Willem Jan Aalders

Vocation

Dutch professor in the ethics and philosophy of religion at the University of Groningen. Aalders visited in Kampen and Amsterdam the Gymnasium and enrolled in 1888 as a student of theology at the University of Amsterdam . He obtained his PhD at Leiden University under Chantepie de la Saussaye on the thesis Schleiermacher's Reden über die Religion als proeve van apologie (Schleiermacher's speeches on religion as a test of apology (1909). Aalders was appointed Protestant minister at Buiksloot in 1894 and from Beesd from 1901-1915 ; In 1915 he was appointed professor by the general synode of the Dutch Reformed Church in Groningen. As a teaching assignment he received the education in Dogmatics, the history of the Dutch Reformed Church, her teachings and church law . Aalders accepted this office with the speech Gewijde Synthese (sacred synthesis) on September 28 of that year. After the departure of Professor de Sopper to Leiden. In 1923, the government appointed him as a full professor to teach in the ethics and philosophy of religion. She did so against the wishes of the faculty, which had nothing against the person of Aalders, but wanted a specialist in knowledge learning. Aalders was a professor at Groningen until 1941; in addition, he was chairman of the Diakonessenhuis in Groningen for many years and was a member of the first section of the Education Council. He became a member of the Dutch academy of science KNAW in 1930 and published a lot in his Communications (Mededelingen). In addition, he wrote a large number of books, including Mystiek, haar vormen, wezen, waarde (Mysticism, its forms, essence, value, 1928), De grond der zedelijkheid (The foundation of morality, 1930), De Incarnatie (The Incarnation, 1933), Het geweten (the conscience, 1935), Toekomstbeelden uit vijf eeuwen (Images of the future of five centuries, 1939), etc. Aalders also published dozens of articles, brochures and speeches like his for rectoral lecture on Science as a testimony (Wetenschap als getuigenis). Aalders was interested in mysticism, mental exercises, but also the central problems of theology and ethics. He loved the mystics and admired philosophers as Heidegger but was most strongly enthralled by the great theologians, particularly Augustine , Bonaventura , the great Anglicans and especially in the last of his life Calvin . The incarnation included everything for him: reconciliation and justice, resurrection and eternal life. He died 19 March 1945 in Groningen, three weeks before the battle of Groningen would destroy the medieval old city heart (Oude Stad), where members of the Devotio Moderna of Gerard Groote had prayed and worked . Link to German Wikipedia