Who was Eberhard Arnold?

Preface
Eberhard Arnold is one of the most remarkable figures of this century. A 
contemporary of theological giants Karl Barth and Martin Buber, he 
dialogued with both these men and with many other great thinkers of his 
day. His life’s multiple interests and influences form an impressive 
résumé: an active commentator and publisher; an innovative educator and 
developer of an amazing educational method; a driving force behind the 
German youth movement, and its chronicler; the father of a dynamic and 
unique Christian community; and the rediscoverer and interpreter of a 
centuries-old spiritual tradition. He wrote average poetry, but his 
thoughts penetrate. Eberhard is, quite literally, an outstanding figure. 
In the Berlin of the Weimar era, he turned heads. People on the sidewalk 
gaped at him as they would at a prodigy. And more than one person dubbed 
him a “modern-day St. Francis.”

Wherever something of Eberhard’s personality surfaces, one immediately 
senses a powerful eruption of life. Strangely, though, he himself seems 
hidden behind all his writings: articles, books, and thou- sands of 
letters. His image and influence is diffused throughout a movement that 
still recognizes his authority today. But Eberhard Arnold the man remains 
in the background, out of the limelight, sheltered in the shadows of the 
truth he represented. He staked his life on an overwhelming reality. It 
completely consumed him.	

Eberhard’s life story reads like a novel. It is gripping drama. But this 
biography can also be viewed as a slice of history – contemporary, 
church, and cultural – and hardly a boring one, considering Eberhard’s 
era. Hence the notes and index, which readers with specific interests 
will find useful.

Who was Eberhard Arnold? Undoubtedly he was a man, not a polished 
monolith. How did he become the man he was? What was he like? What 
brought him happiness or torment? What challenged him? What were his 
weaknesses? When were his decisive moments? What was the sum total of his 
life, and why is it relevant today? These questions prompted this book. 
Some of their answers, however, must be found by probing between the 
lines.

Markus Baum