Schweitzer was a harsh critic of colonialism, and his medical mission was his response to the "injustices and cruelties people have suffered at the hands of Europeans.". One of his pupils was conductor and composer Hans Mnch. Now I knew that the world-view of ethical world-and- life-affirmation, together with its ideal of civilization, is founded in thought.". Of course, it had no telephone, radio or airstrip. Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer OM (German: [albt vats] (); 14 January 1875 - 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian polymath.He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. Albert Schweitzer, circa 1960 in Lambarn, Gabon, where he established a hospital. Albert Schweitzer. It approaches Bach as a musician-poet and concentrates on his chorales; cantatas and Passion Still gives us room for lofty doing. On departure for Lambarn in 1913, he was presented with a pedal piano, a piano with pedal attachments to operate like an organ pedal-keyboard. Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. [90], The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship was founded in 1940 by Schweitzer to unite US supporters in filling the gap in support for his Hospital when his European supply lines were cut off by war, and continues to support the Lambarn Hospital today. Additionally, Schweitzer explains how the experience of "being-in-Christ" is not a "static partaking in the spiritual being of Christ, but as the real co-experiencing of His dying and rising again". Though we cannot perfect the endeavour we should strive for it: the will-to-live constantly renews itself, for it is both an evolutionary necessity and a spiritual phenomenon. You see, the Good Lord has protected the trees. ", Called upon to be specific about Reverence for Life, he explained that the concept "does not allow the scholar to live for science alone, even if he is very useful to the community in so doing.". If a record could be compiled of all that has happened between the white and the coloured races, it would make a book containing numbers of pages which the reader would have to turn over unread because their contents would be too horrible. His Interpreters," published in English in 1912. He is a figure designed by rationalism, endowed with life by liberalism, and clothed by modern theology in a historical garb. "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from . of self-imposed exile in Africa. In the following year he became provisional Principal of the Theological College of Saint Thomas, from which he had just graduated, and in 1903 his appointment was made permanent. On 23 April 1957, Schweitzer made his "Declaration of Conscience" speech; it was broadcast to the world over Radio Oslo, pleading for the abolition of nuclear weapons. He began to play the church organ at 8, when his feet barely reached the pedals. Housed originally in the grounds of a mission, he chose to leave this comparative sanctuary for the unknown and forbidding regions of the jungle nearby. he had worked as an artisan in constructing many of its buildings; and, although the station was many times beset by adversities that would have discouraged a less dedicated man, it had grown at Deaths were concentrated during the first few months of life, with 35% occurring during the first month. He was also appointed organist for the Bach Concerts of the Orfo Catal at Barcelona, Spain, and often travelled there for that purpose. Footnote 35 Not only has Jesus, according to Schweitzer, by his death and apparent failure, . Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude." ~ Albert Schweitzer. It's you, of yourself, of whom you must ask a lot. " At that point in life where your talent meets the needs of the world, that is where God wants you to be. Schweitzer's accomplishments are recognized even by his most caustic critics. Dr. He was genuinely proud of his medical and missionary station at Lambarene. dispensary were complete when he departed for Europe in midsummer 1927. Rather, Paul uses the phrase "being-in-Christ" to illustrate how Jesus is a mediator between the Christian community and God. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate." ~ Albert Schweitzer. With Faust himself he could join in saying: This sphere of earthly soil Schweitzer's book (and other writings as well) disputed the theory that human progress toward civilization was inevitable. It seems that the number of deaths due to medical negligence is increasing every year. 17 Copy quote. Its climate is among the world's worst, with fiercely hot days, clammy nights and seasonal torrents of rain. In 1923, the family moved to Knigsfeld im Schwarzwald, Baden-Wrttemberg, where he was building a house for the family. He is the director of the Center for the History of Medicine and the George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan and the author ofThe Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick and the Discovery of DNAs Double Helix (W.W. Norton, September 21). In mid-December 1935 he began to record for Columbia Records on the organ of All Hallows, Barking-by-the-Tower, London. Lambarene resembled not so much a hospital as a native village where physicians cared for the sick. Online Kentucky Death Indexes, Death Certificates and Vital Records Indexes. In July 1918, after being transferred to his home in Alsace, he was a free man again. "The chorale not only puts in his possession the treasury of Protestant music," Schweitzer wrote, "but also opens to him the riches of the Middle Ages and of the sacred Latin music from In 1900, with the