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Niedner, Christian Wilhelm, D.D.

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Niedermeyer, Louis

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a noted German theologian, distinguished especially as a Church historian, was born August 9, 1797, at Oberwinkel, in Saxony, and was the son of a minister. He was educated at Leipsic, where he began his studies in 1816. In 1829 he was honored by his alma mater with a professorship in theology, and he held that position until 1850, when he removed to the Wittenberg highschool. In 1859 he accepted the professorship of theology in the university at Berlin, and was shortly after made counselor of the Brandenburg Consistory. He died Aug. 13, 1866. Few men of recent date have done so much for historical theology as Prof. Niedner. He labored unceasingly with true Christian devotion to secure everywhere the genuine historical evidence, and for this purpose even founded a magazine, the Zeitschrift fur historische theologie, in 1845, which at the close of the year 1875 was discontinued. His principal work is his Lehrbuch d. christl. Kirchengesch. (Leips. 1846, and often; new edition prepared just before his death [Berl. 1866, 8vo]), which is something between a text-book and a manual, presenting not merely a dry collection of thoughts, but an abundance of elementary views of individual subjects. He has also published several small text-books on Church history, history of doctrines, and history of philosophy, which are highly esteemed for the thorough scholarship they evince. (J.H.W.)