Reinhold Seeberg (24 March 1859 – 23 October 1935) was a German

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

. 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 (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

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 Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

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

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

studies, including the repositioning of

Martin Bucer Martin Bucer (; Early German: ; 11 November 1491– 28 February 1551) was a German Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg who influenced Lutheran, Anglican doctrines and practices as well as Reformed Theology. Bucer was originally a memb ...

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. Alister McGrath defines historical theology as 'the branch of theological inquiry which aims to explore the historical development of Christian doctrines, and identify the fa ...

, including

early Christianity Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the History of Christianity, historical era of the Christianity, Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Spread of Christianity, Christian ...

, Luther, the essence of Christianity, and

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

. 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 (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

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, the elder historian of

dogma Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or 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 in church history and dogma, Hermann Sasse in Lutheran studies, and

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

in theology and

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

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

epistemological Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowled ...

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 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 (6 September 1937 – 18 May 2023) was a German conductor, choirmaster, artistic director, composer, harpsichordist and university lecturer. After working for the East German Berliner Rundfunk from 1971, he was principal co ...

), 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