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Franz Camille Overbeck (16
November 1837 -
26 June
1905) was a
German
Protestant
theologian. In Anglo-American discourse, he is perhaps best known in regard
to his friendship with
Friedrich Nietzsche; while in German theological circles, Overbeck remains
discussed for his own contributions.
Youth
Franz Overbeck was born in
Saint Petersburg as a German citizen to
Franz Heinrich Herrmann Overbeck, a German-British merchant, and his wife,
Jeanne Camille Cerclet, who was born in Saint Petersburg to a
French family.
Consequently, his upbringing was European and humanistic: first taking place in
Saint Petersburg, then in
Paris from 1846
until the
February Revolution of 1848, once again in Saint Petersburg, and after 1850
in Dresden.
This international education helped him gain fluency in the most important
European languages.
From 1856 until 1864, Overbeck studied
theology in
Leipzig,
Göttingen,
Berlin, and
Jena. Primarily
through the lectures of
Karl
Schwarz and in conjunction with the historical theology of
Ferdinand Christian Baur, his studies situated him at the beginning of
academic criticism against the official theology. In 1859, he received his
doctorate degree, after which he worked on his
Habilitation on
Hippolytus until 1864. After 1864, he taught as a
Privatdozent in Jena.
During his student time in Leipzig, he became close friends with
Heinrich von Treitschke, and in Göttingen, Overbeck had become a member of
the
Burschenschaft 'Hannevera'.
Theologian in Basel
In 1870, Overbeck became professor of New Testament Exegesis and Old Church
History at the
University of Basel. From that time until 1875, he lived in the same house,
one floor under, his colleague
Friedrich Nietzsche. During this time, the housemates developed a friendship
that would remain crucial for each other.
In 1873, Overbeck published his most important work 'How Christian is Our
Present-Day Theology?' ('Über die Christlichkeit unserer heutigen Theologie'),
in which he argued that the 'historical' Christianity, as developed by the
fathers of the church, neither did nor could have to do with the original ideas
of Christ. He observed that early Christianity had opposed itself to every type
of history, culture, and science, which made a 'Christian theology' impossible.
In this work, Oberbeck criticized the conservative ('apologetic') theology,
which stuck dogmatically to doctrines, as much as the 'liberal' theology, which
asserted that belief and knowledge could be reconciled. According to Overbeck,
both failed to capture an essence of Christianity, which excludes every type of
certain knowledge.
This work was primarily incited by
David
Strauss's 'The Old and New Faith' ('Vom alten und neuen Glauben') and
Paul de Lagarde's 'On the Relationship of the German States to Theology,
Church, and Religion' ('Über das Verhältniss des deutschen Staates zu Theologie,
Kirche und Religion'). Both authors attempted to shape a modern Christian
religion with the help of theological scholarship. Overbeck regarded this
project impossible and fundamentally in error. In his afterword for the second
addition in 1903, he renewed this critique against theologian
Adolf
von Harnack and his work 'The Essence of Christianity' ('Das Wesen des
Christentums').
Although this book allowed him to become a professor in Germany, he remained
in Basel, and for more than ten years, he held the same introductory lecture
without addressing his provocative theses.
In private, Overbeck made voluminous notes for a 'Church Lexicon', in which
he develops personal accounts, principally theological but also political,
cultural, philosophical, and a literature bibliography with commentary. The goal
of this collection fulfilled the only purpose Overbeck saw for a scholarly
theologian: a profane history of the church. Exactly what Christianity itself
would not explain or could not understand, moreover what it would deny, Overbeck
documented, thereby demonstrating his primary dilemma: that a 'Christian
theology' is impossible.
In 1876, Overbeck married
Ida Rothpletz, and in the same year, became
Rector of the
University of Basel.
Friendship with Nietzsche
'How Christian is Our Present-Day Theology?' was published at the same time
as the first of Nietzsche's 'The
Untimely Mations'. Both writings were critical of David Strauss and
shared similar main theses. Although these were the only books Nietzsche and
Overbeck published together, theses similar to Overbeck's can be found in
Nietzsche's writings through 'The Antichrist'.
After Nietzsche left Basel in 1879, he and Overbeck continued a personal
friendship through regular correspondence. In a letter from 1881, Nietzsche
wrote to Overbeck:
- My dear friend, what is this our life? A boat that swims in the sea, and
all one knows for certain about it is that one day it will capsize. Here we
are, two good old boats that have been faithful neighbors, and above all your
hand has done its best to keep me from 'capsizing'! Let us then continue our
voyage -- each for the other's sake, for a long time yet, a long time! We
should miss each other so much! Tolerably calm seas and good winds and above
all sun -- what I wish for myself, I wish for you, too, and am sorry that my
gratitude can find expression only in such a wish and has no influence at all
on wind or weather.
[1]
At the beginning of January 1889, Nietzsche sent letters to friends that
exhibited symptoms of a mental collapse. After Overbeck received such a letter,
he travelled to Turin
the same day to retrieve the sick Nietzsche and his manuscripts. He continued to
visit Nietzsche until the latter's death in 1900.
To remain sincere to his friend, Overbeck maintained a critical distance from
the content of Nietzsche's writings, and denounced the beginnings of a
hero-worship and revisionism. in his energetic struggle against
Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche and her
Nietzsche Archiv, Overbeck was nearly alone. He refused to give her his
corrsepondence with Nietzsche, and later she would change the letters to make
Overbeck appear to be a less faithful friend.
Old Age and Legacy
After long periods of sickness, in 1897 Overbeck became an Emeritus
professor, and in the following year, noticeably weakened, he gave up this
honorary appointment at Basel. In 1903 and after long hesitation, he accepted a
honorary doctorate degree from the
University of St Andrews. In 1905, Franz Overbeck died in Basel.
After his death, Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche continued to pursue him and his
reputation. In 1907, she revived a campaign against him, which in turn were
battled by his wife Ida and his longtime friend
Carl Albrecht Bernoulli.
Only first, ten years after Overbeck's death, would his (anti-)theological
insights be taken seriously, notably by
Karl Barth,
Karl
Löwith, and
Martin Heidegger. Since 1980 and among German theological circles, an
interest for Overbeck has developed again.
Works
Although a complete collection of Overbeck's writings and notes are
currently available in print in German, seemingly little is available
in English. There appear to be two relatively new translations of 'Über
die Christlichkeit unserer heutigen Theologie':
- 'On the Christianity of Theology', trans. by John Elbert Wilson, Pickwick Publications, 2002, ISBN 1556350406
- 'How Christian is Our Present-Day Theology?', trans. by Martin Henry, T & T Clark/Continuum, 2005, ISBN 0567084299
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