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J. G. Scheibel Und Seine Auswirkungen Auf Den Lutherischen Konfessionalismus in Sachsen GOTTFRIED HERRMANN J. G. Scheibel und seine Auswirkungen auf den lutherischen Konfessionalismus in Sachsen (Vortrag in Oberursel 1984) 1. Einleitung Über J. G. Scheibel und seine Bedeutung für die lutherische Kirche ist schon viel geschrieben worden. Vor allem seine Verdienste um die Anfange der altlutherischen Bewegung in Schlesien haben eine ausführliche Würdigung erfahren.1 Weniger Be- achtung fanden demgegenüher die Jahre seines Exils, die ja immerhin einen Zeit- raum von elf Jahren innerhalb seines 60jährigen Lebens umfassen. Aus diesen elf Exilsjahren möchte ich nur die ersten sieben herausgreifen, die Scheibel in Sachsen verbrachte. Ich tue dies aus zwei Gründen: Zum einen, weil ich selbst Sachse bin und mir die Nürnberger Quellen unter den gegenwärtigen staatlichen Verhältnissen schwer zu- gänglich sind; zum anderen, weil Scheibel, als er 1839 nach Nürnberg weiterzog, ein gesundheitlich bereits schwer angeschlagener Mann war. Die Arbeitsintensität seiner ersten Exilsjahre hat er in Bayern nicht mehr annähernd erreicht. So kommt seinen Jahren in Sachsen nicht nur zahlenmäßig, sondern auch inhaltlich deutlich das Hauptgewicht während der Exilszeit zu. - An seiner Wirksamkeit in Sachsen lässt sich aufweisen, daß sich Scheibe! nicht nur um die lutherische Kirche in Preußen bleibende Verdienste erworben hat, sondern auch der gesamten lutherischen Kirche Deutschlands entscheidende Impulse vermittelte. Die Wirkung seines Auftretens soll im Folgenden beispielhaft an der Entwicklung des lutherischen Konfessionalismus in Sachsen demonstriert werden. Vorausgeschickt werden muss an dieser Stelle noch eine begriffliche Klärung. Das Wort "Konfessionalismus" hat in den letzten 150 Jahren einen Bedeutungswandel durchlaufen. Heute wird es gewöhnlich abwertend gebraucht im Sinne eines "über- triebenen Wertlegens auf Wahrung der kirchlichen Eigenart".2 Im Folgenden soll un- ter "Konfessionalismus" aber verstanden werden, was ursprünglich Bedeutung dieses Begriffes war, als er in der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jhs. in Gebrauch kam: Er steht hier für eine "auf den Bekenntnisschriften fußende Theologie".3 Man könnte auch sagen: für eine bekenntnisgebundene oder bekenntnistreue Theologie vor allem der lutheri- schen Kirche. Scheibels Aufenthalt in Sachsen lässt sich deutlich in drei Abschnitte unterteilen: 1. Dresden (1832-1833), 2. Hermsdorf (1833-36), 3. Glauchau (1836-39). 1 Vgl. zuletzt W. KLÄN: Die Anfänge der altlutherischen Bewegung in Breslau, in: Kirche im Osten, Bd. 21/22, 1978/79, S. 141-169. 2 E. SCHOTT, in: RGG³ III, Sp. 1747. 3 Ebd. 2. Dresden 1832-1833 J. G. Scheibel hatte 1830 gegen die Einführung der Union zwischen der lutherischen und reformierten Kirche in Preußen öffentlich Protest eingelegt. Dies trug ihm die Suspension vom Pfarrdienst und akademischen Wirken sowie in der Folge das Verbot jeglicher Veröffentlichungen in Preußen ein. Nach fast zweijährigem Kampf in zahl- reichen Eingaben, Bittgesuchen und Audienzen reifte Anfang 1832 in ihm der Ent- schluss, Preußen zu verlassen. Am 14. 3. 