Student and Private Teacher 69liberal in his view of so-called middle things, adiaphora, or matters of in¬
difference. He was not strictly opposed to dancing, for instance. Rogall, on
the other hand, was uncompromising, seeing the devil's work in all such
things. The tone accordingly changed, and a still more austere version of
Pietism took hold in town and at the university. Soon the Königsberg es¬
tablishment hated Rogall even more than they had despised the Pietists who
had preceded him.
Both the orthodox and the Wolffians tried to resist, of course, and Pietism
did not gain in prestige among the established clergy, faculty, and city
officials. Ultimate success at the university also continued to elude them.
Thus Rogall observed that there were "many artisans and often also sol¬
diers who reveal in a simple-minded way the state of their heart. Only among
the students and the officials {Honoratioren) the evangelical message of
Jesus Christ will not take effect.. ."^35 Most of the students had laughed
at them, but not for much longer. The king continued to intervene. In 1726
he decreed that theology had to be taught according to the principles of
Halle. He delivered the final blow in 1728, when he ordered that every
candidate for a pastorate in the East Prussian church needed a testimonium
pietatis et eruditionis, or a "certificate of piety and education," from the
Pietist Abraham Wolff in Königsberg before he could be appointed.
This gave the Pietists unprecedented power, which they wielded un¬
compromisingly. Even before this decree they had often threatened their
opponents with "telling the king."^36 From then on, every theology student
was absolutely dependent on them for a position that would afford him a
living.^37 From 1730, as a direct result of the king's decrees, the Pietists
possessed what amounted to a monopoly in the theological faculty. No
theology student who cared about his future could afford to disagree
openly with the Pietist professors or to be friendly with those who were not
Pietists. So while the courses of the Pietists were exceedingly well attended,
the orthodox professors lectured to almost-empty rooms. The students were
no longer laughing.
These developments in theology also had consequences for philosophy.
Freedom of philosophical expression disappeared.^38 In 1727, lecturing in
accordance with Wolffian texts was explicitly prohibited in Königsberg,
and Wolff's works were no longer allowed to be distributed.^39 Accordingly,
J. G. Bock complained in 1729 that the "university is in so miserable a
condition that it does not seem unlike a trivial school; philosophy is af¬
flicted with a hectic fever, and the other sciences are also poorly enough
cultivated."^40 The hectic fever of Pietism threatened to kill off philosophy