Horb, Johann Heinrich

Horb, Johann Heinrich A distinguished German Pietist, brother-in-law and co-worker of Spener, was born at Colmar, Alsace, June 11, 1645. He studied at the universities of Strasburg, Jena, Wittenberg, and Cologne, afterwards traveled through the Netherlands, England, and France, and finally returned to Strasburgin 1670. In 1671 he received an appointment as minister at Birkenfeld, and in 1673 at Trarbach. Here the boldness with which he presented his so-called pietistic views disturbed the equanimity of the orthodox authorities, and he was obliged to resign. He next became pastor at Windsheim, Franconia, and in 1685 accepted a. call as pastor of St. Nicholas Church, Hamburg, where he found himself associated with two other pietists, John Winkler and Abraham Hinkelmann. Their joint teachings created great excitement, which culminated when, in 1693, Horb published, under the title of D. Klugheit (d. Gerechten, a translation of Pairet's excellent pamphlet, Les vrais principes de l'education Chretienne des enfants.

The agitation became so violent that in 1694 he was formally suspended, after which he retired to Steinbeck, where he died in Jan. 1695. He published Hist. Origeniana, etc. (Frankf. 1670, 4to) — Hist. Manichaeorum (Argent. 1670, 4to) — Disquis. de ultima origine haereseos Simonis Magi (Leipz. 1669, 4to; also in Vogt's Bibl. hist. haeresiol. 1, 308 sq.) — Hist. haeres. Unitarior. (Frankfort, 1671, 4to); and a collection of sermons, D. Leiden Jesu Christi (Hamburg, 1700). — Herzog, Real-Encyklopadie 6, 261; Fuhrmann, Handwörterb. d. Kirchengesch. 2, 847 sq.; Molleri, Cimbr. literata, 2, 355 sq.; Walch, Relig. Streitigkeit. in d. luth. Kirche, 1, 615 sq.; Henke, Kirchengeschichte, 4, 526 sq. (J. H.W.)