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Karl Friedrich August Kahnis (22 December 1814 – 20 June 1888) was a German
Neo-Lutheran
Neo-Lutheranism was a 19th-century revival movement within Lutheranism which began with the Pietist-driven '' Erweckung,'' or ''Awakening'', and developed in reaction against theological rationalism and pietism. This movement followed the Old Lu ...
theologian.
Early life
From a poor background, Kahnis was educated at the gymnasium of his native town
Greiz
Greiz () is a town in the state of Thuringia, Germany, and is the capital of the district of Greiz. Greiz is situated in eastern Thuringia, east of state capital Jena, on the river ''White Elster''.
Greiz has a large park in its center (Fürstl ...
, and after acting as private tutor for several years began the study of theology at
Halle. He was at first an ardent
Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...
ian, but he passed to orthodox Lutheranism. The transition may be dated from the publication of his ''Dr. Ruge und Hegel: Ein Beitrag zur Würdigung Hegelscher Tendenzen'' (Quedlinburg, 1838).
At the invitation of
Hengstenberg
Ernst Wilhelm Theodor Herrmann Hengstenberg (20 October 1802, in Fröndenberg28 May 1869, in Berlin), was a German Lutheran churchman and neo-Lutheran theologian from an old and important Dortmund family.
He was born at Fröndenberg, a Westphal ...
, Kahnis went in 1840 to Berlin, where he studied under
August Neander
Johann August Wilhelm Neander (17 January 178914 July 1850) was a German theologian and church historian.
Biography
Neander was born at Göttingen as David Mendel. His father, Emmanuel Mendel, is said to have been a Jewish peddler, but August a ...
,
Marheineke
Philip Konrad Marheineke (May 1, 1780, Hildesheim – May 31, 1846, Berlin), was a German Protestant church leader within the Evangelical Church in Prussia.
Life
He was born at Hildesheim, Bishopric of Hildesheim, and studied at the University ...
,
Twesten, and others. To
August Tholuck
Friedrich August Gottreu Tholuck (30 March 1799 – 10 June 1877), known as August Tholuck, was a German Protestant theologian, pastor, and historian, and church leader.
Biography
Tholuck was born at Breslau, and educated at the gymnasium and ...
's ''Litterarischer Anzeiger für christliche Theologie'' he contributed a criticism of
David Strauss
David Friedrich Strauss (german: link=no, Strauß ; 27 January 1808 – 8 February 1874) was a German liberal Protestant theologian and writer, who influenced Christian Europe with his portrayal of the "historical Jesus", whose divine nature h ...
, which appeared in expanded form under the title ''Die moderne Wissenschaft des Dr. Strauss und der Glaube unserer Kirche'' (Berlin, 1842). In 1842 he became
privat-docent
''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualific ...
and then spent two years in close relationship with Neander,
Henrik Steffens
Henrik Steffens (2 May 1773 – 13 February 1845), was a Norwegian philosopher, scientist, and poet.
Early life, education, and lectures
He was born at Stavanger. At the age of fourteen he went with his parents to Copenhagen, where he studied ...
, and the circle of
romanticists
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
who gathered about
Ludwig von Gerlach.
In 1844 he was called to
Breslau as professor extraordinary to represent the orthodox party in a rationalistic faculty, but in his inaugural speech ''De Spiritus Sancti persona'' he departed from the accepted doctrine of
Trinitarianism
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the ...
, ranking the Son as subordinate to the Father, and assigning the last place to the Holy Spirit, which he described as the impersonal principle of life, binding together the other two. Hampered by the lack of harmony between himself and his colleagues, he devoted himself to investigation in theology, the first results being his ''Lehre vom heiligen Geiste'' (Halle, 1847).
Professor at Leipzig
After the
revolution of 1848
The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...
, in which Kahnis supported the king and the established order, he came to believe that the safest defense against irreligion was in rigid orthodoxy, and gradually drifted into an attitude of opposition to
the Union
The Union may refer to:
Politics
* The Union (Germany) or CDU/CSU, the partnership of the German political parties the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union
* The Union (Italy), a former coalition of political parties in Ital ...
(the consolidation of the
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
and
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change
Reform may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
*''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
churches in
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
effected by a royal decree in 1817). Convinced that the Lutheran confession possessed neither a logical nor a legal basis under the Union, he joined the
old Lutheran party in November 1848, a step making his academic activity at Breslau still more difficult. In 1850, therefore, he accepted a call to
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, where he succeeded
Gottlieb Christoph Adolf von Harless
Gottlieb Christoph Adolf von Harless (german: link=no, von Harleß; 21 November 1806 – 5 September 1879), was a German Lutheran theologian.
Life
He was born on 21 November 1806 in Nuremberg. As a youth, he was interested in music and poetry, a ...
in the chair of dogmatics, to which he later united that of church history. In the following year the
University of Erlangen
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
gave him the degree of D.D., and he acknowledged this honor by his ''Lehre vom Abendmahle'' (Leipzig, 1851), a formulation of the type of
Lutheranism taught at Erlangen. He would have accepted a call to Erlangen in 1856 had not the authorities promised to fill the first vacancy in the faculty by a theologian in agreement with his own views. In the same year,
Christoph Ernst Luthardt
Christoph Ernst Luthardt (22 March 1823– 21 September 1902), was a conservative German Lutheran theologian, Biblical commentator and Christian apologist. He was born in Maroldsweisach, Bavaria.
