Gottfried Thomasius (26 June 1802 – 24 January 1875) was a German

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. He was born in Egenhausen (in present-day

Middle Franconia Middle Franconia (german: Mittelfranken, ) is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the west of Bavaria and borders the state of Baden-Württemberg. The administrative seat is Ansbach; however ...

) and he died in

Erlangen Erlangen (; East Franconian: ''Erlang'', Bavarian: ''Erlanga'') is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 116,062 inha ...

. He studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

and theology in Erlangen,

Halle Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hal ...

and Berlin, and as a student had renowned instructors that included

Friedrich Schleiermacher Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (; 21 November 1768 – 12 February 1834) was a German Reformed theologian, philosopher, and biblical scholar known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional ...

, August Neander, G. W. F. Hegel,

Philip Marheineke Philip Konrad Marheineke (May 1, 1780, Hildesheim – May 31, 1846, Berlin), was a German Protestant church leader within the Evangelical Church in Prussia. Life He was born at Hildesheim, Bishopric of Hildesheim, and studied at the Univers ...

and

Friedrich Tholuck Friedrich August Gottreu Tholuck (30 March 1799 – 10 June 1877), known as August Tholuck, was a German Protestant theologian, pastor, and historian, and church leader. Biography Tholuck was born at Breslau, and educated at the gymnasium and ...

. In 1829 he began serving as a pastor in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

, and in 1842 was appointed professor of dogmatics at the University of Erlangen. Erlangen Halbmondstraße 2 001

Thomasius was an important representative of the " Erlangen School" within the German Neo-Lutheranism movement and a major influence on, for instance, the church historian Albert Hauck. He is credited for introducing the concept of Kenotic Christology into German theology, of which, his aim was to provide an understanding of the limited consciousness of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

, without denying the unity of deity and humanity in Christ.

Literary works

* ''Origen. Ein Beitrag zur Dogmengeschichte des dritten Jahrhunderts'' (

Origen Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and the ...

, A contribution to dogmatic history of the third century), (1837). * ''Beiträge zur kirchlichen Christologie'', (Contributions to church-based

Christology In Christianity, Christology (from the Greek grc, Χριστός, Khristós, label=none and grc, -λογία, -logia, label=none), translated literally from Greek as "the study of Christ", is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Diff ...

), (1845). * ''Christi Person und Werk'', (Christ's person and work), (1852-1861). * ''Das Bekenntnis der lutherischen Kirche von der Versöhnung'', (1857). * ''Die christliche Dogmengeschichte'', (History of

Christian dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam o ...

), (1874-1876).

References

translated biography @

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Ac ...

Functional Christology in the Fourth Gospel, by George O. Folarin {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomasius, Gottfried 1802 births 1875 deaths People from Neustadt (Aisch)-Bad Windsheim German Lutheran theologians Academic staff of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg 19th-century German Lutheran clergy 19th-century German Protestant theologians German male non-fiction writers 19th-century male writers