WASSERSCHLEBEN, vds'er-stile"ben, FRIEDRICH WILHELM HERMANN: German statesman and theologian; b. at Liegnitz (40 m. w.n.w. of Breslau) Apr. 22, 1812; d. at Giessen June 28, 1893. He studied at the universities of Breslau and Berlin; began to lecture at Berlin in 1838; became extraordinary professor at Breslau, 1850, and in 1850 ordinary professor at Halle, in both cases in the faculty of law; he removed to Giessen as professor in law in 1852, where he was rector in 1870-71 and chancellor, 1875-84. During life he held a State office, and so avoided unnecessary participation in political affairs, being on the commission which had supervision of the Hessian State Church. As a member of the national synod his voice had weight because of his researches into ecclesiastical law. His literary work commenced early. He published Beiträge zur Geschichte der vorgratianischen Kirchenrechtsquellen (Leipsic, 1839); Reginonis obbatis Prumiensis libri duo de synodalibus eausis et disciplinis ecclesiasticis (1840); two works on PseudoIsidore (Breslau,. 1841-44); the comprehensive Die Beichtordnungen der abendlandischen Kirche nebst einer rechtsgeschichtlichen Einleitung (Halle, 1851); issued an edition of the Irish canons (Giessen, 1874); and besides these a host of smaller brochures dealing with various phases of church history and law. He was an advocate of entire freedom of the Church from the State (cf. his Die Paritat der Konfessiorten im Staate, 1871, and his Bemerkungen zu dem offiziellen Entwurf einer Verfassung der evangelischen Kirche des Crrossherzogtums Hessen, also 1871); while he entered into discussion of the relation of the State to marriage and divorce. Among other works of Wasserschleben, showing the extent of the interests which absorbed his attention, are: Des Prirtzip der Successionsardnung each deutschem, insbt!sondere skchsischem Rechte (Gotha, 1860); Des Prirtzip der Erbenfolge mach den alteren deutschen and verwandten Rechtert (Leipsic, 1870); and a collection of sources for German law in Sammlung deutscher Reehtsquellen (Giessen, 1860 sqq.).

(A. B. Schmidt.)

Bibliography: J. F, von Schulte, Geschichte der Quellen . des canonischen Rechts, iii. 2 and 3, p. 247; A. Schmidt, in Ludoviciana, pp. 71 sqq., Giessen, 1907; ADB, sli. 238.

WATER OF JEALOUSY. See Ordeal, § 7.