Nitzsch, KARL LUDWIG, a Protestant theologian, was born 6th August 1751 at Wittenberg, laboured as pastor and superintendent, became in 1790 a professor at Wittenberg, and in 1813 director of the seminary for preachers there. Here he died, 5th December 1831. He wrote two works on revelation.—KARL IMMANUEL NITZSCH, his son, was born at Borna, in Saxony, 21st September 1787, studied at Wittenberg, preached there, and obeyed a call to a chair at Bonn in 1822. Here he laboured assiduously till 1847, when he went to Berlin as successor to Marheineke, as well as university preacher and consistorial councillor. Here he died, 21st August 1868. Nitzsch was the most prominent supporter of the Union (see LUTHERANS), and in theology he was an independent supporter of Schleiermacher's opinions. He subordinated dogma to ethics, and was one of the leaders of the 'Vermittelungstheologie'—the broad evangelical school. Of his books the chief are System der Christlichen Lehre (1829; Eng. trans. 1849), Praktische Theologie (3 vols. 1847–67), Akademische Vorträge über Christliche Glaubenslehre (1858), several volumes of sermons, and Gesammelte Abhandlungen (2 vols. 1870). See the studies by Beyschlag (2d ed. Halle, 1882) and Hermens (Barmen, 1886).—GREGOR WILHELM NITZSCH, philologist, a brother of the preceding, was born at Wittenberg, 22d November 1790. He studied in his native town, fought as a volunteer at Leipzig, became in 1827 professor at Kiel, in 1852 at Leipzig, and died there, 22d July 1861. His studies were mainly devoted to the Homeric poems, and the defence of their unity of origin. Of his writings may be named Erklärende Anmerkungen zu Homers Odyssee (1826–40), Meletemata de Historia Homeri (1830–37), and Die Sagenpoesie der Griechen (1852). See the study by Lübk
(Jena, 1864).—KARL WILHELM NITZSCH, son of the preceding, was born at Zerbst, 22d December 1818, studied at Kiel and Berlin, became in 1844 extra-ordinary, in 1858 ordinary professor at Kiel, in 1862 at Königsberg, in 1872 at Berlin, and died 20th June 1880. His writings embrace historical studies on Polybius (1842) and the Gracchi (1847), Die Römische Annalistik (1873), Deutsche Studien (1879), as well as the posthumous history of the German people to the peace of Augsburg, edited by Matthäi (3 vols. 1883–85), and a history of the Roman republic, edited by Thourot (2 vols. 1884–85).—FRIEDRICH AUGUST BERTHOLD NITZSCH, theologian, son of Karl Immanuel, was born at Bonn, 19th February 1832, studied at Berlin, Halle, and Bonn, and became in 1868 professor of Theology at Giessen, in 1872 at Kiel. His writings include Das System des Boethius (1860), Grundriss der Christlichen Dogmengeschichte (1870), Luther und Aristoteles (1883).