Franz August Otto Pieper (June 27, 1852 – June 3, 1931) was a

Confessional Lutheran Confessional Lutheranism is a name used by Lutherans to designate those who believe in the doctrines taught in the ''Book of Concord'' of 1580 (the Lutheran confessional documents) in their entirety. Confessional Lutherans maintain that faithfulne ...

theologian who also served as the fourth president of what was known at that time as the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States (Missouri Synod). Pieper was born at

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Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

, ( west of Danzig) and died in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. After studying at the gymnasium of Kolberg, Pomerania, he emigrated to the United States in 1870. He graduated from Northwestern College in

Watertown, Wisconsin Watertown is a city in Dodge and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Most of the city's population is in Jefferson County. Division Street, several blocks north of downtown, marks the county line. The population of Watertown was 2 ...

, in 1872 and from

Concordia Seminary Concordia Seminary is a Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, Lutheran seminary in Clayton, Missouri. The institution's primary mission is to train pastors, deaconesses, Missionary, missionaries, chaplains, and church leaders for the Lutheran Chur ...

in St. Louis in 1875. He was a Lutheran pastor from 1875 to 1878, serving first at Centerville, Wisconsin, and then at

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc () is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with ove ...

. He became a professor of theology at Concordia Seminary in 1878, and in 1887 he became president of the same institution. He also served as editor of ''Lehre und Wehre'', the faculty journal of Concordia Seminary. From 1882 to 1899, Pieper served on the Board of Colored Missions for the

Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America The Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America (german: Die Evangelisch-lutherischen Synodal-Conferenz von Nord-Amerika), often known simply as the Synodical Conference, was an association of Lutheran synods that professed a comp ...

. He then served as the fourth president of the Missouri Synod from 1899 to 1911. As a systematic theologian, Franz Pieper's ''magnum opus'', ''Christliche Dogmatik'' (1917–1924), provided the modern world with a learned and extensive presentation of orthodox Lutheran theology. Translated into English as ''Christian Dogmatics'' (1950–1953), it continues to be the basic textbook of doctrinal theology in the Missouri Synod.Robert D. Preus, ed., ''Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics'', 13 vols. (St. Louis: The Luther Academy, 1989-2008), 6:viii. He was also the main author of ''A Brief Statement'' of 1932, an authoritative presentation of the synod's doctrinal stance.

Works

*''Christliche Dogmatik''. 4 vols. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1917–1924) nglish translation: ''Christian Dogmatics''. 4 vols. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1950–1953)br>(In German, public domain
Vol IVol IIVol III

*''The Synodical Conference'', an essay in ''The Distinctive Doctrines and Usages of the General Bodies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States'' (Philadelphia, 1892), 119-166. *''Gesetz und Evangelium'' (1892) *''Das Grundbekenntnis der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche'' (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1880). *''Lehre von der Rechtfertigung'' (1889) *''Unsere Stellung in Lehre und Praxis'' (St. Louis, 1896) *''Lehrstellung der Missouri-Synode'' (1897) *''Christ's Work'' (1898). *''Das Wesen des Christentums'' (1903) *
Conversion and Election : a Plea for a United Lutheranism
' (1913, HathiTrust Digital Library) *''What Is Christianity and Other Essays''. John Theodore Mueller, tr. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1933)

References

External links

Concordia Historical InstituteFranz August Otto Pieper, The 20th Century Luther

Our Position in Doctrine and Practice
by Dr. Franz Pieper

by Dr. Franz Pieper, trans. by Bryce L. Winters
The Glorious Blessing of Brotherly Fellowship in Faith
by Dr. Franz Pieper
Theses on Unionism
by Dr. Franz Pieper

by Dr. Franz Pieper, (from Christian Dogmatics, Vol I, page 330-38.)

by Dr. Franz Pieper, (from Christian Dogmatics, Vol III)
C. F. W. Walther as a Theologian
by Dr. Franz Pieper, Studium Excitare, Issue #8. * *
Zur Einigung der amerikanisch-lutherischen Kirche in der Lehre von der Bekehrung und Gnadenwahl
by Dr. Franz Pieper (1913)
und Wehre''
8 Vols. of the faculty journal from Concordia Seminary {{DEFAULTSORT:Pieper, Franz 1852 births 1931 deaths People from Sławno County People from the Province of Pomerania Martin Luther College Presidents of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod American Lutheran theologians German emigrants to the United States Religious leaders from Wisconsin Seminary presidents German Lutherans 19th-century American Lutheran clergy Concordia Seminary alumni 20th-century American Lutheran clergy 19th-century Lutheran theologians 20th-century Lutheran theologians