Neumeister, Erdmann

Neumeister, Erdmann a German Protestant divine and author of numerous hymns, was born at Uechtritz, near Weissenfels, May 12, 1671. He studied first at the school of Pforta, and afterwards at the University of Leipsic. In 1697 he became pastor at Bibra, in Thuringia, and filled successively the same office at Eckartsberga, Weissenfels, Sorau, and Hamburg, where he died, while pastor of the church of St. Jacob, August 18, 1756. He was an opponent both of pietism and of chiliasm, and held fast to the old orthodoxy. Neumeister is best known by his hymns, of which he wrote about 700; some of them are truly excellent, and still in use. Among these we notice. "Gott macht ein grosses Abendmahl," etc.; "Jesus nimmt die Sunder an," etc. (Engl. transl. in Mill's Horae Germanicae, page 73, "This man sinners doth receive"); "Wie Gott will!" also "Will ich sagen" (Engl. transl. in Hynns from the Land of Luther, page 155, as "Thou wilt, my God, I ever say"); and "Lass irdische Geschafte stehn," etc. He wrote also a Specimen dissertationis historico-criticae de poetis Germanicis. His poetical works are, Funffache Kirchenandachten (1716 and 1717): — Fortgesetzte funffache Kirchenandachten (1726): — Evangelischer Nachklang (1718- 1729): — Zugang zum Gnadenstuhl. See Herzog, Real-Encyklopadie, 10:301; Koch, Gesch. des deutschen Kirchenliedes, 5:371 sq.; Doring, Die Deutschen Kanzelredner, s.v.; Knapp, Evangelischer Liederschatz, page 1339 sq. (J.H.W.)