RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Spiritualism Spittler
Psychic Forces, Boston, 1907; C. M. Lane, The Theory of Spiritualism, St. Louis, 1907; W. N. Wilson, Theocosmia: the Spirit World explored, London, 1907; W. F. Barrett, On the Threshold of a New World of Thought. An Examination of the Phenomena of Spiritualism, ib. 1908; H. Carrington, The Psychical Phenomena of Spiritualism, Fraudulent and Genuine, ib. 1908; G. Delaune, Evidence for a Future Life, ib. 1908; J. Robertson, Spiritualism: the open Door to the unseen Universe, ib. 1908; C. Lombroso, After Death — What? ib. 1909; Sir Oliver Lodge, The Survival of Man, ib. 1910; Amy Eliza Tanner, Studies in Spiritism, New York, 1910 (a thoroughgoing review of the recent phenomena of Spiritism, with decidedly adverse decision) ; T Flournoy, Esprits et mediums, Paris, 1911; the literature under Psychical Research and the Future Life.
SPIRITUALS. See Francis of Assisi, III., § 4- 5; Olivi, Pierre.
SPITTA, spit'a, FRIEDRICH ADOLF WILHELM:
German Protestant, son of Karl Johann Philipp Spitta (q.v.); b. at Wittingen (35 m. n.e. of Brunswick), Hanover, Jan. 10, 1852. He was educated at the universities of Gottingen and Erlangen (1871-75); was teacher in the high school at Hanover (1876-77); inspector of the Tholuck Seminary at Halle (1877-79); assistant pastor at Bonn (1879-81), and pastor at Ober-Kassel, near Bonn (1881-87); privat-docent for Evangelical theology at the University of Bonn (1880-87); and went to Strasburg as professor of New-Testament exegesis and practical theology, as well as university preacher (1887). Besides editing the Monatsschrift fur Gottesdienst und kirchliche Kunst since 1896, he has written:
Der Brief des Julius Africanus an Aristides (Halle, 1877); Die liturgische Andacht am Luther- J ubilaum (1883); Der Knabe Jesus, eine biblische Geschichte und ihre apokryphischen Entstellungen (1883); Luther und die evangelische Gottesdienst (1884) ; Der zweite Brief des Petrus und der Brief des Judas (1885) ; Die Passionen nach den vier Evangelisten von Heinrich SchiXtz (Leipsic, 1886) ; Heinrich Schiitz, sein Leben und seine Kunst (Hildburgh, 1886); Predigten (3 vols., Bonn and Strasburg, 1886—99); Drei kirchliche Festspiele fur Weinachten, Ostern und Pfingsten (Strasburg, 1889); Die Offeribarung des Johannes untersucht (Halle, 1889); Christi Predigt an die Geister der Unterwelt (Gottingen, 1890) ; Zur Reform des evangelischen Kultus (1891) ; Die Apostelgeschichte, ihre Quellen und deren geschichtlicher Wert (Halle, 1891); Zur Geschichte und Literatur des Urchristentums (3 vols., Gottingen, 1893-1907) ; Der Entwurf der preussischen Agende (1893) ; Verteidigung des preussischen Agendenentwurfes (1894); Das Gesangbuch fur die evangelischen Gemeinden von Elsass- Lothringen kritisch beleuchtet (Strasburg, 1894); Gottesdienst und Kunst (1895); Ludwig Schbberleins musica sacra fur Kirchenchore (Gottingen, 1895); Der Brief des Jakobus untersucht (1896), J. Zwicks Gebete und Lieder fur die Jugend (1901); Untersuchungen liber den Brief des Paulus an die Riimer (1901); Musik und Kunstpflege auf dem Land (Berlin, 1902); Das Magnificat ein Psalm der Maria und nicht der Elisabeth (Tubingen, 1902) ; Die Kelchbewegung in Deutschland und die Reform der Abendmahlsfeier (Gottingen, 1904); Die Konstanzer Liederdichter (Hamburg, 1904); " Ein fester Burg ist unser Gott," die Lieder Luthers in ihrer Bedeutung fur das evangelische Kirchenlied (Gottingen, 1905) ; Streitfragen der Geschichte Jesu (1907); Das Testament Hiobs und das Neue Testament (1907) ; Jesus und die Heidenmission (Giessen, 1909); Das J ohannes-Evangelium als Quelle der Geschichte Jesu (Gottingen, 1910); and Beitrage zur Frage nach der geistlichen Dichtung des Herzogs AVorecht von Preussen (Konigsberg, 1910).