1832 suchte er bei Minister von Altenstein um Erledigung seiner Angelegenheit und Entlassung aus der Professur nach. Er sah es als seine unabweisbare Pflicht an, "über solche Kirchengeschichte Tag zu ma- chen".4 Dies war unter den gegebenen Umständen nur außerhalb Preußens denkbar. Scheibel wählte nicht ohne Bedacht "das Vaterland der Reformation zum Asyl".5 In Sachsen hoffte er, "noch Form des Luthertums und des öffentlichen Bekenntnisses zu finden".6 Am 14. und 15. April 1832 nahm er Abschied von der Heimat und seiner Breslauer Gemeinde. In Dresden traf er schließlich am 23. April ein. Er bezog eine Wohnung in der Kleinen Schießgasse Nr. 707 und widmete sich sofort der literarischen Arbeit. Noch im April 1832 gab er seine "Geschichte der lutherischen Gemeinde in Breslau seit den Ereignissen von 1830" und Huschkes "Theologisches Gutachten eines Juris- ten in Sachen der königlichen preußischen Hof- und Domagende" heraus. Im Herbst 1832 folgte seine Schrift "Von der biblischen Kirchenverfassung".8 In der sächsischen Hauptstadt fand Scheibel zunächst bereitwillige Aufnahme. Er suchte Kontakt zu den erweckten Kreisen der Stadt. Mit ausdrücklicher Genehmi- gung der kirchlichen und staatlichen Behörden hielt er täglich eine Stunde Unterricht am Fletscherschen Schullehrerseminar9 und monatlich eine Missionsstunde. Gleich nach seiner Ankunft war er ins Komitee des Dresdner Missionsvereins gewählt wor- den. Nach eigenen Angaben wurde er auch zu "Kanzelvorträgen" immer wieder auf- gefordert.10 Seine erste Predigt hielt er bereits am Sonntag nach seinem Eintreffen in Dresden in der Kreuzkirche.11 Nach dem Urteil verschiedener Zeugen wurde sie von den Zuhörern beifällig aufgenommen.12 Erst nach etwa einem halben Jahr änderte sich Scheibels Lage grundlegend. Den Anlass dazu bot eine Predigt, die er am Reformationsfest 1832 in der Kirche von Dresden-Friedrichstadt über Offb. 2,1-7 hielt. Unter dem Thema "Ernste Worte des Herrn an unsere lutherische Kirche" setzte er sich darin mit dem Niedergang der lutherischen Kirche während der Zeit des Rationalismus auseinander.13 Diese Predigt 4 J. G. SCHEIBEL: Actenmäßige Geschichte der neuesten Unternehmung einer Union zwischen der reformirten und lutherischen Kirche etc., Bd. I, Leipzig 1834, S. 286. 5 Ebd. 6 Ebd. 7 Beiträge zur Sächsischen Kirchengeschichte [BSKG] 30, 1916, S. 77. 8 M. KIUNKE, J. G. Scheibel und sein Ringen um die Kirche der lutherischen Reformation, Erlangen 1941 (ND: Göttingen 1985 = Kirche im Osten. Monographienreihe 19) [künftig: KIUNKE], S. 380f. 9 Ebd., S. 386. 10 Allgemeine Kirchen-Zeitung, Darmstadt 1833, Nr. 51, Sp. 409. 11 Am 29. 4. über Ps. 18,29 zum Thema "Die Verklärung Jesu und seiner Reichsgenossen in und durch seine Auferstehung". 12 Sächsische Landesbibliothek Dresden: Manuscripte Dresden, h 54, Briefwechsel mit Andreas Gottlob Rudel- bach, Bd. 5, Nr. 83, Bl. 83 und Bd. 7, Nr. 101, Bl. 24. 