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Alethophile Societies in Germany.
There is a very useful Wikipedia article at
Gesellschaft der Wahrheitsliebenden, which focuses primarily on the first Alethophile society, which sprang up in Berlin in 1736 and then moved to Leipzig; the article indicates that this society had been founded by Ernst Christoph Graf Manteuffel and Johann Gustav Reinbeck. The article makes it clear that the society first met in Berlin at the home of Manteuffel. When Manteuffel moved to Leipzig in 1740, some of the members did as well - but the society changed its character to that of a round-table, rather than an ordinary society; this group dissolved in 1749 with the death of Manteuffel. The members who remained in Berlin with Reinbeck were active until 1743, a couple of years after the death of Reinbeck in 1741.
This article points out a link to Freemasonry, by noting that in 1743 Manteuffel joined the Freimaurerloge (Masonic Lodge) Minerva zu den drei Palmen in Leipzig.
The article also mentions two other Alethophile societies - the one in Weissenfels (founded 1741) and also the one in Stettin (founded in 1742).
The Weissenfels Alethophile Society
According to p.636, lines 10 - 11 of
Johann Christoph Gottsched Briefwechsel Historisch-kritische Ausgabe Band 7: 1740-1741, in 1741
Gottlob Carl Springfeld (1714 - 1772) was a founding member of the
Gesellschaft der Alethophilen in Weißenfels.
An addition, on p.610, lines 11 -12, we read that Jonathan Heller
(1716 - 1791)
was also a founding member of this society in 1741.
This volume includes much historical detail on the Alethophile society in Weissenfels and other such societies in Germany.
For example, we learn on p.619, that Ernst Christoph von Manteuffel (1676 - 1749) was the founder in 1736 of the Berlin Alethophile society.
There is also a major article entitled Wahrheitliebende gesellschafft on cols. 947 - 954 of vol. 52 of
Johann Heinrich Zedlers Grosses volständiges Universal-Lexikon aller Wissenschaften und Künste.
On col. 947, several additional generic names were employed to describe these Alethophile societies, including: Gesellschafft der Liebhaber der Wahrheit, as well as Gesellshafft de ALETHOPHILORUM, OR Alethophilische Gesellschaft. It points out that one of them was founded in Berlin in 1736.
We know that the Weissenfels society was still active in 1750, since they published their journal in that year.
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