SPITTA, KARL JOHANN PHILLIPP: German Lutheran hymn-writer; b. at Hanover Aug. 1 (or July 31), 1801; d. at Burgdorf (13 m. s. of Celle) Sept. 28, 1859. He was educated at the University of Gottingen (1821-24), though he there devoted more attention to poetry and music than to theol-
ogy, as is shown by his anonymous Sangbiichlein der Liebe fur Handwerksleute (Gottingen, 1824). In 1824 he became a private tutor at Ltine, near Liineburg, where true religion was for the first time roused within him, and during his residence here the greater and better portion of his hymns were composed. From 1828 to 1830 he was curate at Sudwalde, and from 1830 to 1837 was military and prison chaplain at Hameln, where, despite rationalistic opposition, he succeeded in reviving religious life and in gaining the esteem of both ecclesiastical and military authorities. In 1837-47 Spitta was pastor at Wechold, near Hoya, where he again succeeded in reviving interest in religion, as he also did while stationed as superintendent at Wittingen (1847-53). At Peine, on the other hand, where he was pastor in 1853-59, religious life was too dead for him to achieve any great results. In 1859 he went as superintendent to Burgdorf, but died suddenly within the year.
The attitude of Spitta was distinctly one of devout Lutheran orthodoxy, filled with deep religious conviction, but absolutely free from sectarianism and fanaticism. At the same time his fidelity to Luther's teachings rendered it impossible for him to accept calls to the unionistic congregations of Barmen (1844) and Elberfeld (1846). He published anonymously two volumes of Biblische Andachten (Halle, 1836-39), but his chief fame was attained by the phenomenal success of his Psalter und Harfe (2 ser., Pirna and Leipsic, 1833-43, and in innumerable editions since, e.g., Gotha, 1890, Halle, 1901; Eng. transl., by R. Massie, " Lyra Domestica," 2 ser., London, 1860-64, and in part by Lady E. A. Durand, " Imitations from the German of Spitta and Tersteegen," 1873). [A large number of his hymns have been rendered into English; cf. Julian, Hymnology, pp. 1075-80.] After his death a further collection of his hymns was published under the title Nachgelassene geistliche Lieder (Leipsic, 1861), and later still his Lieder aus der Jugendzeit appeared (ed. Peters, 1898). (Wilhelm Nelle.)
Bibliography: The one biography is by K. K. Miinkel, Leipsic, 1861, 2d ed., with notes by O. Mejer, 1892, with which should be compared the biographical sketch in L. Spitta's ed. of the Psalter und Harfe, pp. i.-cxxxvi., Gotha, 1890. Consult further: E. E. Koch, Geschichte des Kirchenliedes, vii. 232 sqq., Stuttgart, 1872; S. W Duffield, English Hymns, pp. 239-241, 149, 426, New York, 1886; W. Nelle, Philipp Spitta, ein Gedenkbuchlein, Berlin, 1901; idem., Geschichte des deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieds, 2d ed., Hamburg, 1909; and Julian, Hymnology, pp. 1075-80.
SPITTLER, spit'ler, CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH:
German Lutheran layman distinguished for his services in behalf of missions; b. at Wimsheim (a village of Wiirttemberg near Leonberg, 8 m. w.n.w. of Stuttgart) Apr. 12, 1782; d. at Basel Dec. 8, 1867 After a brief trial of the revenue and administrative service (1796-1800), he was called, in 1801, to Basel as assistant in the Christentumsgesellschaft (see Christentumsgesellschaft, Die Deutsche), where he kept the books and conducted the correspondence both of this society and of the Bible and tract society which it soon established. In 1807 all secretarial work was placed in his hands, and in the following year he received the official appointment
Spittler Spondanus