Vorzeichen

19:31 Jul 9, 2017 

Agree with Armorel. Additionally, as said below, it's about "Bedingungen"--or "Anzeichen" if you will.

However, I'm not fond of "indicators," as suggested below.

Here's an example:
"Schwerer als [...] wogen dabei zeitgeschichtliche und politische Gründe, und nimmt man die durchaus aufrichtigen Hoffnungen der Emigranten ernst, [...] so stellt sich der Weg ins sowjetische Exil als ein Rückzug unter geschichtlichen Vorzeichen dar, die damals noch kaum jemand zu deuten verstand"
http://ikk.userpage.fu-berlin.de/film/index.php

Here, "Aspekte":
"Der Vortrag soll einer Neubewertung dieser Novelle von 1860/61 unter geschichtlichen Vorzeichen dienen."
http://www.braunschweig.de/literaturzentrum/programm/index.h...

Bedingungen:
"Anknüpfend an frühjüdische Erfahrungen in der Zeit von [...] benennt er zwei einander bedingende geschichtliche Vorzeichen für das Eintreten der Parusie Christi"
https://www.bibelwissenschaft.de/wibilex/das-bibellexikon/le...

This has little do with "historic significance."

18:54 Jul 9, 2017 

I feel that the trouble with "omen" (despite the fact that dictionaries keep suggesting is as a translation of "Vorzeichen") is that it carries too much emotional baggage - it portends either good or evil. "Vorzeichen" feels like a more neutral word - it simply prefigures what comes after.

05:48 Jul 9, 2017 

"Das kirchliche Leben in Jugenheim, ****, hat mancherlei Vorzeichen."

As a native German speaker I have to say that this phrasing is not very nice. It's kind of meaningless. Though, it depends on the sentences that follow.
---------------

"Unter geschichtlichen Vorzeichen steht der Bau unserer evangelischen Kirche..."

This is also meaningless. It only makes sense if they wanto to say: The construction of our church was a necessity, because there were some circumstances in history that kind of forced us to build this church. Maybe because lots of Christians have been living here for ages.

However, "Vorzeichen" is used like "omen" in these sentences.

10:58 Jul 7, 2017 

The most common type of German phrasing to use "Vorzeichen" is "unter guten/schlechten Vorzeichen." That's "Bedingungen" or "Anfängen":
https://www.redensarten-index.de/suche.php?suchbegriff=~~unt...

Although the Duden entry may seem odd at first, it is rather helpful. First one is:
"Anzeichen, das auf etwas Künftiges hindeutet; Omen"
http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Vorzeichen

Then, these synonyms:
Ankündigung, Anzeichen, Signal, Vorbote, Vorläufer

Particularly the last one + Bedingungen from the beginning may help you here. It's basically what is meant in the first sentence, namely that the town was practically destined to be Protestant only because of certain circumstances. But I think we would need to know the Vorzeichen they're talking about.

In the second sentence, the meaning's about the same: a kind of logic to building a Protestant church there. That may have something to do with "tradition," as mentioned by Armorel, or "a long history," as mentioned by Elisabeth. But this is way too little context to determine that.

The answer must be in the surrounding text.

Best

09:17 Jul 7, 2017 

I think it just means that it's part of a long history or tradition - or in the second sentence perhaps even that there are historical precedents for the construction of a Protestant church here.

05:41 Jul 7, 2017 

Thanks for your input. I DO appreciate your thoughts on this subject!

03:03 Jul 7, 2017 

I think "indicators" is quite good, because it is neutral. I don't think that there is a sense of foreboding etc. Initially, I read "Vorzeichen" simply along the lines of "distinctive characteristics" and that the church was constructed in a way that reflects the historical character or the fact that there is a long history of Protestantism in the place. However, I'm really not sure. It is definitely an interesting question!

01:54 Jul 7, 2017 

I'm thinking it MIGHT be something like "indicators": "There are various indicators of church life in Jugenheim, a purely Protestant village from the Reformation..." and "The construction of our Protestant church is one historical indicator..."