Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette

W. M. L. de WetteWilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette (12 January 1780 – 16 June 1849) was a German Lutheran theologian and biblical scholar.

Life and education Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette was born on 12 January 1780 in Ulla (now part of the municipality of Nohra), Saxe-Weimar, where his father was a pastor.

Studies In his 1805 doctoral dissertation, de Wette proposed that the "book of law" discovered in the temple by the priest Hilkiah as described in 2 Kings 22 was the Book of Deuteronomy. The suggestion has been described by Julius Wellhausen as "the epoch-making opener of the historical criticism of the Pentateuch" which prepared the way for the supplementary hypothesis. But he also made valuable contributions to other branches of theology. He had, moreover, considerable poetic faculty, and wrote a drama in three acts, entitled Die Entsagung (Berlin, 1823). He had an intelligent interest in art, and studied ecclesiastical music and architecture. As a Biblical critic he was sometimes classed with the "destructive school" (an older polemical label used by some 19th-century writers for strands of German rationalist theology) but, as Otto Pfleiderer says (Development of Theology), he "occupied as free a position as the Rationalists with regard to the literal authority of the creeds of the church, but that he sought to give their due value to the religious feelings, which the Rationalists had not done, and, with a more unfettered mind towards history, to maintain the connection of the present life of the church with the past." His works are marked by exegetical skill, unusual power of condensation and uniform fairness. Accordingly, they possess value that is little affected by the progress of criticism.

Death De Wette died in Basel on 16 June 1849.

Selected works His most important works are: Beiträge zur Einleitung in das Alte Testament (Contributions to the Introduction of the Old Testament. 2 vols, 1806–1807). Kommentar über die Psalmen (Commentary on the Psalms. 1811), which has passed through several editions. Lehrbuch der hebräisch-jüdischen Archäologie (Textbook of Hebrew-Jewish Archaeology. 1814). Über Religion und Theologie (On Religion and Theology. 1815); a work showing its author's general theological positions. Lehrbuch der christlichen Dogmatik (Textbook of Christian Dogmatics. 1813-1816). Lehrbuch der historisch-kritischen Einleitung in die Bibel (Textbook of the Historical-Critical Introduction to the Bible. 1817). Christliche Sittenlehre (Christian Moral Teaching. 1819–1821). Einleitung in das Neue Testament (Introduction to the New Testament. 1826). Religion, ihr Wesen, ihre Erscheinungsform, und ihr Einfluss auf das Leben (Religion, its nature, its appearance, and its influence on life. 1827). Das Wesen des christlichen Glaubens (The Essence of the Christian Faith. 1846). Kurzgefasstes exegetisches Handbuch zum Neuen Testament (Concise Exegetical Handbook on the New Testament. 1836–1848).

De Wette also edited Luther's works (5 vols., 1825–1828).

Selected works online

i.e. Letters, Open Letters, and considerations, ed. by De Wette-Seidemann

From Google Books: Dr. Martin Luthers Briefe, Sendschreiben und Bedenken: vollständig aus den verschiedenen Ausgaben seiner Werke und Briefe, aus andern Büchern und noch unbenutzten Handschriften gesammelt, kritisch und historisch bearbeitet, 5 vols., Berlin: Georg reimer, vol. 6, ed. by Johann Karl Seidemann - German (Fraktur) and Latin. Reviewed here (July 1845), books.google.com vol. 1, Erster Theil, 1825 vol. 2, Zwenter Theil, 1826 vol. 3, Dritter Theil, 1827 vol. 4, Vierter Theil, 1827 vol. 5, Fünfter Theil, 1828 vol. 6, Sechster Theil, 1856 Lehrbuch der historisch-kritischen Einleitung in die Bibel Alten und Neuen Testamentes, Erster Theil, Berlin: Georg Reimer, 1852 Commentar über die Psalmen nebst beigefügter Übersetzung, fünfte auflage, herausgegeben von Dr. Gustav Baur, Professor der Theologie an der Universität Giessen, Akademische Verlagshandlung, Heidelberg, 1811, 1856, which passed through several editions, and was long regarded as of high authority. An Historico-Critical Introduction to the Canonical Books of the New Testament, Frederick Frothingham, tr., Boston: Crosby, Nichols and Company, 1858 Lehrbuch der hebräisch-jüdischen Archäologie nebst einem Grundrisse der hebräisch-jüdischen Geschichte, 4th edition, Leipzig: F.C.W. Vogel, 1864 Christliche Sittenlehre , Berlin, 1819