completion of his licentiate in theology, he was ordained as curate, and that year he witnessed the Oberammergau Passion Play. Albert Schweitzer. He came to the Ogooue in 1913 when horses drew the buses of London and leprosy was considered "In reality, that which is eternal in the words of Jesus is due to the very fact that they are based on an eschatological world-view, and contain the expression of a mind He also studied piano at that time with Marie Jall. He had pondered the meaning of the parable of Dives and Lazarus and its application to his times, and he had concluded that There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf. A scholar herself, she became a trained nurse in order to share her husband's life in Africa. Fine originally self-released the recordings but later licensed the masters to Columbia. The Schweitzers had their own bungalow and employed as their assistant Joseph, a French-speaking Galoa[clarification needed] (Mpongwe), who first came to Lambarn as a patient.[57][58]. He defended Jesus' mental health in it. Additionally, he argues that this view of a "union with the divinity, brought about by efficacious ceremonies, is found even in quite primitive religions". Carl Dean Switzer, the actor who as a child played Alfalfa in the Our Gang comedy film series, dies at age 31 in a fight, allegedly about money, in a Mission Hills, California, home. The epidemic promoted 1952. prize money. Schweitzer writes: The Jesus of Nazareth who came forward publicly as the Messiah, who preached the ethic of the kingdom of God, who founded the kingdom of heaven upon earth and died to give his work its final consecration never existed. [43] He summarizes Pauline mysticism as "being in Christ" rather than "being in God". In June of 1912, he married Helene Bresslau (the daughter of a professor of history at Strasbourg). [50] He could easily have obtained a place in a German evangelical mission, but wished to follow the original call despite the doctrinal difficulties. Now, without context, it seems that Albert Schweitzer rejects the whole project of historical Jesus research. As Schweitzer recounted this climactic incident, he had been baffled in getting an answer to the question: Is it at all possible to find a real and permanent foundation in thought for a theory of the universe that shall be both ethical and affirmative The name of Jesus has become a curse, and our Christianityyours and minehas become a falsehood and a disgrace, if the crimes are not atoned for in the very place where they were instigated. It could then affirm a new Enlightenment through spiritual rationalism, by giving priority to volition or ethical will as the primary meaning of life. The soul is a burning desire to breathe in this world of light and never to lose it--to remain children of light.". Schweitzer to move his hospital to a larger site two miles up the Ogooue, where expansion was possible and where gardens and orchards could be planted. Lecturing widely on the problems of peace, Dr. Schweitzer told his wide audience, The end of further experiments with atom bombs would be like the early sunrays of hope which suffering humanity is longing for., Not all was sunny with Schweitzers social commentary. The compound was staffed by 3 unpaid physicians, 7 nurses and 13 volunteer helpers. . For years I had been giving myself out in words. One of Schweitzer's major arguments in The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle is that Paul's mysticism, marked by his phrase "being in Christ", gives the clue to the whole of Pauline theology. at the drop of a cause. [48] He explains, "only the man who is elected thereto can enter into relation with God". I can do no other than to have compassion for all that is called life. Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" also drew Schweitzer's warmest praise. Albert Schweitzer's engagement with Judaism, and with the Jewish community more generally, has never been the subject of substantive discussion. Albert was born in 1875 in Kaysersberg (Alsace-Lorraine), Germany, (now Haut-Rhin, France), only two months after Germany annexed that province from France, as a result of winning the Franco-Prussian war. In those years he completed his doctoral thesis in philosophy, a study of Imanuel Kant's views on religion; studied the organ, again with Widor in Paris; won his doctorate in theology; was ordained a curate; taught theology and became principal of He sought to exemplify the idea that man, through good works, can be in the world and in God at one and the same time. These included the cults of Attis, Osiris, and Mithras. He received his M.D. They ranged from leprosy, dysentery, elephantiasis, sleeping sickness, malaria, yellow fever, to wounds incurred by encounters. Schweitzer considered his ethic of Reverence for Life, not his hospital, his most important legacy, saying that his Lambarn Hospital was just "my own improvisation on the theme of Reverence for Life. In 1905, he published a study of Bach in French . These records did not satisfy him, the instrument being too harsh. And this ethic, profound, universal, has the significance of a religion. [41], On the other hand, a more developed form of mysticism can be found in the Greek mystery-cults that were popular in first-century A.D. society. A jungle saint he may not have been; a jungle pioneer he surely was. Schweitzer unabashedly emphasizes the fact that "Paul's thought follows predestinarian lines". In this respect, he was undoubtedly made more of by cultists than he was willing to make of himself, although he was by no means a man with a weak