ERBKAM, erb'kam, WILHELM HEINRICH: Councilor of the consiatory and professor of theology at Königsberg, Prussia; b. at Glogau (35 m. n.n.w. of Liegnitz), Silesia, July 8, 1810; d. at Königsberg Jan. 9, 1884. He studied at Bonn, where he was chiefly influenced by Nitzsch and Bleek, and at Berlin where he was still more strongly and decisively influenced by Schleier macher, with whom he was fortunate enough to come into close personal contact. Under Nean der's guidance he devoted himself to the study of church history, and Marheineke introduced him to a closer study of systematic theology. In 1834 he went to the theological seminary at Wittenberg, where he made further progress in practical theology under the guidance of Rothe, at that time, director of the seminary. Rothe guided his theo logical activity by directing his attention espe cially to Protestant mysticism and the sects proceeding from it. In 1838 Erbkam established himself as privet-docent in theology at Berlin, where he finally became professor and remained ten years, lecturing at first chiefly on the history of dogma and later on church history and systematic dis ciplines. During these years he was active also in the practical life of the Church, especially in preaching. He defended the full and whole truth of the revelation of the Gospel against the ratiop al istic unbelief and the half-believing theology of the Friends of Light (see Free Congregations In Germany, § 1), who about 1840 protested against faithfulness to the Bible and the confession in the church as orthodox darkness, and attacked especially the Evdngelische KirchPnzeitung and its editor, E. W. Hengstenberg. In 1847 Er kam followed a call to Königsberg, where he taug t church history and history of dogma, and beequently exegesis, dogmatics, ethics, and bolics. In 1857 he became councilor of the co 'tory of Königsberg and was also chosen rep ntative of the theo logical faculty at the general synods of 1875 and
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ERDMANN, CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH DAVID
German Protestant; b. at Güstebiese, near Königsberg, July 28, 1821; d. at Dresden Mar. 11, 1905. He studied in Berlin (1843-1847), and in 1853 became privet-docent in theology there. In 1856 he went to Königsberg as professor of theology, and in ?864, to Breslau as general superintendent for Silesia, being at the same time honorary professor at the University of Breslau. He retired from active life in 1900. He wrote Leben and Leiden der ersten Christen (Berlin, 1854); Prima Joannis epistoka argurnentum, nexus et eonsilium (1855); Die Reformation und ihre Märtyrer in Italien, (1855); Der Brief des Jakobus erklärt (1881); Luther und die Hohenzollern (Breslau, 1883); and Luther und seine Beziehungen zu Schlesien, insbesondere zu Breslau (Halle, 1887). He likewise contributed the section on the books of Samuel to J. P. Lange's Theologisch-homiletisches Bibelwerk (Bielefeld, 1873; Eng. transl. by C. H. Toy and J. A. Broadus, New York, 1877).
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