13 Ernste Worte des Herrn an unsere lutherische Kirche, Predigt über Offenbarung Johannis II, Vers I bis 7, ge- halten am Reformations-Feste, dem 31. October 1832, in der Kirche zu Friedrichstadt-Dresden, und auf Wunsch löste einen regelrechten Skandal aus. Unabhängig voneinander legten die Fried- richstädter Gemeinde unter Leitung von Seminardirektor Otto und ein Teil der Dres- dner Geistlichkeit beim "in Evangelicis" zuständigen Kultusministerium schriftliche Beschwerde dagegen ein. Was hatte solchen Anstoß erregt? Zeitgenössische Äuße- rungen sprechen von einer "ekelhaften Polemik"14 gegen die Union in Preußen und einem "hohen Grad der Verblendung, Lieblosigkeit und stolzer Anmaßung"15 in sei- nen Äußerungen gegenüber der reformierten Kirche. Dieser Vorwurf ist an Scheibel für alle Zeiten hängengeblieben. Bis in die Gegenwart hinein bedauert man deshalb immer wieder- neben allen Verdiensten- Scheibels polemische Entgleisungen. Hier muss jedoch vor einem allzu oberflächlichen Urteil gewarnt werden. Vor allem darf man bei der Beurteilung der Scheibelschen Predigt den kirchlich-konfessionellen Hintergrund im damaligen Sachsen nicht außer Acht lassen. In Sachsen hat, wie Hermann Sasse einmal treffend urteilte, "das Licht der Aufklärung länger gestrahlt als anderswo".16 Dies sei an zwei Beispielen verdeutlicht. Noch 1813 berief man den als Rationalisten bekannten Erlanger Professor Christoph Friedrich von Ammon (1766-1850) als Oberhofprediger an die Spitze der sächsischen Landeskirche. Er hatte dieses Amt bis zu seinem Tode im Jahr 1850 inne. Wie weit sich gerade von Ammon von den Zentrallehren der lutherischen Kirche entfernt hatte, macht eine Episode aus der Zeit um 1830 deutlich. Als einer der lutherischen Erweckungspre- diger des Muldentals 17 unbußfertige Gemeindeglieder wegen Unwürdigkeit vom Abendmahl zurückgewiesen hatte, beschwerten sich diese in Dresden. Ammon er- mahnte daraufhin den Pastor, sich "von den überspannten morgenländischen An- sichten von der gänzlichen Verderbtheit der menschlichen Natur abzuwenden".18 - Uber die Präsenz Christi im Abendmahl hatte Ammon in einer seiner Schriften geäu- ßert: "Es ist uns nemlich bei diesem Mahle nicht sowohl um den Leib und das Blut Christi als um seinen Geist zu thun. Dieser höhere, unsichtbare Christus soll- durch den Genuß des Abendmahls ebenso mit uns vereinigt werden ... wie Brodt und Wein ein Theil unseres Körpers wird."19 Nicht anders sah es an der Theologischen Fakultät der Leipziger Landesuniversität aus. Fast ausnahmslos wirkten dort um 1830 Rationalisten (z.B. Tzschirner, Titt- mann), wenn sie auch nicht von so radikaler Prägung waren wie ihre Hallenser Kol- legen (z. B. Gesenius, Wegscheider). Erst 1827 gelang es erstmals, mit Professor Au- gust Hahn (1792-1863) einen Mann der Erweckungsbewegung an der Leipziger Fa- kultät unterzubringen; einen Mann freilich, der der preußischen Union so positiv gegenüberstand, dass er 1833 nach Breslau ging und 1844 Generalsuperintendent von Schlesien wurde. Er wohnte Weihnachten 1834 als Vertreter des Breslauer Kon- sistoriums der "Dragonade von Hönigern" bei.20 der Lutherischen Gemeinde in Breslau in Druck gegeben von Dr. J. G. Scheibel, 2. Aufl. mit einem Vorwort, Dresden: Walthersche Hofbuchhandlung o.J. 14 Allgemeine Kirchen-Zeitung, Darmstadt 1833, Nr. 2, Sp. 24. 15 Kritische Prediger-Bibliothek, Bd. 13/6, Neustadt an der Orla 1832, S. 1078ff. 16 H. SASSE: Union und Bekenntnis, in: Bekennende Kirche 1/2, München 1936, S. 39. 17 Wilhelm Key1 in Niederfrohna, der später mit Martin Stephan nach Missouri auswanderte. 18 M. HENNIG: Die Auswanderung Martin Stephans, in: Zeitschrift für
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