Ernst Moritz Arndt

Ernst Moritz Arndt was born at Schoritz on the island of Rügen on December 26, 1769, the son of an estate manager. He pursued theological studies at the Universities of Greifswald and Jena, completing his course under Heinrich Paulus. After two years as a candidate, he abandoned formal theology, completed a broad European tour, and joined the faculty of Greifswald in 1800, becoming professor of history in 1805. His fierce opposition to French domination expressed in Geist der Zeit forced him into exile in Sweden in 1806. Returning in 1810, he fled again in 1812 to join Baron von Stein in St. Petersburg, writing patriotic songs and pamphlets that rallied German troops during the War of Liberation.

In 1818, Arndt was appointed professor of history at the University of Bonn. Accused of radical political ideas by conservative factions, he was deposed in 1820 and only fully restored upon the accession of Friedrich Wilhelm IV in 1840. He served as Rector of Bonn University from 1840 to 1841 and continued to lecture until 1854. Arndt was a prominent voice in German hymnology, publishing Von dem Wort und von dem Kirchenliede (1819) to oppose rationalistic revisions of classical hymnody. He authored numerous spiritual songs, including "Geht nun hin und grabt mein Grab" ("Go and dig my grave to-day"), which was sung at his own funeral. He passed away at Bonn on January 29, 1860, shortly after celebrating his ninety-first birthday.