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1908), during this period making important excavations in Palestine; and since 1908 professor at Rostock in Old-Testament exegesis. He has written Beitrdge zur israelitisch-judischen Religionsgeschichte (2 vols., Leipsic, 1896-97); Serubbabel, ein Beitrag zvr Geschichte der messianischen Erwartung and der Entstehung des Judentums (1898); Studien zur Entstehungsgeschichte der judischen Gemeinde nach derv babylonischen Exil (2 vols., 1900); Tell-Ta'dnek. Bericht fiber meine Ausgrabungen in Paldstina (1904); Die alttestamentliche Religion im Rahmen der anderen altorientalischen (1908); Das Rdtsel des deuterojesajanischen Buches (1908) ; Die israelitischjiidische Heilandserwartung (in Biblische Zeit- and Streitfragen; Gross-Lichterfelde, 1909); and Altes Testament (Leipsic, 1909).

SELNECKER, NIKOLAUS: German Lutheran theologian, hymnist, and collaborator on the Formula of Concord; b. at Hersbruck (17 m. e.n.e. of Nuremberg) Dee 5. (or 6), 1530; d. at Leipsic May 24, 1592. He early manifested marked musical talent, but it was only after completing his course in law at the University of Wittenberg (1550-54) that he turned to the study of theology, mainly under the influence of Melanchthon, whose distinctly irenic type of theology he adopted. After lecturing for a time on philology, philosophy, and theology, he was recommended by MeIanchthon, in 1557, as third court chaplain to Elector August of Saxony, and in Jan., 1558, he accordingly removed to Dresden. A year later he also took charge of the training of the choir in the court chapel, and for four years he was, in addition, tutor of the heirapparent, Alexander (d. 1565). During this Dresden period he published exegeses of the Psalms, Wisdom of Solomon, and I John, as well as Catalogus prcecipuorum conciliorum wcumenicorum et nationalium a tempore apostolorum usque ad nostram cstatem (2 parts, Frankfort, 1571) and such dogmatic and practical works as his Libellus brevis et utilis de cmw Domini (Leipsic, 1561) and Pwd4Wogia Christiana (Frankfort, 1565). Meanwhile Melanchthon had died, and Selnecker came under the far from irenic influence of his father-in-law, Daniel Greiser, thus being transformed into a bitter polemist. The opponents whom he now created seized as a pretext his severe criticism, in one of his sermons, of the elector's inordinate fondness for hunting, and in 1564 Selnecker left Dresden. In the following year he accepted a call to Jena, but two years later he and his Philippistic colleagues (see PmmrrisTs) were expelled from the country on the accession of Duke John William. He now turned to his former patron, Elector August, who appointed him, in 1568, professor in Leipsic, and also pastor of the Thomaskirche and superintendent. In 1570, securing from the elector leave of absence for two years, he accepted a call to Wolfenbattel as court chaplain, ecclesiastical councilor, and supreme superintendent-general. Here, however, he became involved in most rancorous theological discord, accused by the Philippists of being an apostate to Flacianism, and by the Gnesio-Lutherans of being a friend of the despised Wittenberg theologians. Escape seemed impossible, and his only solace was

in writing, this period, while he was residing at Ganderaheim, witnessing the composition of his Institutao religionis Christiance (Frankfort, 1572). In the summer of 1573 he worked for a few months at Oldenburg, where he sought to introduce a Lutheran church order, and was then recalled to his Leipsic professorship, resuming his superintendency and pastorate at the Thomaskirche in 1576.

This second Leipsic period was the most important, theologically, in the career of Selnecker, who found a task distinctly congenial to his irenic type of mind in the furtherance of the Formula of Concord (q.v.), even while becoming utterly estranged from his former friend Jakob Andrea (q.v.), who was bruskly dismissed from office by the elector. Selnecker's own time was, however, at hand. As long as August lived, his prot6g6 was busily engaged in writing, making visitations of churches and schools, and in pastoral work, but with the accession of Christian I. in 1586 Philippism revived, and the second Crypto-Calvinistic controversy broke out. In 1589, unable conscientiously to refrain from criticizing Calvinism, Selnecker was suspended from office, although he still resided for a time at Leipsic. Within a few months, however, he fled, first to Halle and then to Magdeburg, and later secured the position of superintendent at Hildesheim. Late in 1591, on the sudden death of Christian, Selnecker was one of those invited to return to Leipsic and resume office. Despite serious illness, he accepted the call, but died almost immediately after his arrival.

The list of Selnecker's writings includes about 170 items, but of the collected edition which he planned, only four parts of his Latin works appeared (Leipsic, 1584-93). His writings are, in content, dogmatic and polemic, exegetic, historical, and devotional. The chief of these, apart from those already noted, are Relationes aliquot: De consilio scripti Libri Concorditv; De persona Christi et cans Domini; De autoritate et sententia Confessionis Augustanw; De autoritate Lutheri et Philippi; De controversis nonnullis articulis (Leipsic, 1581) and Historic von der Augsburgischen Konfession (1584).

BIBLIOGRAPHY: F. Dibelius, in Beitrdge zur sdchaischen Kirchengeschichte, part 4, 1888; Buchwald, in Umere

Kirchenliederdichter, iv (1905); G. J. Planck, (3eschichte des protedantischen Lehrbepriffs, vol. v., 6 vols., Leipeie,