About the translation

Gerhard Tersteegen (1697–1769) — Reformed lay preacher, hymn-writer, and spiritual director at Mülheim an der Ruhr — carried on a lifelong ministry of spiritual direction by letter, across Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and into colonial Pennsylvania. Six hundred five of these letters were printed in the first edition of his Geistliche und erbauliche Briefe (Solingen, 1773–75). Most of them have never appeared in English. This site publishes them, letter by letter, as the translation proceeds — 365 so far.

For his life in full — the ribbon-weaver's workshop, the Pilgerhütte, the years of silence and the years of letters — see Who Was Gerhard Tersteegen? at Encounter Press. In German, the fullest resource on his hymns and writings is gerhardtersteegen.info.

The English is a scholarly-readable translation: faithful enough for a scholar to cite, clear enough for a pastor to read aloud and a layperson to follow. Form (sentence length, rhythm, idiom) is adapted for English; substance is Tersteegen's and inviolable. Where fidelity and elegance collide, fidelity wins and the elegance goes in a note. Words the German only implies are marked. Brief 1 carries the complete public-domain German as a full-length sample of the edition; every other letter shows the opening lines of its German, with the complete transcription reserved for the forthcoming Encounter Press critical edition.

Each letter is translated from the public-domain German — the 1773–75 first edition and the 1845 Gesammelte Schriften, collated against page-images of the first edition. Scripture in the body is rendered from Tersteegen's own German wording; references are given to the KJV. Gustav Adolf Benrath's critical edition (2008) is gratefully consulted as a finding aid — the indispensable modern foundation for dating and addressee identification — while the translations themselves are made from the public-domain sources.

Every letter is independently citable. The canonical identifier follows the first edition's own structure — Band · Theil · Brief — because the four Theile each restart their letter numbering at 1 (a bare “Letter 98” is ambiguous). Copying a passage automatically carries a short citation with it; you're welcome to keep it.

The German texts presented here were transcribed from the public-domain editions and remain public domain. The English translations and notes are © 2026 Jarred Fenlason · All rights reserved. See Copyright & Permissions for what that covers and how to request permission.