Thiersch, He in rich Wilhelm Josias

D.D., Irvingite; b. in Munich, Bavaria, Nov. 5, 1817; d. at Basel, Dec. 3, 1885. He studied philology at Munich, chiefly with his father, an eminent Greek scholar; and theology at Erlangen and Tubingen; became privat-docent at Erlangen, 1839; profe or of theology at Marburg, 1843; resigned in 1850, in order to labor in the interest of the "Catholic Apostolic Church," which then began to be organized in Germany by "Evangelists" from England. He had charge of a small Irvingite congregation at Augsburg, and afterwards at Basel. He was connected by marriage with the Zeller family of Beuggen, and with Bishop Gobat of Jerusalem, who married a sister of his wife. Dr. Thiersch was a man of sincere and profound piety, of rare cla ical, theological, and general culture, an enthusiastic teacher, and might have become the succe or of Neander in Berlin; but, in obedience to what he believed to be a divine call, he sacrificed a brilliant academic career to his religious convictions. He lived in poverty and isolation. He was lame; but had a very striking, highly intellectual and spiritual countenance, and an impre ive voice and man- \ ner. He was the most distinguished German convert to Irvingism. He sincerely believed that the Lord had restored the offices and gifts of the Apostolic Church in the Irvingite community; and, notwithstanding the apparent failure of the movement, he adhered to it till his death. His chief writings are, Versuch zur Hers tel lung des hist or is chen Standpunkts fur die Kritik der neutestamentlichen Schriften, Erlangen, 1845 (a very able book against the Tubingen school of Baur, who answered in Der Kritiker und der Fandtiker, in der Person des Herrn He in rich W. J. Thiersch. Zur Charakteristik der neuesten Theologie, Stuttgart, 1846); Vorlesungen uber Katholicismvs und Protestant is mus, Erlangen, 1846, 2 vols, (very able, written in an irenic spirit, and in elegant style); Die Kirche im apos to lis chen Zeitalter, Frankfurt-am- Main, 1852, 3d ed. 1879 (English trans, by Carlyle the Irvingite, London, 1852); Ueber christ liches Familienleben, 1854, 7th ed. 1877; Dollinger's Auffu ung des Urchristenthums be leuch tet, 1861; Die Gleichni e Chrisli, Frankfurt-am-Main, 1867, 2d ed. 1875; Die Bergpredigt Christ i, Basel, 1867, 2d ed., Augsburg, 1878;' Die Strafgeselze in Bayern zum Schutz der Sittlichkeit, 1868; Luther, Gusiav Adolf und Max 1. von Bayern, Nordlingen, 1868; Das Verbot der Ehe innerhalb der nahen Ver wan dts chaft nach der heiligen Schrift und nach den Grund sat zen der christ lichen Kirche, 1869; Die Genesis, Basel, 1869 (English trans., The Book of Genesis, London, 1878); Ueber den christ lichen Staat, 1875; Christian He in rich Zeller's Leben, Basel, 1876, 2 vols.; Die Anfcmge der heiligen Geschichte, nach dem 1. Buche Mosis betrachtet, 1877; Ueber die Gefahren und die Hoffnungen der christ lichen Kirche, 1877, 2d ed. 1878; Blicke in die Lebensgeschichte des Propheten Daniel, 1884; In be griff der christ lichen Lehre, 1886 (his last work, which was published after his death, and contains a manual of Christian doctrine and Christian life which he used in his catechetical instruction). PHILIP SCHAFF.