Maurer, Heinrich

Protestant theologian

Born: 31.10.1834 in Bad Schwalbach

Died: 22.01.1918 in Wiesbaden

Maurer studied Protestant theology in Heidelberg and Jena and attended the preacher's seminary in Herborn in 1857/58. He was chaplain in Hochheim/Main from 1859 and in Fleisbach from 1863. In 1864 he became second pastor in Herborn, in 1877 provisional and in 1879 elected first pastor in Herborn and dean of the Herborn-Dillenburg deanery district. In 1892, the later regional bishop August Kortheuer was assigned to him as "state vicar". From 1891, Maurer presided over the district synod of the Wiesbaden consistorial district. In 1889 he became chairman of the Herborn Association for the Fostering of Christian Community Life and in 1899 of the Nassau Gustav Adolf Association. From 1865 he also taught at the preacher's seminary, from 1879 as a professor. From 1897 until his retirement in 1913, he was general superintendent of the Wiesbaden consistorial district in Wiesbaden.

The University of Marburg awarded him an honorary doctorate in theology for his work in 1890. Theologically, Maurer continued the efforts of his predecessor Karl Ernst to build bridges to the revival and community movement in Nassau, even if he came more from a renewed orthodoxy influenced by New Lutheranism and less from Pietism. Overall, one can speak of an "Ernst - Maurer era" that was a blessing for the Nassau church.