Karl Rudolf Hagenbach (March 4, 1801 – June 7, 1874) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

church

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 historian. He was particularly interested in the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

and its figures.

Life

Hagenbach was born at

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, where his father was a practising physician, and a professor of anatomy and botany in the university. His preliminary education was at a Pestalozzian school, and afterwards at the gymnasium, whence in due course he passed to the newly reorganized local university. He early devoted himself to theological studies and the service of the church, while at the same time cherishing and developing broad "humanistic" tendencies which found expression in many ways and especially in an enthusiastic admiration for the writings of

Herder A herder is a pastoral worker responsible for the care and management of a herd or flock of domestic animals, usually on open pasture. It is particularly associated with nomadic or transhumant management of stock, or with common land grazing. ...

. The years 1820–1823 were spent first at

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

, where G. C. F. Lucke (1791–1855) exerted a powerful influence on his thought, and afterwards at Berlin, where

Schleiermacher Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (; 21 November 1768 – 12 February 1834) was a German Reformed theologian, philosopher, and biblical scholar known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional ...

and

Neander Neander may refer to: ;Surname * August Neander (1789–1850), a German theologian and church historian * Ernst Neumann-Neander (1871–1954), founder of the now defunct Neander motorcycle manufacturer * Joachim Neander (1650–1680), Calvinist tea ...

became his masters. Returning in 1823 to Basel, where W. M. L. de Wette had recently been appointed to a theological chair, he distinguished himself greatly by his trial dissertation, ''Observationes historico-hermeneuticae circa Origenis methodum interpretendae sacrae Scripturae''; in 1824 he became professor extraordinarius, and in 1829 professor ordinarius 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 ...

. Apart from his academic labours in connection with the history of dogma and of the church, he lived a life of great and varied usefulness as a theologian, a preacher and a citizen; and at his jubilee in 1873, not only the university and town of Basel but also the various churches of

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

united to do him honour. He died at Basel on 7 June 1874.

Works

Hagenbach was a voluminous author, distinguished as a writer on church history. Though neither so learned and condensed as the contributions of Gieseler, nor so original and profound as those of Neander, his lectures are clear, attractive and free from narrow sectarian prejudice. In dogmatics, while avowedly a champion of the mediation theology (german: Vermittelungstheologie), based upon the fundamental conceptions of Herder and Schleiermacher, he was much less revolutionary than were many others of his school. He sought to maintain the old confessional documents, and to make the objective prevail over the purely subjective manner of viewing theological questions. But he himself was aware that in the endeavour to do so he was not always successful, and that his delineations of Christian

dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...

often betrayed a vacillating and uncertain hand. His works include: *''Tabellarische Übersicht der Dogmengeschichte'' (1828). *
Encyclopädie u. Methodologie der theol. Wissenschaften
' (1833/1889
English trans., 1884/1891
. *''Vorlesungen über Wesen u. Geschichte der Reformation u. des Protestantismus'' (1834–1843
vol. 1–2vol. 3vol. 4
English transl.
vol. 1, 1878vol. 2, 1879
. *
Lehrbuch der Dogmengeschichte
' (1840–1841, 5th ed., 1867; English transl.
vol. 1, 1850vol. 2, 1861
. *''Die Kirchengeschichte des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts: Aus dem Standpunkte des evangelischen Protestantismus''
Part I, 1848
English transl.
vol. 1, 1870vol. 2, 1870
. *''Vorlesungen über die Geschichte der alten Kirche'' (1853–1855). *
Vorlesungen über die Kirchengeschichte des Mittelalters
' (1860–1861). *
German Rationalism, in its Rise, Progress, and Decline, in Relation to Theologians, Scholars, Poets, Philosophers, and the People
' (1865). *
Grundlinien der Homiletik u. Liturgik
' (1863) *
Johann Oekolampad und Oswald Myconius, die Reformatoren Basels. Leben und ausgewählte Schriften
' (1859). *
Geschichte der theologische Schule Basels
' (1860). *''Predigten'' (“Sermons,” Basel, 1858–1875). *''Luther und seine Zeit'', a book of poems (“Luther and his times,” 1838) *''Gedichte'' (“Poems,” Basel, 1846). The

lecture A lecture (from Latin ''lēctūra'' “reading” ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical infor ...

s on church history under the general title ''Vorlesungen über die Kirchengeschichte von der ältesten Zeit bis zum 19ten Jahrhundert'' were reissued in seven volumes (1868–1872;vol. 1vol. 2vol. 3vol. 4vol. 5vol. 6vol. 7
. He edited the ''Kirchenblatt für die reformierte Schweiz'' (from 1845 to 1868), and also a series of biographies of the reformers of the

Reformed Church Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

, with selections from their writings (''Leben und Schriften der Väter und Begründer der reformierten Kirche'', Elberfeld, 1857–1862, 10 vols.), to which he contributed the lives of

Oecolampadius Johannes Oecolampadius (also ''Œcolampadius'', in German also Oekolampadius, Oekolampad; 1482 – 24 November 1531) was a German Protestant reformer in the Calvinist tradition from the Electoral Palatinate. He was the leader of the Protestant f ...

and

Oswald Myconius Oswald Myconius (1488, Lucerne – 14 October 1552, Basel) was Swiss Protestant theologian and Protestant reformer. He was a follower of Huldrych Zwingli. Life He was born at Lucerne, Switzerland. His family name was Geisshüsler, and his ...

(1859, see above).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hagenbach, Karl Rudolf 1801 births 1874 deaths Swiss Protestant theologians 19th-century Protestant theologians 19th-century Swiss historians Swiss male writers Writers from Basel-Stadt 19th-century male writers

Life

Works

Further reading

References