Willem Muurling (27 April 1805,

Bolsward Bolsward (, West Frisian: ''Boalsert'') is a city in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward has a population of just under 10,200. It is located 10 km W.N.W. of Sneek. History The town is founded on th ...

– 9 December 1882,

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

) was a Dutch

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 ...

who was a native of

. He was father-in-law to theologian

Abraham Kuenen Abraham Kuenen (16 September 1828 – 10 December 1891) was a Dutch Protestant theologian. Kuenen was born in Haarlem, the son of an apothecary. On his father's death it became necessary for him to leave school and take a humble place in the busi ...

(1828-1891). He studied theology at

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

, and from 1832 to 1837, served as a pastor in

Stiens Stiens is a town in the municipality of Leeuwarden, Netherlands. As of January 2017, the town had a population of about 7,545. Between 1944 and 2018, it was the capital of the municipality of Leeuwarderadeel. History The village was first mention ...

. Afterwards, he taught classes at the ''Rijksatheneum'' in

Franeker Franeker (; ) is one of the eleven historical City rights in the Low Countries, cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Waadhoeke. It is located north of the Van Harinxmakanaal and about west of Leeuwarden. As of 2023, it had 13,0 ...

, relocating to the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; , abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen, Netherlands. Founded in 1614, th ...

in 1840, where he was as a professor of theology. Muurling was a prominent member of the so-called " Groningen School", a progressive movement within the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

Works

Among his better written efforts was a textbook on

practical theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more full ...

titled ''Practische Godgeleerdheid of beschouwing van de Evangeliebediening''. Other published works by Muurling include: * ''Louis Gerlach Pareau: Een Levensbeeld''; (

Louis Gerlach Pareau Louis Gerlach Pareau, (August 10, 1800 – October 27, 1866) was a Dutch theologian born in Deventer. He was the son of Jean Henri Pareau (1761–1833), a professor of Oriental languages at the University of Utrecht. In 1826 he graduated ...

: A life portrait), 1866. * ''Hervormde Kerk: Een handboek bij de Acad. lessen, Groningen 1851-'57'', (Reformed Church: A textbook on the academic lessons at Groningen in 1851–1857). * ''Resultaten van onderzoek en ervaring op godsdienst gebied, Groningen 1865-'67'', (Results of research and experience in theology at Groningen in 1865–1867).

References

Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature
(biographical information)

(translated from Dutch) 1805 births 1882 deaths Dutch Calvinist and Reformed theologians People from Bolsward Academic staff of the University of Groningen Utrecht University alumni {{Theologian-stub