HOFMANN, JOHANN CHRISTIAN KONRAD:

German Protestant; b. at Nuremberg Dec. 21, 1810; d. at Erlangen Dec. 20, 1877. He was educated at the universities of Erlangen (1827-29) and Berlin (1829-32), devoting himself chiefly to theology and history. After teaching several years at the gymnasium in Erlangen, he became repetent in the theological faculty of the university, where he first became entirely absorbed in the study of the Bible and where the questions to which he devoted the beat part of his life began to occupy him. These were especially the doctrine concerning the inspiration of the Bible, prophecy, and fulfilment. In 1838 he established himself as privet-docent, at the same time keeping his position at the gymnasium. In 1841 he was appointed professor at the university; the following year he accepted a call to Rostock. Although the number of his hearers was here considerably smaller, a new field of activity opened itself-in union with Kliefoth, Karsten, and Wichern, he labored zealously in the field of home missions. He remained at Rostock until 1845, when he was recalled to Erlangen, and it was chiefly through his proficiency and his working in harmony with his colleagues that a new period of prosperity for the university dated from this time. His interest in missions increased in the land of his birth; he became committee member of different missionary societies and member of the General Synod of Bavaria, and took part in the editorship of the Zeit schrift für Protestantismus and Kirche. He was also interested in political affairs, and represented ErIangen and Fürth at several sessions of the Bavarian parliament. But he did not lose eight of the main purpose of his life, his career as professor and writer. He lectured on a great number of books in the New Testament, on hermeneutics, propsedeutica, and ethics, the secret of his success lying in the fact that he confined himself in a consistent, clear, and precise manner to the subject-matter and pretended to be nothing but an interpreter of Scripture.

Among Hofmann's first publications were two historical works--Geschichte des Aufruhrs in den .Sevennen (Nördlingen, 1837) and Tl'eltgeschichte für Gymntcsien (1839; 2d ed., 1843). His first effort in theology was Die siebenzig Jahre des Jeremiaa

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und die siebenztg Jahrwochen des Daniel (Nurem berg, 1836). The seventy weeks of Daniel he counts in the order 62+1+7; the 62 extend from 605 to 171 B.C.; the single week, from 171 to 164 B.C.; the other seven mark the intervening period before Christ's coming. In his Weissagung and Erfullung im Alten und NeuenTestament (2 parts, Nördlingen, 1841-44) he brought prophecy into closest connec tion with history, and treated it as an organic whole. History itself is prophecy; and each period contains the germ of the future, and prefigures it. The entire Scriptural history is a prophecy of the final and eternal relation between God and man. The incar nation marks the beginning of the essential fulfil ment; for Christ is the new man, the antitype of the old; but it marks only the beginning of this fulfilment; for the head is only the realization of the intended perfect communion with God, when it is joined with the body of believers. Prophecy in the Old Testament becomes ever richer ,and richer in its forms, but points only to one goal-the God man. He is then, in turn, the starting-point for new prophecy and hope; his appearance being the prefigurement of the final glorification of the church of believers. The permanent worth of this work consists in the proof that the Old and New Testa ments are parts of a single history of salvation; dis playing the gradual realization of redemption for the race. Hofmann's second great work, Der Schriftheweis (3 parts, Nördlingen, 1852-56; 2d ed., 2 vols., 1857-60), is an attempt to prove the authen ticity and divine origin of Christianity from its records by using the Biblical record as one organic whole. He started from the idea that, to understand Christianity, it was necessary only to develop the simple fact that makes men Christians, or the com munion of God with man mediated by Christ. He starts with the new birth, and with him all is his torical. The work aroused opposition. The author had denied the doctrine of vicarious atonement, and the charge of denying the atonement altogether was made against him. To this he replied in Schutz schriften (5 parts, 1856-59). His other works were Die heiligen Schriften des Neuen Testaments (9 parts, 186281); Theologische Ethik (1878); Eneykloptidie der Theologie (Nördlingen, 1879); Biblische Herme neutik (1880).

(A. Hauck.)

Bibliography: W. Volck, Erinnerungen an J. C. K. von Hofmann, Erlangen, 1878; A. F. C. Gran, A. P. C. Vil mar . . . and J. C. K. von Hofmann, Gütersloh, 1879; H. Schmid, Vermischte Auisdsze von Prof. von Hofmann, Er langen, 1878; W. Volek, Theologische Briefe der Prof Delitzsch and won Hotmann, Leipsic, 1891.