Breithaupt, Joachim Justus

BREITHAUPT, brɑit´haupt, JOACHIM JUSTUS: First professor of theology at Halle; b. at Nordheim (12 m. n. of Göttingen ), Hanover, Feb. 1658; d. at the monastery of Berge (Kloster Bergen, s. of Magdeburg; the site is now a public park) Mar. 16, 1732. He studied at Helmstädt, became corector in Wolfenbüttel in 1680, and went thence to Kiel, where he continued theological studies under Christian Kortholt and became privat-docent. Then he lived for some time in Frankfort and came completely under Spener's influence. He returned to Kiel as professor of homiletics; became court preacher at Meiningen in 1685, went to Erfurt in 1687 as preacher at the Dominican Church and became professor of theology in the university. His Pietistic tendencies aroused much opposition, and in 1691 he removed to Halle, where with August Hermann Francke and Paul Aston he gave the theological study of the new university its peculiar character and direction. In 1705 he added to his other duties those of superintendent of the duchy of Magdeburg and in 1709 was made abbot at the monastery of Berge (then transformed into a school). He was a man of much faith, prayerful, and took a deep interest in poor students. Besides minor writings, he published Institutiones theologicæ (2 vols., Halle, 1694; 2d enlarged ed., 1723; vol. iii, Institutiones theologiæ moralis, 1732); Theses credendorum et agendorum fundamentales (1700). He was not without poetic talent and published a collection of Poemata miscellanea (Magdeburg, 1720). Some of his hymns are still found in the German hymn-books.

(Georg Müller.)

Bibliography: The Memorial, ed. G. A. Francke, Halle, 1736, contains the Lebensbeschreibung by C. P. Leporin and Baumgartens Memoria incomparabilis theologi J. J. Breithaupt. Consult also A. Ritschl, Geschichte des Pietismus, iii, 385 et passim, Bonn, 1884; Julian, Hymnology, pp. 169–170; W. Schrader, Geschichte der Friedrichs-Universität zu Halle, vol. i, passim, Halle, 1894; ADB, iii, 291.