Georg Lorenz Bauer (14 August 1755 – 13 January 1806) 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 the ...
,
and writer on his subject.
Life
Georg Lorenz Bauer was born in
Hiltpoltstein, a small market town some 25 km (15 miles) to the north-east of
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 ...
. He was born sixth of his parents' eight recorded children. His father, Georg Wolfgang Bauer (1710-1767) was the local Protestant minister: his mother, born Margaretha Salome Drechsel, was the daughter of another Protestant minister.
[
His school career included a period at ]St. Lorenz, Nuremberg
St. Lorenz (St. Lawrence) is a medieval church of the former free imperial city of Nuremberg in southern Germany. It is dedicated to Saint Lawrence. The church was badly damaged during the Second World War and later restored. It is one of the m ...
where he acquired an early interest in Oriental languages,[ on which he was able to build after 1772 when he moved on to the ]University of Altdorf
The University of Altdorf () was a university in Altdorf bei Nürnberg, a small town outside the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg. It was founded in 1578 and received university privileges in 1622 and was closed in 1809 by Maximilian I Joseph of ...
. Here he studied both Theology
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 ...
and, possibly with even greater enthusiasm, Oriental Languages under the noted orientalist Johann Andreas Michael Nagel.[ He received his ]Magister degree
A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from la, magister, "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education.
The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to th ...
in 1775 and a year later was appointed a "Morning preacher" at the St Margaret's Chapel in Nuremberg Castle
Nuremberg Castle (german: Nürnberger Burg) is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge dominating the historical center of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany.
The castle, together with the city walls, is considered to be one ...
.[ In 1786 he took a teaching position at the city's St. Sebaldus school, becoming deputy head in 1787.][ In 1789, following the death in 1788 of Johann Andreas Michael Nagel, Bauer was appointed to succeed the mentor from his university days at Altdorf as Professor for Eloquence/ Rhetoric, Oriental Languages and ]Morality
Morality () is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between those that are distinguished as proper (right) and those that are improper (wrong). Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of co ...
.[
In 1805 he moved to take up a position at ]Heidelberg University
}
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, B ...
as Professor for Oriental Literature and Biblical criticism.[ ]Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
was being combined into a new Grand Duchy of Baden and Bauer's appointment came as part of a larger reconfiguration of the city's venerable university. Bauer was appointed to the university post despite a warning by Jung-Stilling that he had a "scandalous past", a reference to Bauer's known criticism of religious revelationism.[ In 1805 Bauer also became "Kirchenrat", an important administrative position in the church locally.][
On 12 or 13 January 1806, shortly after relocating to Heidelberg, Georg Lorenz Bauer died.][
]
Family
Georg Lorenz Bauer was married to Margaretha Barbara Schütz of Nuremberg. In 1802 four of their ten recorded children were still alive.[
]
Assessment
Bauer was known as an enlightenment theologian who applied historical-critical method, without regard to any pre-existing dogma, to Old and 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 Chri ...
study.[ His position was that a critical elimination of anything mystical or legendary would bring to light the essential timeless truth of the core universality of the bible.
]
Publications (not a complete list)
* ''Historisch-kritische Einleitung in das Alte Testament'' 1794 (3rd edition 1806)
* ''Theologie des Alten Testaments'' 1796 (with "supplements" 1801)
* ''Entwurf einer Hermeneutik des Alten Testaments und NT.'' 1799
* ''Theologie des Neuen Testaments'' 4 Vols., 1800–02
* ''Hebräische Mythologie des Alten Testaments und Neuen Testaments mit Parallelen aus der Mythologie anderer Völker, vornehmlich der # Griechen u. Römer.'' 2 Vols., 1802/03
* ''Biblische Moral des Alten Testaments'' 1803/05
* ''Biblische Moral des Neuen Testaments'', 1804/05
* ''Breviarium theologiae biblicae.'' 1803
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauer, Georg Lorenz
18th-century German Protestant theologians
19th-century German Protestant theologians
Academic staff of the University of Altdorf
Academic staff of Heidelberg University
1755 births
1806 deaths
19th-century German male writers
19th-century German writers
German male non-fiction writers
18th-century German male writers