Birthdays on January 13

Jacob Spener (1635 to 1705)

Lutheran

He Opened a "College" in His Home

Philip Jacob Spener was born in Rappaltsweiler, Germany. He founded German pietism. While preaching in Frankfurt, he held semiweekly Bible studies (known as Collegia pietatis) in his home. The name came to be associated with its followers, who were eventually called Pietists.

Alexander Whyte (1837 to 1921)

Presbyterian

He Preserved the Past and Taught the Future

Birth of Alexander Whyte, a Free Church of Scotland minister. He became notable as an educator and author, with books on Scottish John Bunyan, Lancelot Andrewes, Samuel Rutherford, and Thomas Sheppard. He wrote on many other religious topics.