Dietrich Bonhoeffer

German Lutheran pastor, theologian, anti-Nazi dissident (1906–1945)

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Lived 1906–1945, aged 39Germany

Germany Religious Figures

Fame36.8
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Germany rank#78
Religious Figures rank#57
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Wikipedia
62 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Germany
#78
Religious Figures
Era
1906–1945
Aged 39

Summary

Updated 2026-05-29

German pastor and theologian whose writings on faith in a secular world still circulate widely. Bonhoeffer became a vocal Nazi resister—imprisoned at Tegel, then executed at Flossenbürg in 1945.

Biography

About

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, neo-orthodox theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have become widely influential; his 1937 book The Cost of Discipleship is described as a modern classic. Apart from his theological writings, Bonhoeffer was known for his staunch resistance to the Nazi dictatorship, including vocal opposition to Nazi euthanasia program and genocidal persecution of Jews. He was arrested in April 1943 by the Gestapo and imprisoned at Tegel Prison for a ye…

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