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Brief biographies of the individuals whose names adorn the Kristine Kay Hasse Memorial Library

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Georg Rhau

Rhau

1488-1548
German
The official printer of the Reformation movement; he published many of Luther's books and tracts. An outstanding musician and composer, he also published books on musical history. (See Wiki)



 

Robert Barnes

Barnes

1495-1540
English
Writer, churchman, martyr. Barnes began his career in the Church of England, but in 1535 was sent to Wittenberg where he embraced Lutheran doctrine from Luther, Melanchthon, and others. At first in favor with Henry VIII, he later was martyred for his Lutheran faith. (See Wiki)

 

Philipp Jakob Spener

Spener

1635-1705
German
Father of Lutheran Pietism. His Pia Desideria (1675) described the deplorable conditions in the church and offered proposals for improvement, giving Pietism its platform. (See Wiki)


 

Johann Georg Walch

Walch

1693-1775
German
Professor, author, editor, and publisher, he edited Luther's Works (Latin translated into German), which served as the basis for the St. Louis edition. (See Wiki)



 

Carl Paul Caspari

Caspari

1815-1872
Norwegian
Professor, theologian, author, he was active in the revision of the Norwegian translation of the Bible. With G. Johnson, he founded Theologisk Tidskrift for den evangelisk-lutherske kirke i Norge (1857). (See Wiki)
 

Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther

Walther

Theologian, preacher, administrator, professor, editor, author, Walther served as the first president of the Missouri Synod and of Concordia Seminary St. Louis. An outstanding Lutheran theologian, he was a leading influence in the organization of the Missouri Synod and in combating a Reformed-influenced strain of Lutheranism peculiar to America. Founder and editor of Der Lutheraner and Lehre und Wehre, and author of several influential works -- including the Altenberg Theses, he argued for the autonomy of American Lutheran congregations from sister churches in Europe and effectively established modern congregational polity. (See Wiki)

Friedrich Lochner

Lochner

1822-1902
American
Pastor, theologian and authority on liturgics, he was one fo the founders of the Teachers' Seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1855 which later moved to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, then to Addison, Illinois, and now in River Forest, Illinois (Concordia University Chicago).

 

Olavus Petri

1473-1552
Swedish
The theologian of the Swedish Reformation. He translated the New Testament into Swedish (1526). With his doctrinal, liturgical, polemical, and homiletical writings, he gave the clergy a statement of faith, which established the Swedish Church as Lutheran for centuries. (See Wiki)


 

Martin Chemnitz

Chemnitz

1522-1573
German
The most learned theologian of his day, it is often stated that had "Second Martin" not come, "First Martin" (Luther) would have been lost to the ages. He played a leading role in the compilation of the Book of Concord, and is best known for his monumental, four-volume response to the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation: Examination of the Council of Trent (1565-1573). (See Wiki)

Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff

Seckendorff

1626-1692
German
Outstanding Lutheran historian and statesman known chiefly for his Commentarius Historicus et Apologeticus de Lutheranismo (1692), refuting the Jesuit L. Maimbourg's decidedly prejudiced History of Lutheranism. (See Wiki)

 

Josef Miloslav Hurban

Hurban

1817-1888
Slovak
Theologian, editor, author, he staunchly defended  Lutheranism against efforts toward church union with the Hungarian Reformed Church. His treatise Unia (1846) summarized the position of Lutheran confessionalism. He founded the periodical Cirkevni Listy which became a point of focus for the Slovak Lutheran Church and for Slovak nationalism. (See Wiki)

Franz Delitzsch

Delitzsch

1813-1890
German
Professor, theologian, exegete, he was initially associated with the founders of the Missouri Synod; later he was influenced somewhat by modern 'scientific' theology. He wrote numerous commentaries on Old Testament books and translated the New Testament into Hebrew (1877). (See Wiki)

J. Michael Reu

Reu

1869-1943
German; American
Theologian, professor, editor, he served as Professor of Theology at Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa; editor of Kirchliche Zeitschrift; author of Katechetik (1915, translated to English 1918), Christliche Ethik (1914), and Homiletics: A Manual of the Theory and Practice of Preaching (1922). (See Wiki)


 

Heinrich Melchior Muehlenberg

Muehlenberg

1711-1787
German; American
Patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America, he succeeded in establishing well-organized churches in eastern Pennsylvania through preaching and faithful pastoral and missionary work,. With the arrival of assistants, his work extended into other parts of that commonwealth, as well as New Jersey, New York, and Georgia. He organized the Pennsylvania Ministerium, the first Lutheran synod in America, in 1748. (See Wiki)

Martin Luther

Luther

1483-1546
German
The premier writer, thinker, systematician, theologian, hymnwriter, leader, and pastor in the Reformation that today bears his name. His copious writings were first compiled in the Wittenberg edition (1539-58) and soon followed with the Jena edition (1555-58). The Weimar edition, begun in 1883, is the definitive and critical edition in use today. The American edition is the most complete and referenced English translation of his works. (See Wiki)

Johann Albrecht Bengel

1687-1752
German
Foremost theologian of the post-Reformation period. He published an edition of the New Testament with a critical apparatus based on a careful study of the text in various manuscripts (1734). (See Wiki)


 

Bartholomäeus Ziegenbalg

Ziegenbalg

1683-1719
German
As the first German missionary to India, he translated the New Testament and a portion of the Old Testament into Tamil.  This translation, later completed with assistance of others and published in 1728, was the first into one of the languages of India. (See Wiki)
 

Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe

Loehe

1808-1872
German
Theologian, philanthropist, administrator, author, and authority on liturgy, he directed a the establishment of a seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana which was later turned over to the Missouri Synod. Loehe was the founder of the Iowa Synod as well as an author of devotional and homiletic literature. (See Wiki)

 

Werner Elert

Elert

1885-1945
German
Pastor, professor, theologian, author, he was active in ecumenical movements, particularly among Lutheran communions. His work would lay the foundations for the Lutheran World Federation. (See Wiki)
 

The Henkels

The Henkels

German; American
This family of Lutheran missionaries, pastors, educators, authors, editors and printers descended from Anthony Jacob Henkel (1663-1728), great-grandfather of Paul Henkel (1754-1825). Paul was the greatest home missionary in the early part of the 19th century. He established a print shop in New Market, Virginia, later known as The Henkel Press (precursor to Fortress Press). Paul, his sons, and several grandsons wronte and published many Lutheran pamphlets and books in German and often translated into English, including the Book of Concord​ in 1851.


Kristine Kay Hasse Memorial Library • 801 Seminary Place • St. Louis, MO 63105
Founded by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
circulation desk: 314-505-7030
librarycirc@csl.edu

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