JOHANN HEINRICH

KURTZ (1809—1890)  , German Lutheran theologian, was born at Montjoie near Aix la Chapelle on the 13th of December 18o9i and was educated at Halle and Bonn . Abandoning the idea of a commercial career, he gave himself to the study of theology and became religious instructor at the gymnasium of Mitau in 1835, and ordinary professor of theology (church history, 1850; exegesis, 1859) at Dorpat . He resigned his chair in 187o and went to live at Marburg, where he died on the 26th of April r89o . Kurtz was a prolific writer, and many of his books, especially the Lehrbuch der heiligen Geschichte (1843) became very popular . In the field of biblical criticism he wrote a Geschichte des Alten Bundes (1848-1855), Zur Theologie der Psalmen (1865) and Erkltirung des Briefs an die Hebraer (1869) . His chief work was done in church history, among his productions being Lehrbuch der Kirchengeschichte file Studierende (1849), Abriss der Kirchengeschichte (1852) and Handbuch der allgemeinen Kirchengeschichte (1853—1856) . Several of his books have been translated into English .