Weiss, BERNHARD

Weiss, BERNHARD, a learned German theologian, was born at Königsberg, 20th June 1827, studied at Königsberg, Halle, and Berlin; became privat-docent at Königsberg in 1852, and professor extra-ordinary in 1857; and was called to a chair at Kiel in 1863, to Berlin in 1877, where also in 1880 he became superior consistorial councillor and adviser to the government in spiritual concerns. Of his numerous works three stand among the first in importance of their time: Lehrbuch der biblischen Theologie des Neuen Testaments (1868; 5th ed. 1888; Eng. trans. 2 vols. 1882-83), a book unequalled in grasp and insight; Lehrbuch der Einleitung in das Neue Testament (1887; Eng. trans. 1887-88), the fullest and best orthodox book on the subject; and Das Leben Jesu (1882; Eng. trans. 3 vols. 1883-84), a work neither closely knit in argument nor altogether happy in exposition, yet perhaps, on the whole, the most satisfactory bulwark that has been raised to defend the faith in the cardinal fact of Christianity against its assailants. His earlier books on the Petrine theology (1855), Philippians (1859), the theology of John (1862), Mark (1872), and Matthew (1876) prepared the way for these. Weiss has also prepared the newest editions of Meyer's commentaries on Matthew (1883), Mark and Luke (1878 and 1885), John (1886), Romans (1887), the Pastoral Epistles (1885), the Epistles of John (1888), and Hebrews (1888). His work on the Revelation appeared in 1891; that on the Catholic Epistles in 1892.