Christian Science was discovered by Mary Baker Eddy in Massachusetts in 1866. She began to publish her writings on this subject there in 1875. Originally composed and published in English, they were not published in any other language for many years. The first translating of her writings that Mrs. Eddy authorized was from English into German; and from 1912 the authorized publication of her principal book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," having alternate pages of English and German, gave a strong impetus to the Christian Science movement in Germany. Before this occurred, however, Christian Science had a goodly number of adherents there, after having several introductions that were distinct and separate.
The evidence available now indicates that the first German to become an avowed Christian Scientist was Hans Eckert of Cannstadt. Able to read and speak English, he began to study Christian Science in 1889, he had class instruction from an authorized teacher two or three years later, and he became a member of The Mother Church in 1893. During this time, he was in the United States temporarily (at Los Angeles, California; Portland, Oregon; and Tacoma, Washington). In 1894, Herr Eckert returned to Germany. Soon he began to speak of Christian Science there, as he found opportunities, but the people in the vicinity of Cannstadt and Stuttgart evinced an interest in this subject slowly. After several years, most of those who had become interested joined in the holding of Sunday services in Stuttgart, for which he did the translating. In 1904, these informal services were succeeded by the Christian Science Society of Stuttgart, a branch of The Mother Church having a card in The Christian Science Journal. Of this society he became the First Reader, and was named as such in the Journal according to the custom of that time. In 1913, this society was succeeded by First Church of Christ, Scientist, of Stuttgart, which has continued to the present time.
Christian Science had a more fruitful introduction into Germany at Hannover through Frau Bertha Günther-Peterson. She began to study this subject there in 1894, and became a member of The Mother Church in 1897. She, also, could read and speak English. Her father and her husband had been physicians, and she had assisted them in their professional work. Doing this had given her a great desire to help mankind cope with disease, and she had been reared in an atmosphere of sincere piety. She heard of Christian Science from a friend of German descent at Minneapolis, Minnesota, who had been healed by this Science after a physician had given her up to die.
