Karl Holl (15 May 1866 – 23 May 1926) was a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

of theology and church history at Tübingen and Berlin and is considered one of the most influential church historians of his era.

Life

Karl Holl studied philosophy and theology at the

Tübinger Stift The Tübinger Stift () is a hall of residence and teaching; it is owned and supported by the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg, and located in the university city of Tübingen, in South West Germany. The Stift was founded as an Augusti ...

. He became a member of the

Studentenverbindung (; often referred to as Verbindung) is the umbrella term for many different kinds of fraternity-type associations in German-speaking countries, including Corps, , , , and Catholic fraternities. Worldwide, there are over 1,600 , about a thousan ...

(student association) Normannia. While serving as a minister in

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...

, he completed his doctorate and became the lead tutor (''Repetent'') at the Tübinger Stift in 1891. From 1894 he was active as a research assistant at the

Prussian Academy of Sciences The Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences (german: Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften) was an academy established in Berlin, Germany on 11 July 1700, four years after the Prussian Academy of Arts, or "Arts Academy," to which "Berlin ...

at the instigation of

Adolf von Harnack Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is sometimes credited ...

. He completed his

Habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

in 1896 at the theological faculty of

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. In 1901 he became associate professor (''Extraordinarius'') of church history at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...

, from 1906 he was Professor (''Ordinarius'') at the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

. On December 17, 1914, he was admitted as a full member of the

. He also served from 1912 to 1926 as “Ephorus” of the Evangelical Theological Seminary, the ''Stiftung Johanneum'', in Berlin. His grave is located at the church cemetery in Stahnsdorf.

Work

Karl Holl's theological development is characterized by the outlook of the “ Tubingen school” of

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 ...

. He published numerous studies on

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

, which made a fundamental contribution to scholarship and remain important today. Holl's works interpret the Lutheran religious and God concept as “Gewissensreligion” (a religion of conscience) and helped spark the “Luther Renaissance.” He returned the doctrine of justification to its place in the center of

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 ...

. He has been called "perhaps the greatest Luther scholar of isgeneration".

Original works

* ''Die Sacra Parallela des Johannes Damascenus'', 1897 * ''Enthusiasmus und Bußgewalt beim griechischen Mönchtum, und Studium zu Symeon der Neuen Theologen'', 1898 * ''Fragmente vornicänischer Kirchenväter aus den Sacra Parallela'', 1899 * ''Amphilochius von Ikonium in seinem Verhältnis zu den großen Kappadoziern'', 1904 * ''Die geist. Übungen des Ignatius von Loyola. Eine psychologische Studie'', 1905 * ''Die Rechtfertigungslehre im Licht der Geschichte des Protestantismus'', 1906 * ''Was hat die Rechtfertigungslehre dem modernen Menschen zu sagen?'', 1907 * ''Der Modernismus'', 1908 * ''Johannes Calvin, Rede zur Feier der 400. Wiederkehr des Geburtstages Calvins'', 1909 * ''Die handschriftliche Überlieferung des Epiphanius'', 1910 * ''Thomas Chalmers und die Anfänge der kirchlich-sozialen Bewegung'', 1913 * ''Der Kirchenbegriff des Paulus in seinem Verhältnis zu dem der Urgemeinde'', 1921 * ''Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Kirchengeschichte I.'': Luther (1. Was verstand Luther unter Religion? 2. Rechtfertigungslehre in Luthers Vorlesung über den Römerbrief mit besonderer Rücksicht auf die Frage der Heilsgewißheit. 3. Der Neubau der Sittlichkeit. 4. Die Entstehung von Luthers Kirchenbegriff. 5. Luther und das landesherrliche Kirchenregiment. 6. Luthers Urteile über sich selbst. 7. Luther und die Schwärmer. 8. Die Kulturbedeutung der Reformation 9. Luthers Bedeutung für den Fortschritt der Auslegungskunst), 1921 * ''Augustins innere Entwicklung'', 1923 * ''Urchristentum und Religionsgeschichte'', 1924 * ''Die Entstehung der vier Fastenzeiten in der griechischen Kirche'', 1924 * ''Christliche Reden'', 1926 * ''Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Kirchengeschichte II.'': Der Osten, 1927/28 * ''Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Kirchengeschichte III.'': Der Westen, 1928

English translations

* ''The cultural significance of the Reformation.'' New York: Meridian Books, 1959 * ''The Distinctive Elements in Christianity.'' Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1937. * ''What Did Luther Understand by Religion?'' Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977.

References

External links