WILLIBALD

BEYSCHLAG (1823-1900)  , German Protestant divine, was born at Frankfort-on-Main on the 5th of September 1823 . He studied theology at Bonn and Berlin (184o-1844), and in 1856 was appointed court-preacher at Karlsruhe . In 186o, he moved to Halle as professor ordinarius of practical theology . A theologian of the mediating school, he became leader of the Mittelpartei, and with Albrecht Wolters founded as its organ the Deutschevangelische Bid/ter . As a representative of this party, he took a prominent part in the general synods of 1875 and 1879 . His championship of the rights of the laity and his belief in the autonomy of the church led him to advocate the separation of church and state . He died at Halle on the 25th of November 1900 . Among his numerous works are Die Christologie des Neuen Testaments (1866), Der Altkatholicismus (three editions, 1882—1883), Leben Jesu (2 vols., 1885; 3rd ed., 1893), Neutestamentliche Theologie (2 vols., 1891—1892; 2nd ed., 1896), Christenlehre auf Grund des kleinen luth . Katechismus (1900), and an autobiography Aus meinem Leben (2 parts, 1896-1898) . See P . Schaff, Living Divines (1887) ; Lichtenberger, Hist . Germ .

Theol . (1889); Calwer-

Zeller, Kirchenlexikon .