Johann Heinrich Christoph Willibald Beyschlag (5 September 1823 – 25 November 1900 in

Halle an der Saale Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (; from the 15th to the 17th century: ''Hall in Sachsen''; until the beginning of the 20th century: ''Halle an der Saale'' ; from 1965 to 1995: ''Halle/Saale'') is the largest city of the German state of Saxony-Anh ...

) was a German

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 ...

from

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

Biography

He studied theology at the Universities of

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 ...

and

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 ...

, afterwards serving as an assistant pastor in

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

(1849), then as a pastor in

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

(1850). During the following year, Beyschlag began working as a religious instructor in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

. In 1856 he became a court preacher in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

, and four years later, he was appointed 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 ...

practical theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more full ...

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 Christ ...

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...

at the

University of Halle Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university i ...

.Catalogus-professorum-halensis
biography of Willibald Beyschlag Beyschlag was the leader of the ''Kirchenpartei'' called ''Mittelpartei'' ("Middle Party"), and in 1876, with Albrecht Wolters, founded the ''Deutsch-evangelische Blätter'' (a publication of the ''Mittelpartei'' in the '' Kirche der Altpreußischen Union''). Because of the combative nature of the magazine, he was once sued for libel. Also, he was a primary catalyst in the founding of the ' (Protestant Confederation) —Oxford Reference
Willibald Beyschlag, Overview he believed that only in unity could German Protestantism find strength. He was a leading supporter of the ''Vermittlungstheologie'' and was opposed to Chalcedonian Christology. Also, he stood for the rights of the laity, and believed in the autonomy of the church, leading him to be in favor of

separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...

. Beyschlag was viewed as an antagonist of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and a sharp critic of

Ultramontanism Ultramontanism is a clerical political conception within the Catholic Church that places strong emphasis on the prerogatives and powers of the Pope. It contrasts with Gallicanism, the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by th ...

Selected works

In 1891 he published ''Neutestamentliche Theologie, oder, geschichtliche Darstellung der lehren Jesu und des Urchristenthums nach den neutestamentlichen Quellen'', a book that was later translated into English and published as "New Testament theology; or, Historical account of the teaching of Jesus and of primitive Christianity according to the New Testament sources" (translation by Rev. Neil Buchanan; 1895). The following are a few of his many other writings: * ''Die Christologie des Neuen Testaments : ein biblisch-theologischer Versuch'', 1866 –

Christology In Christianity, Christology (from the Ancient Greek, Greek grc, Χριστός, Khristós, label=none and grc, wiktionary:-λογία, -λογία, wiktionary:-logia, -logia, label=none), translated literally from Greek as "the study of Chr ...

of the New Testament. * ''Godofred, ein Märchen fürs deutsche Haus'', 1890 – Godofred. A fairytale for German households. * ''Das Leben Jesu'', 1887 – The life of Jesus. * ''Bischof D. Reinkens und der deutsche Altkatholizismus'', 1896 – Bishop

Joseph Hubert Reinkens Joseph Hubert Reinkens (March 1, 1821 – January 4, 1896) was the first German Old Catholic bishop. Biography He was born at Burtscheid (now part of Aachen) in the Rhine Province, the son of a gardener. In 1836, on the death of his mother, he to ...

and German

Old Catholicism The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches or Old Catholic movement designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the undivide ...

. * ''Deutschland im Laufe des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts'', 1900 – Germany during the nineteenth century.Catalog HathiTrust
published works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beyschlag, Willibald 1823 births 1900 deaths German Lutheran theologians Members of the Prussian House of Lords Clergy from Frankfurt Humboldt University of Berlin alumni University of Bonn alumni Academic staff of the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg 19th-century German Protestant theologians 19th-century German male writers 19th-century German writers German male non-fiction writers 19th-century Lutherans