Reinhold Seeberg (24 March 1859 – 23 October 1935) 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 Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

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 th ...

. He was a professor of theology at Erlangen, where he had studied, and then in 1893 a professor of dogmatic theology at Friedrich Wilhelm University (founded as the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (german: link=no, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick Will ...

in 1810). A staunch German nationalist, Seeberg affirmed the divinely appointed role of Germany in the salvation of the world, and did not support the

Weimar Republic The German Reich, commonly referred to as the Weimar Republic,, was a historical period of Germany from 9 November 1918 to 23 March 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is also r ...

in Germany. Seeberg was part of the movement for the modern revival of

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...

and

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

studies, including the repositioning of Martin Bucer as a mediating theologian between

and Reformed thought. His son, , became a significant theologian in his own right at the University of Berlin. His brother, , was also a theologian.

Scholarship and influence

Seeberg authored over two dozen books and many articles, covering a range of issues in

historical theology Historical theology is the study of the history of Christian doctrine. Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling describe it as, "The division of the theological discipline that seeks to understand and delineate how the church interpreted Scripture and deve ...

, including

early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Je ...

, Luther, the essence of Christianity, and

Duns Scotus John Duns Scotus ( – 8 November 1308), commonly called Duns Scotus ( ; ; "Duns the Scot"), was a Scottish Catholic priest and Franciscan friar, university professor, philosopher, and theologian. He is one of the four most important ...

. His most famous text was the widely published and translated ''Textbook of the History of Doctrines''. in five volumes. The latter work offered an encyclopedic understanding of the development of Christian doctrine, from the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

period into the 17th century, according to modern historical-critical methods. In it, Seeberg offers a more traditional assessment of the essentials of Christian teachings, in contrast to his colleague

Adolph von Harnack Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theology, Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is s ...

, the elder historian of

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 ...

at Berlin. Seeberg also emphasized the social nature of the Church, a teaching which became important to his students. Seeberg had several important students, including

Werner Elert Werner August Friedrich Immanuel Elert (19 August 1885 – 21 November 1954) was a German Lutheran theologian and professor of both church history and systematic theology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. His writings in the fields of Christ ...

in church history and dogma,

Hermann Sasse Hermann Otto Erich Sasse (17 July 1895 – 9 August 1976) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and author. He was considered one of the foremost confessional Lutheran theologians of the 20th century. Sasses was born on 17 July 1895 in Son ...

in Lutheran studies, and

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti- Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world h ...

in theology and

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ...

. Bonhoeffer adopted Seeberg's emphasis on the social nature of the Church, the

epistemological Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Episte ...

and ethical dimensions of doctrines, and an anti-metaphysical emphasis in his own thought.Bethge, Eberhard. "Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography". New York: Harper and Row, 1970, pp. 56-68. Even when Bonhoeffer turned to a stronger

Barthian Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Calvinist theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Declara ...

view of revelation over religion, Bonhoeffer maintained a social emphasis in theology and ethics, which marked Seeberg's lasting influence.

References

Other sources

*Friedrich Wilhelm Graf: Reinhold Seeberg, in: Profile des Luthertums. Biographien zum 20. Jahrhundert (ed.

Wolf-Dieter Hauschild Wolf-Dieter Hauschild (born 6 September 1937 in Greiz), is a German conductor, choirmaster, artistic director, composer, harpsichordist and university lecturer. After working for the Berliner Rundfunk from 1971, he was principal conductor of the ...

), Gütersloh 1998, pp. 617–676. *Richard Cumming: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's concept of the cor curvum in se: a critique of Bonhoeffer's polemic with Reinhold Seeberg in Act and Being. In: Union Seminary Quarterly Review, Journal of Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York 62 (2010), Nr. 3–4, S. 116–133. *Traugott Jähnichen: Seeberg, Reinhold. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Band 9, Bautz, Herzberg 1995, , Sp. 1307–1310.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seeberg, Reinhold 1859 births 1935 deaths 20th-century German male writers 20th-century German Protestant theologians German Lutheran theologians German male non-fiction writers Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Systematic theologians University of Tartu alumni