Friedrich Spitta

Friedrich Spitta (11 January 1852 - 7 June 1924), German Protestant theologian, was born at Wittingen, Lower Saxony.

Friedrich studied at Göttingen and Erlangen, and in course of time became (1887) professor ordinarius and university preacher at Saint Thomas Church in Strasbourg. In 1896 he became joint-editor with Julius Smend of the Monatschrift für Gottesdienst und kirchliche Kunst, and he is widely known as the author of a work on the Acts of the Apostles (Die Apostelgeschichte, ihre Quellen and deren geschichtlicher Wert (1891)).

His other works include:

• Der Knabe Jesus, eine biblische Geschichte and ihre apokryphischen Entstellungen (1883)
• Die Offenbarung des Johannes (1889)
• Zur Reform des evang. Kultus (1891)
• Zur Geschichte and Litteratur des Urchristentums (3 vols, 1893-1901).
• Die synoptische Grundschrift in ihrer Überlieferung durch das Lukasevangelium. (Volume 1 of Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament.) Leipzig, 1912 [The Synoptic Grundschrift (base narrative) as preserved in the Gospel of Luke.]
• Ein Lebensbild Jesu aus den drei ersten Evangelien: Deutsche Ubersetzung der synoptischen Grundschrift in ihrer Uberlieferung durch das Lukasevangelium. J.C. Hinrichs, Leipzig, 1912 [Life of Jesus from the first three Gospels: German translation of the Synoptic Grundschrift (base narrative) as preserved in the Gospel of Luke.]

His father, Karl Johann Philipp Spitta (1 August 1801 – 28 September 1859), was a Protestant but among his ancestors was famous Jewish diarist Gluckel of Hameln. He was born in Hanover, and is well known as a distinguished Protestant hymn-writer (see Lyra domestica, 1st series, London, 1860; 2nd series, 1864). He was superintendent at Burgdorf. (Bernt Engelmann,"Germany without Jews". Translated from German by D.J. Beer, New York: Bantam Books, 1984, p. 27.)

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.