Gerhard Tersteegen

Gerhard Tersteegen (25 November 1697 – 3 April 1769) was a German Reformed lay preacher, spiritual writer, mystic, translator, and hymnist associated with Pietism on the Lower Rhine. A weaver by trade, he became one of the most important representatives of Reformed mystical Pietism and is remembered for his hymns, sermons, devotional writings, correspondence, and translations of earlier Christian mystical authors.

Tersteegen's best-known hymns include Gott ist gegenwärtig and Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe. He also helped transmit medieval, Catholic, and French mystical spirituality into German Protestant devotional circles, especially through his translations and adaptations of works by Thomas à Kempis, Madame Guyon, Jean de Bernières-Louvigny, Gregorio López, and other writers of interior prayer.

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