ego. The Bach titles were mainly distributed as follows: Later recordings were made at Parish church, Gnsbach: These recordings were made by C. Robert Fine during the time Dr. Schweitzer was being filmed in Gnsbach for the documentary "Albert Schweitzer". The Albert Schweitzer Page; Association Internationale Albert Schweitzer; Albert Schweitzer mzeum s archvum Gnsbach; Albert Schweitzer Fellowship; Readings on Reverence for Life; Bruderhof Peacemakers Guide profile on Albert Schweitzer; Page at the Nobel e-Museum Archivlva 2004. augusztus 15-i dtummal a Wayback Machine-ben During his compulsory military service in 1894, Schweitzer had an epiphany of sorts while reading the Book of Matthew, Chapters 10 and 11 (in Greek, no less). Agriculture, not science or industrialization, is their greatest need. Albert Schweitzer, OM (14 January 1875 - 4 September 1965) was a French-German theologian, organist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. It was a beautiful locale and one that Albert would often return to for the rest of his life, especially when he was weary from his many medical and missionary responsibilities. . The English version, "J. S. Bach," is a two-volume translation of the German text, itself an entire reworking of the first version written in French. of thought that resulted in "The Quest for the Historical Jesus." In his story for PBS NewsHour, Dr. Howard Markel, University of Michigan medical historian writes: In January 1937, he returned again to Lambarn and continued working there throughout World War II. . There was a further period of work in 1935. 4 September 1965. The passage that appears to have directed his professional life describes Jesus exhorting his followers to Heal the Sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew, 10:8) In 1896, at the age 21, he decided to devote a period of time studying science and the arts and then to dedicate the rest of his life to helping the suffering. Death, Cause unspecified 4 September 1965 at 11:30 AM in Lambarn (Age 90) . He fell ill from exhaustion on Aug. 28 and his condition worsened steadily. 8 Department of Cardiology II -Electrophysiology; University of Mnster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Gebude A1, D-48149 Mnster, Germany. The waiting room and dormitory were built, like native huts, of unhewn logs along a path leadingl to the boat landing. The maladies the Schweitzers treated were both horrific and deadly. Astounding plans e'en now are brewing: I will not enumerate all the crimes that have been committed under the pretext of justice. Turning to Bach's nonchurch music, Schweitzer said: "The Brandenburg concertos are the purest product of Bach's polyphonic style. his death to more than 70 buildings, 350 beds and a leper village of 200. Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier. Hundreds flocked to hear him and to importune him. To support himself and to carry on the work at Lambarene, Schweitzer joined the medical staff of the Strasbourg Hospital, preached, gave lectures and organ recitals, traveled and wrote. Not only did he design the station, but he also helped build it with his own hands. barred him from preaching at the station, but agreed to accept his medical skills. ", His attitude was sharply expressed in a story he liked to tell of his orange trees. The main hospital room and the Although Paul is widely influenced by Hellenistic thought, he is not controlled by it. Schweitzer came to French Equatorial Africa as a tall, handsome, broadly powerful young man with a shock of rich, black hair, an enormous mustache and a look of piercing determination in his bold eyes. Yet, he has achieved more than seemed possible under adverse conditions. From the first, when Schweitzer's hospital was a broken-down hen coop, natives flocked by foot, by improvised stretcher, by dugout canoe to Lambarene for medical attention. J. S. Bach: Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582; Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 533; Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543; Prelude and Fugue in G major, BWV 541; Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565. Their home in Knigsfeld has now been turned into a museum. Bach, he said, was chiefly a church composer. This new form of activity I could not represent to myself as talking [4][5] He spent his childhood in Gunsbach, also in Alsace, where his father, the local Lutheran-Evangelical pastor of the EPCAAL, taught him how to play music. Nobel Peace Prize. [16] From 1952 until his death he worked against nuclear tests and nuclear weapons with Albert Einstein, Otto Hahn and Bertrand Russell. . [28] Built especially for the tropics, it was delivered by river in a huge dug-out canoe to Lambarn, packed in a zinc-lined case. He had originally conducted trials for recordings for HMV on the organ of the old Queen's Hall in London. Schweitzer's pedal piano was still in use at Lambarn in 1946. His cousin Anne-Marie Schweitzer Sartre was the mother of Jean-Paul Sartre. He had little but contempt for the nationalist movement, for his attitudes were firmly grounded in A developed form of mysticism is attained when the "conception of the universal is reached and a man reflects upon his relation to the totality of being and to Being in itself". Then, working as medical assistant and assistant-pastor in Strasbourg, he advanced his project on the philosophy of civilization, which had occupied his mind since 1900. J. S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in A major, BWV 536; Prelude and Fugue in F minor, BWV 534; Prelude and Fugue in B