Friedrich Spitta

Friedrich Spitta (January 11, 1852 - June 7, 1924), German Protestant theologian, was born at Wittingen.

Friedrich studied at Göttingen and Erlangen, and in course of time became (1887) professor ordinarius and university preacher at Saint Thomas Church in Strasbourg. In 1896 he became joint-editor with Julius Smend of the "Monatschrift für Gottesdienst und kirchliche Kunst", and he is widely known as the author of a work on the Acts of the Apostles ("Die Apostelgeschichte, ihre Quellen and deren geschichtlicher Wert" (1891)).

His other works include:
*"Der Knabe Jesus, eine biblische Geschichte and ihre apokryphischen Entstellungen" (1883)
*"Die Offenbarung des Johannes" (1889)
*"Zur Reform des evang. Kultus" (1891)
*"Zur Geschichte and Litteratur des Urchristentums" (3 vols, 1893-1901).

His father, Karl Johann Philipp Spitta (August 1, 1801 – September 28, 1859), was a Protestant but among his ancestors was famous Jewish diarist Gluckel of Hameln. He was born in Hanover, and is well known as a distinguished Protestant hymn-writer (see "Lyra domestica", 1st series, London, 1860; 2nd series, 1864). He was superintendent at Burgdorf. (Bernt Engelmann,"Germany without Jews". Translated from German by D.J. Beer, New York: Bantam Books, 1984, p. 27.)

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