- Heinrich Paulus
Infobox Person
name = Heinrich Paulus
caption = Heinrich Paulus.
birth_date = birth date|1761|9|1|df=y
birth_place =Leonberg , Württemberg
dead=dead
death_date = death date and age|1851|8|10|1761|9|1|df=y
death_place =Heidelberg , BadenHeinrich Eberhard Gottlob Paulus (
1 September 1761 –10 August 1851 ) was a German theologian and critic of theChristian bible . He is known as a rationalist who offered natural explanations for the biblicalmiracles of Jesus .Paulus was a professor of theology and oriental languages at the
University of Jena (1789-1803), then professor at theUniversity of Würzburg (1803-1807). He spent time inBamberg ,Nürnberg andAnsbach before becoming professor of exegesis and church history at theUniversity of Heidelberg (1811-44), where he was instrumental in hiringHegel in 1816. His theological rationalism greatly influenced Hegel's own theology.As a
Lutheran in theAge of Enlightenment , he firmly believed in the autonomy of the individual and freedom of the individual (through reason) from the dogma of the church.Charges of
anti-semitism have been levelled at Paulus for his advocacy of assimilation of Jewish people into German culture. In his published pamphlet "The Jewish National Separation: Its Origin, Consequences, and the Means of its Correction." he argued that "Jews were a nation apart, and would remain so as long as they were committed to their religion, whose basic intent and purpose were to preserve them in that condition. In a country that was not their own, therefore, Jews could not claim more than the bare protection of their lives and possessions. They might certainly not claim political equality." [http://pnews.org/art/1art/MOSEShess.shtml]Published works
*1802, "Philologisch-kritischer und historischer Kommentar über das neue Testament" (Philological criticism and historical commentary on the New Testament)
*1828, "Das Leben Jesu als Grundlage einer reinen Geschichte des Urchristentums" (The life of Jesus as the basis of a purely historical account of early Christianity; 2 vols.)ee also
*
Deism
*David Friedrich Strauss
*Swoon hypothesis ("Scheintod" (apparent death) in Paulus' words)External links
* [http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/referate/theologie/skkhepau.html List of works by and about Paulus] (in German)
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