Christof Harder

Father – Peter Harder – a beer brewer in Königsberg. mother - Anna Tester. Brother - Johann Jacob Harder (1734-1775) – a representative of Baltic Enlightenment, German pastor, educator and translator, researcher of Latvian intangible cultural heritage. His most important work on Latvian cultural heritage is a research article on old Latvian religious services, science, forms of governing and language (In German (original): Untersuchung des Gottesdienstes, der Wissenschaften, Handwerke, Regierungsarten und Sitten der alten Letten aus ihrer Sprache) that was published in newspaper "Gelehrte Beiträge zu den "Rigischen Anzeigen" in 1764. The brothers are often easily confused. He married the daughter of the rector of the Valmiera School J.H. Block, Catherine Elizabeth Block in 1787.

Having finished the studies on Königsberg, Chr. Harder came to Livonia. During his work in Riga, he was a member of so-called Berens circle, where Enlightenment ideas were present and many important people gathered, e.g. later philosophers J.G. Herder and J.G. Hamann, publisher J.F. Hartknoch, historian J.K. Brotze, etc. Presumably, this circle inspired Chr. Harder to collect Latvian folk-narratives, folksongs, as well to research the issues related to the Latvian language.
As he began his work at the Rubene Church, Chr. Harder became friends with V.D. Budberg (1740–1784), a well-educated painter of German-Baltic origin, who was also a poet and the owner of the Ķieģeļu Manor at Rubene parish. In 1781, Budberg in collaboration with Chr. Harder establisheda printing house in the manor. After the death of the landlord, in 1784, Chr. Harder moved the printing house to Rubene rectory. He published the first 9 issues of the Vidzeme Calendar, including various educational texts of a timely content, promoting the dissemination of the latest scientific knowledge, as well as opinions on socio-political issues (peasant rights, education, etc.).
He promoted numeracy and literacy skills among Latvian peasants, although he saw the aftermath of the peasant unrests of 1777, during which Latvian peasants filed written complaints about the landlords, thus triggering counter strike of the former to peasant education.
Together with M.G. Loder published "The Preacher at the Investigation of the Judges of the Latvian Nation" (1786), under the guise of various Christian texts, he calls upon Latvian farmers who serve as associate judges to become more responsible, courageous, and not to submit to the influence of the supreme power. He continues his discussion on the rights of Latvian farmers in the appendices to the "Vidzeme Calendar". This is probably the reason why "Vidzeme Calendar for 1790" is republished without penalty by J.K.D. Miller, who continues to publish it in the following years.
Despite educating farmers in their rights and teaching them to calculate the bills needed for daily household needs as well as finances related to manors, such as had tax, he considered active peasant unrest a sheer impudence.
In response to the pastor of Jaunpiebalga, C.R. Girgenson’s call to read reflections on the Latvian language at Church Conventions to, Chr. Harder came up with a plan to establish the Latvian Society which created the platform for the "Latvian Friends Society"). Chr. Harder was elected the head of the Latvian Society.

Professional activities

Literary activities

Contribution in folkloristics

"Harder was a profoundly intelligent man with a strong social sense, who followed closely the spiritual currents of the age."
Apinis A. Soļi senākās latviešu grāmatniecības un kultūras takās: apcerējumi. R .: Press House, 2000, p.326. lpp.

Chr. Harder in response to Vidzeme Superintendent K.G. Zontag's question about pastoral proposals for school reform:
" If you cannot give anything particularly good, then it is better to leave the old one in place; do not tear down an old building until funds have been collected and a plan for building a new castle has been worked out”
Schwab A. Kāda mācītāja dzīve. Stockholm: Daugava, 1985, p. 53.

Quote from K. Harder's "Calculus book" (1806):
Believe me, too, that calculating gives you some true fun. When a good, quick witted lad who loves to count, spends a few good hours at this book doing these equations; when he has solved those, and the correct answer comes to light, indeed, sometimes he would rather refuse a glittering dalder for the joy he feels over these calculations, while others were looking for joy in the pubs and got a blue eye and cracked bones there.

K. Harder on his work at the Latvian Society, when writing to C.G. Sonntag:
"I have neither gold nor silver, but what I own, some knowledge of the Latvian language, I'd be happy to share [at this wonderful event]."
Schwab A. Kāda mācītāja dzīve. Stockholm: Daugava, 1985, p.63.

Harder

1758–1764
Kneiphof Gymnasium, lat. Schola Cathedralis, lat. Domgymnasium
Kaļiņingrada
Saskaņā ar Hardera autobiogrāfiju, skolā mācās sešus gadus. No: Curriculum vitae Christophori Harder, S.S.Theol.Candidati. Rokr. AB R MS1112, 10, I-24/ I-25, nr. 28. 

1764–1767
University of Königsberg
Kaļiņingrada
Sākotnēji klausījies lekcijas filosofijā un matemātikā, t.sk. pie metafizikas un loģikas profesora Frīdriha Johana Buka (Buck, 1722-1786), kas tiecies gan uz reliģiju, gan dabaszinātnēm raudzīties no filosofijas viedokļa. No profesora Buka ieguvis arī zināšanas matemātikā un astronomijā. Brāļa Johana Jākoba Hardera iespaidā Kristofs Harders pievērsās teoloģijas studijām.

1767–1772
Rīga
Pēc studijām Kēnigsbergā, sekojot brālim, ierodas Rīgā un strādā par mājskolotāju kāda Rīgas vācu pilsoņa ģimenē, domājams, Rīgā iemācās latviešu valodu un ar brāļa atbalstu iesaistās brāļu Bērensu namā rīkotajās sanāksmēs jeb t.s. Bērensu pulciņā. 

1772–1817
Rubenes evaņģēliski luteriskā draudze
Mācītājs Rubenes draudzē. No 1806. gada Valmieras apriņķa prāvests.

1781–1796
Kristofa Hardera (Rubenes) spiestuve
Rubene
Spiestuve tika dibināta, pateicoties Hardera draudzībai ar Baltijas vācu gleznotāju un Rubenes draudzē ietilpstošās Ķieģelu (Ķiegaļu) muižas īpašnieku Voldemāru Dītrihu fon Budbergu-Benninghauzenu (von Budberg-Bönninghausen, 1740–1784).  1784. gadā, Harders spiestuvi pārcēla uz Rubenes mācītājmuižu.  Grāmatas iesēja un iespieda pats Kristofs Harders, lielākā daļa no tām bija latviešu valodā, t.sk. "Vidzemes kalendārs", ābece, aritmētikas grāmata, gramatika un pavārgrāmata. Zināms 21 izdevums, no tiem 18 laicīga satura. Daļa grāmatu tika izdalītas par brīvu, tās palīdzēja izplatīt arī draudzes trūkumcietēji. Mājas rokas spiestuves darbību, līdzīgi kā citu privāto spiestuvju darbību, aizliedza Krievijas impērijā ar likumu 1796. gadā. 

1806–1818
Vidzemes konsistorija
Valmieras apriņķa prāvests

1767–1772
Brāļu Bērensu pulciņš
Mārstaļu iela, Rīga
Pēc brāļa Johana Jākoba Hardera ieteikuma apmeklē pulciņa sanāksmes.

07.1811–1818
Lettische Gesellschaft
Vidzeme
Biedrības vadītājs, tas centrā latviešu valodas izpēte un latviešu rakstu gatavošana. Biedrība darbojas dažādās Vidzemes mācītājmuižās, dibināta Cēsīs.