THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 277
powerful influence throughout the century, the disturbing period
of the French Revolution, and even down to the late nineteenth
century. The great centre of Pietism was the Prussian Uni-
versity of Halle, which was founded in 1694, and almost at
once became highly distinguished in theology and philosophy.
The movement was Protestant, Lutheran, austere and wholly
opposed to ritual or sacerdotalism—a kind of Puritan move-
ment within the Lutheran Church, which, it was contended,
had developed beyond the original views of Luther.
The originator of the movement seems to have been Philipp
Jakob Spener, who was not himself connected with the Uni-
versity of Halle. He was born at Rappoltsweiler, in Upper
Alsace, on January 13, 1635. As a youth he felt a call to the
ministry. After studying at the chief Protestant centres—
Strasbourg, Bile, Tubingen, Geneva, and Stuttgart—he was
ordained to the ministry in the Lutheran Church* As pastor
at Frankfort he laboured to reintroduce the simple devotion,
humility, charity—piety, in a word—which the spirit of theo-
logical controversy had overlaid or driven away. From lie
year 1670 Spener held at his house in Frankfort frequent meet-
ings for prayer, meditation, discussion, and exposition of the
Bible. The movement spread throughout Protestant Germany,
and the meetings took on a regular form, under the name of
Colleges of Piety (collegia pietatis). In 1686 he was made Court
preacher at Dresden (a curious official position for a Lutheran
pastor under a Roman Catholic monarch). From Dresden fais
influence spread to the great Unrronshy of Leipzig. Ja 1689 the
Elector of Brandenburg invited him to be Provost of the Church
of St Nicholas in Berlin. Thus when in 1694 ^ Prussian
University of Halle was founded Spener's views and Spener's
disciples naturally were accorded much influence there. Spener
himself remained at his work in Berlin until his death, in 1705.
He was an admirable pastor, earnest, fearless, and strong;
His book Pious Desires (Pia Desideria) was the handbook of the
Pietist movement. Francke was his most influential disciple.
August Hermann Francke was bora at Lubeck m 1663*
After a distinguished student career at the universities of