Theodosius Harnack

Theodosius Harnack; lithograph byGeorg Friedrich Schlater

Theodosius Andreas Harnack(Russian:Феодосий Карлович Гарнак,romanized:Feodosij Karlovič Garnak;3 January [O.S.22 December 1816] 1817,St. Petersburg– 23 September [O.S.11] 1889,Dorpat(nowTartu)) was aBaltic Germantheologian.

A professor ofDivinity,he started his career as aPrivatdozentforchurch historyandhomileticsat theUniversity of Dorpat(in what is today Tartu,Estonia) in 1843, he was further appointed university preacher in 1847. Since 1848 he held an ordinary chair (tenure) as professor forpracticalandsystematic theology.Between 1853 and 1866 Harnack was professor at Frederick Alexander University (merged in theUniversity of Erlangen-Nurembergsince 1961) inErlangen,Bavaria,German Confederation(now Germany).

Harnack was a staunchLutheranand a prolific writer on theological subjects; his chief field of work was practical theology, and his important book on that subject summing up his long experience and teaching appeared at Erlangen (1877–1878, 2 vols.). Theliturgyof the thenLutheran churchinRussiahas, since 1898, been based on hisLiturgische Formulare(1872).

His twin sons were the GermantheologianAdolf von Harnack(1851–1930) andmathematicianCarl Gustav Axel Harnack(1851–1888). His other two sons were also successful scientists, with the pharmacology and physiological chemistry professorErich Harnack(1853–1914) and the history of literature professorOtto Harnack(1857–1914), father ofArvid HarnackandFalk Harnack.

Books by Theodosius Harnack

• Der christliche Gemeindegottesdienst im apostolischen und altkatholischen Zeitaltern (Erlangen, 1854)
• Tabellarische Uebersicht der Geschichte der Liturgie der christlichen Hauptgottesdienstes (Erlangen, 1858)
• Die lutherische Kirche Livlands und die herrnhutische Brüdergemeinde (Erlangen, 1860)
• Luthers Theologie: mit besonderer Beziehung auf seine Versöhnungs- und Erlösungslehre (2 vols., Erlangen, 1862, 1886)
• Praktische Theologie (4 vols., Erlangen, 1877-8)
• Ueber den Kanon und die Inspiration der Heiligen Schrift: ein Wort zum Frieden (Erlangen, 1885)

Further reading

Timothy C.J. Quill,An examination of the contributions of Theodosius Harnack to the renewal of the Lutheran liturgy in the nineteenth century,Madison: Drew University, Thesis (Ph. D.), 2002.

Sources

• die erfurt enzyklopädie
• Alexander von Oettingen(1905), "Harnack, Theodosius",Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie(in German), vol. 50, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 8–16
• Martin Doerne (1966),"Harnack, Theodosius Andreas",Neue Deutsche Biographie(in German), vol. 7, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 690–691;(full text online)
• Bernd Schröder, „Die Wissenschaft der sich selbst erbauenden Kirche – Theodosius Harnack “, in:Geschichte der Praktischen Theologie. Dargestellt anhand ihrer Klassiker,Christian Grethlein and Michael Meyer-Blanck (eds.), Leipzig: Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, 2000,ISBN3-374-01767-3,pp. 151–206.