minor, BWV 544; Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 538. "You must give some time to your fellow man," Schweitzer counseled in paraphrase. Name in native language. It was to this picture-book Franco-German village and its vineyards that Schweitzer was invariably to return between periods By 1920, his health recovering, he was giving organ recitals and doing other fund-raising work to repay borrowings and raise funds for returning to Gabon. [1] [44] Therefore, Schweitzer argues that Paul is the only theologian who does not claim that Christians can have an experience of "being-in-God". [65] For instance, he thought that Gabonese independence came too early, without adequate education or accommodation to local circumstances. " Albert Schweitzer 32. A Lutheran minister, Schweitzer challenged both the secular view of Jesus as depicted by the historical-critical method current at this time, as well as the . Whatever Schweitzer's idiosyncrasies, he constructed a profound and enduring ethical system expressed in the principle Ehrfurcht vor dem Leben or Reverence of Life. In 1917, the Schweitzers were returned to France and later to Alsace. Advertisement. Pain is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself. Albert Schweitzer (14. tammikuuta 1875 - 4. syyskuuta 1965) oli saksalais-ranskalainen (elsassilainen) teologi, muusikko, musiikkitieteilij, filosofi ja lkri. . Our culture divides people into two classes: civilized men, a title bestowed on the persons who do the classifying; and others, who have only the human form, who may perish or go to the dogs for all the 'civilized men' care. Albert Schweitzer earned doctorates in philosophy and theology, had a reputation as one of Europe's finest organists, and came to international fame with his 1906 best seller . ", "The Jesus of Nazareth . [74] Albert Schweitzer noted the contribution of Indian influence in his book Indian Thought and Its Development:[75]. On one occasion a group of tourists pulled him away from the dinner table to get an explanation of his ethics. Next, Schweitzer poses the question: "Of what precise kind then is the mysticism of Paul?" Schweitzer developed a technique for recording the performances of Bach's music. His co-workers '"[72] In nature one form of life must always prey upon another. Edgar Berman quotes Schweitzer as having said in 1960, "No society can go from the primeval directly to an industrial state without losing the leavening that time and an agricultural period allow. They were works of devotional contemplation in which the musical design corresponded to literary ideas, conceived visually. Two 1992 episodes of the television series. [6] The tiny village would become home to the Association Internationale Albert Schweitzer (AIAS). over into experience.". Meantime, as these beliefs were maturing in Schweitzer's mind, he continued his student life at Strasbourg and fixed with great precision the course of his future. "[66] Schweitzer believed dignity and respect must be extended to blacks, while also sometimes characterizing them as children. to the church to play Bach. In 1931, he published Mystik des Apostels Paulus (The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle);[36] a second edition was published in 1953. ASF selects and supports nearly 250 new US and Africa Schweitzer Fellows each year from over 100 of the leading US schools of medicine, nursing, public health, and every other field with some relation to health (including music, law, and divinity). Albert Schweitzer born The theologian, musician, philosopher and Nobel Prize-winning physician Albert Schweitzer is born on January 14, 1875 in Upper-Alsace, Germany (now Haut-Rhin, France).. For example, he once said, The African is indeed my brother, but my junior brother. On other occasions, he opined, I let the Africans pick all the fruit they want. Thank you. This house is now maintained as a Schweitzer museum.[78]. A famous charitable institution in Africa, the Albert Schweitzer hospital in Gabon, is nearing its hundredth birthday. . Happiness is the key to success. Hnelle mynnettiin vuoden 1952 Nobelin rauhanpalkinto . of the world and life? Albert Schweitzer The Nobel Peace Prize 1952 Born: 14 January 1875, Kaysersberg, Germany (now France) Died: 4 September 1965, Lambarn, Gabon Residence at the time of the award: France Role: Missionary surgeon, Founder of Lambarn (Rpublique de Gabon) "A man is truly ethical only when he obeys the compulsion to help all life, which he is able to assist, and shrinks from injuring anything that lives . The moment of awakening came as he was reading Matthew x and xi designed by rationalism, endowed with life by liberalism and clothed by modern theology in an historical garb.". Schweitzer was born 14 January 1875 in Kaysersberg in Alsace, in what had less than four years previously become the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine in the German Empire after being French for more than two centuries; he later became a citizen of France after World War I, when Alsace became French territory again. In Reverence for Life, he concluded, "knowledge passes With theological insight, he interpreted the use of pictorial and symbolical representation in J. S. Bach's religious music. "Reverence for Life," Schweitzer replied, "means my answering your kind inquiries; it also means your reverence for my dinner hour." Dramatisations of Schweitzer's life include: Paul's "realism" versus Hellenistic "symbolism", Schweitzer's Bach recordings are usually identified with reference to the Peters Edition of the Organ-works in 9 volumes, edited by.