Burger, Karl Heinrich August von

BURGER, KARL HEINRICH AUGUST VON: German theologian; b. at Baireuth (126 m. n. of Munich) May 1, 1805; d. at Schönau (a village near Berchtesgaden, 12 m. s. of Salzburg) July 14, 1885. He studied theology and philology at the University of Erlangen (1823–27), and in 1827 was appointed teacher at the gymnasium there. Eleven years later be became curate at Fürth near Nuremberg, and in 1846 he was transferred in the same capacity to Munich, where he was appointed dean in 1849 and councilor of the high consistory in 1855, holding this office until his resignation in 1883. Under the guidance of his father-in-law, Johann Christian Krafft, of Erlangen, he gained a thorough knowledge of the Bible which was evinced by his Die Briefe Pauli an die Korinther (2 vols., Erlangen, 1859–60); Die Evangelien nach Matthæus, Marcus und Lucas (Nördlingen, 1865); Das Evangelium nach Johannes (1868); and Die Offenbarung St. Johannis (Munich, 1877). Interpreting the Bible by the Bible, he sought to render his work available for the educated laity, while clergymen also find it valuable in the preparation of sermons. His interpretation of Revelation has met with special favor in Württemberg. While his sermons were not couched in popular style, and while they demanded close attention on account of their logic and depth, they appealed effectually to serious auditors, and two collections of them were published, Predigten in der protestantischen Stadtpfarrkirche zu München gehalten (Erlangen, 1857) and Predigten für alle Sonn- und Festtage des Kirchenjahres (2 vols., Nördlingen, 1864). As a member of the high consistory, Burger aided the Bavarian Church to surmount rationalism and to become a true evangelical Lutheran body, and his task was facilitated by his thorough knowledge of philosophy, history, and theology, as well as by his tact and discretion. Despite his reserved and quiet nature, which shunned all publicity, he enjoyed the deep esteem and gratitude of the clergy and their congregations, as well as the confidence of the three kings of Bavaria under whom he served, Louis I., Maximilian II., and Louis II.

Karl Burger†.