelegenheid der 50 jarige Amtsbediening 27. Juli 1800. Altona; Redevoering over het noodzaakelyk verband tuschen de prediking van het goddelyk woord en tuschen een geregeld christelyk. gezang . . . Altona, 1802; funeral sermons for Frederick V of Denmark, Gerrit Beets, Pieter Beets, Berend Roosen, Reinh. Rahusen, Jan de Jager, and Abr. Wynands.
Bibliography
Nemnich. Verzeichnis der Bibliothek Karsdorps. Hamburg, 1812.
Gesammlete Denkmäler der Liebe und Achtung: dem andenken des würdigen Lehrers der Mennoniten in Hamburg und Altona, Gerhard Karsdorp von seinen beiden Amtsbrüdern der Hamburger patriotischen Gesellschaft und einigen Seiner aufrichtigen Verehrer gewidmet. Mit des Seligen wohlgetroffenem Portrait. Altona : Gedrukt bey Jacob Schultz, 1812.
Roosen, Berend Carl, 1820-1904. Geschichte der Mennoniten-Gemeinde zu Hamburg und Altona / Hamburg : [B.C. Roosen], 1886-1887
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. II, 468.
| Author(s) | Otto Schowalter |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1957 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Schowalter, Otto. "Karsdorp, Gerrit, Jr. (1729-1811)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Karsdorp,_Gerrit,_Jr._(1729-1811)&oldid=145559.
APA style
Schowalter, Otto. (1957). Karsdorp, Gerrit, Jr. (1729-1811). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Karsdorp,_Gerrit,_Jr._(1729-1811)&oldid=145559.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 153. All rights reserved.
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