Biography
From 1841 to 1845 he studied theolo ...
was called from Marburg, and he and Kahnis, together with
Franz Delitzsch
Franz Delitzsch (23 February 1813, in Leipzig – 4 March 1890, in Leipzig) was a German Lutheran theologian and Hebraist. Delitzsch wrote many commentaries on books of the Bible, Jewish antiquities, Biblical psychology, as well as a history of J ...
, who came to Leipsic from Erlangen in 1867, constituted a triumvirate in theology.
In addition to his academic duties, Kahnis from 1851 to 1857 was a member of the board of missions, from 1853 to 1857 edited the ''Sächsische Kirchen- und Schulblatt'', and from 1866 to 1875 was one of the editors of
Niedner's ''Zeitschrift für historische Theologie''. At Leipzig in 1854 he published ''Der innere Gang des deutschen Protestantismus seit Mitte des vorigen Jahrhunderts'',
[English translation by Theodore Meyer, ''Internal History of German Protestantism since the Middle of Last Century'', Edinburgh, 1856.] expanded in the second edition (1860) to include the period from the Reformation.
The same years witnessed a literary controversy with
Karl Immanuel Nitzsch
Karl Immanuel Nitzsch (21 September 1787, Borna – 21 August 1868, Berlin) was a German Lutheran church leader. He was the father of theologian Friedrich August Nitzsch.
Biography
He was born in the small Saxon town of Borna near Leipzig. Hi ...
over the question of
the Union
The Union may refer to:
Politics
* The Union (Germany) or CDU/CSU, the partnership of the German political parties the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union
* The Union (Italy), a former coalition of political parties in Ital ...
and confessional
latitudinarianism
Latitudinarians, or latitude men, were initially a group of 17th-century English theologiansclerics and academicsfrom the University of Cambridge who were moderate Anglicans (members of the Church of England). In particular, they believed that a ...
, a controversy in which Kahnis sought to demonstrate the lack of doctrinal unity prevailing among the supporters of the movement.
Later views and works
In 1860 Kahnis became
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western can ...
of
Meissen Cathedral
Meissen Cathedral or the Church of St John and St Donatus (german: Meißner Dom) is a Gothic church in Meissen in Saxony. It is situated on the castle hill of Meissen, adjacent to the Albrechtsburg castle and forms a critical centrepiece of the ic ...
and in 1864-65 he was rector of
Leipzig University
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December ...
. Before that time, however, his religious views had undergone a change which found expression in his ''Lutherische Dogmatik'' (3 volumes, Leipzig, 1861–68). The character of the work was foreshadowed in the second edition of ''Der Innere Gang'', which revealed an approximation to rationalism, the abandonment of his old belief in inspiration, a readiness to admit the necessity of progress in doctrine, and an insistence on the importance of recognizing the facts of human nature and
natural morality
Natural morality refers to morality that is based on human nature, rather than acquired from societal norms or religious teachings. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is central to many modern conceptions of natural morality, but the concept goe ...
. The five divisions of the ''Dogmatik'' deal with the history of Lutheran dogmatics, religion, revelation, creed, and
system. The problem which Kahnis set himself was the derivation of the doctrines of the Lutheran Church from the basic principle of
justification by faith
''Justificatio sola fide'' (or simply ''sola fide''), meaning justification by faith alone, is a soteriological doctrine in Christian theology commonly held to distinguish the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, among others, f ...
, and the proof of their verity by the sole authority of the
Scriptures
Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...
. He found the nature of Christianity in the community of salvation between man and God through Christ in the Holy Spirit, seeking
his proof in history, philosophy, and the common facts of life. It was not the system he advanced that aroused opposition, but the attitude assumed by him toward the higher critics of 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 ...
, his readiness to adopt the most of their theories, and his consequent
modification of the doctrine of inspiration, as well as his dissent from the dogma of the Church in respect to the
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
and the
Lord's Supper
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...
.
Hengstenberg (''Evangelische Kirchenzeitung'', 1862), with
August Wilhelm Dieckhoff August Wilhelm Dieckhoff (5 February 1823, in Göttingen – 12 September 1894, in Rostock) was a German Lutheran theologian known for his studies on the history of evangelical doctrine during the Reformation.[apostasy
Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that i ...]
, and Kahnis replied to Hengstenberg in a pamphlet, ''Zeugniss für die Grundwahrheiten des Protestantismus gegen Dr. Hengstenberg'' (1862). In 1884 he published the second volume of his ''Dogmatik'', tracing the history of the development of dogma in connection with the history of the Church, to prove the Lutheran doctrines of the present day the logical result of this twofold development. The third volume, ''Das System'', which appeared in 1868, repeated matter contained in the first two volumes, and contradicted the basic principle of investigation laid down in the first part. In 1871 he published at Leipsic a condensation of the historical portion of the work under the title ''Christentum und Luthertum''.
After the completion of his ''Dogmatik'', Kahnis devoted himself to
historical studies. To this period belong his ''Deutsche Reformation'' (Leipzig, 1872) and his ''Gang der Kirche in Lebensbildern'' (1887). He died at Leipzig.
References
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahnis, Karl Friedrich August
1814 births
1888 deaths
People from Greiz
People from the Principality of Reuss-Greiz
German Lutheran theologians
Members of the First Chamber of the Diet of the Kingdom of Saxony
19th-century German Protestant theologians
19th-century German male writers
German male non-fiction writers
19th-century Lutherans