Heinrich Philipp Konrad Henke (3 July 1752 – 2 May 1809),

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

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 ...

, best known as a writer on

church history __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritua ...

, was born at

Hehlen Hehlen is a municipality in the district of Holzminden, in Lower Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, an ...

, Brunswick-Lüneburg. He was the father of

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

Ernst Ludwig Theodor Henke (1804–1872). He received his education at the gymnasium in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

and at the

University of Helmstedt The University of Helmstedt (german: Universität Helmstedt; official Latin name: ''Academia Julia'', "Julius University"), was a university in Helmstedt in the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel that existed from 1576 until 1810. History Found ...

. Until 1809, he was associated with the University of Helmstedt, named as an associate professor of philosophy in 1777 and of theology the following year. In 1780, he was chosen as a full professor of theology. During his tenure at Helmstedt, he was appointed

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

of Michaelstein Abbey (1786) and vice-president of the Carolinum in Braunschweig (1803).NDB/ADB Deutsche Biographie
Henke was a proponent of theological rationalism. His principal work, the multi-volume ''Allgemeine Geschichte der christlichen Kirche nach der Zeitfolge'' (General history of the Christian Church in chronological order) was praised by

Ferdinand Christian Baur Ferdinand Christian Baur (21 June 1792 – 2 December 1860) was a German Protestant theologian and founder and leader of the (new) Tübingen School of theology (named for the University of Tübingen where Baur studied and taught). Following Hegel ...

"as one of the most exquisite works of literature". Other noteworthy efforts by Henke include: * "Lineamenta institutionum fidei Christianae historico-criticarum" (1793). * "Opuscula academica, theologici potissimum argumenti" (1802). Also, he was an editor of the ''Magazin für die Religionsphilosophie, Exegese und Kirchengeschichte'' (1793–1804) and the ''Archiv für die neueste Kirchengeschichte'' (1794–1799).Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, Band 9. Leipzig 1907, S. 167-168
(biographical information)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henke, Heinrich Philipp Konrad 1752 births 1809 deaths People from Holzminden (district) People from Brunswick-Lüneburg German Lutheran theologians University of Helmstedt alumni Academic staff of the University of Helmstedt 18th-century German Protestant theologians German male non-fiction writers 18th-century German male writers