Anweisung” — “Aanwyzing” — “Unterricht”. Three previously unknown early forms of Gerhard Tersteegen’s Anweisung zum rechten Verstand und nützlichen Gebrauch der Heiligen Schrift (A guide to the right understanding and profitable use of Holy Scripture)

SUMMARY

This contribution presents two previously-unknown early versions of the German Reformed Pietist Gerhard Tersteegen’s Anweisung zum rechten Verstand und nützlichen Gebrauch der heiligen Schrift (A guide to the right understanding and profitable use of Holy Scripture). The first is the German original version, which was published in 1731 as preface to a Luther Bible; the other is its earliest Dutch translation, which is mentioned in that preface. This Dutch translation appeared at Groningen in 1733 as AANWYZING TOT HET REGTE VERSTANT EN ’T NUTTELYK GEBRUYK DER H. SCHRIFT. In addition, it has been possible to establish that the same German text was published again as a separate print at Diez in 1734, this time with another title: Kurtz- und gründlicher Unterricht von der H. Schrifft (A brief and thorough instruction in Holy Scripture). From the correspondence between Tersteegen and the Pietist Karl Sigismund Prueschenk von Lindenhoven in 1732, it can be concluded that Prueschenk was the instigator of this edition. Finally, we see that the remarks in the tenth section of Geistliche Fama (Spiritual Fame) of 1733 about the situation of the godly in the Netherlands were probably written by Tersteegen.