Rettberg, Friedrich Wilhelm

RETTBERG, ret´bārH, FRIEDRICH WILHELM: German Lutheran; b. at Celle (22 m. n.n.e. of Hanover) Aug. 21, 1805; d. at Marburg Apr. 7, 1849. He was educated at the University of Göttingen (1824–27; Ph.D., 1829), and after teaching at the gymnasium of his native city from 1827–30 went to Göttingen as lecturer in theology, where he was associate professor (1834–38), and assistant pastor at the Jakobikirche after 1833. In 1838 he was called to Marburg as full professor of theology and retained this position until his death. His most important writings are those on church history, beginning with a monograph on the life and work of Cyprian (Göttingen, 1831), and continuing with a volume treating of the papal history of the thirteenth century to carry on J. E. C. Schmidt's Handbuch der christlichen Kirchengeschichte (Giessen, 1834). Rettberg's chief work, however, was his Kirchengeschichte Deutschlands (2 vols., Göttingen, 1846–48), extending from the earliest period to the death of Charlemagne. He was also the author of an apologetic monograph Ueber die Heilslehren des Christentums nach den Grundsätzen der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche (Leipsic, 1838), and of the posthumous Religionsphilosophie (Marburg, 1850).

(J. A. Wagenmann†.)

Bibliography: The funeral sermon by E. Henke contains an account of Rettberg's writings and services to the University of Marburg, and the same writer wrote the necrolog in Kasselsche Zeitung, no. 15, 1849, and issued an appreciation in Latin, Marburg, 1849. Consult also O. Gerland, Hessische Gelehrten-, Schriftsteller- und Künstler-Geschichte, i. 108 sqq., Cassel, 1883.