Adolf von Harnack

Adolf von Harnack
Adolf von Harnack
Born	Carl Gustav Adolf Harnack; 7 May [O.S. 25 April] 1851; Dorpat, Kreis Dorpat, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire; (present-day Tartu, Tartu County, Estonia)
Died	10 June 1930 (aged 79); Heidelberg, Republic of Baden, Weimar Republic
Other names	Adolf Harnack
Education	University of Dorpat; University of Erlangen; University of Leipzig;
Occupation(s)	theologian and church historian
Notable work	The Essence of Christianity (Das Wesen des Christentums); The History of Dogma; The History of Ancient Christian Literature; The Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries;
Spouse	Amalie Thiersch (1858–1937)
Children	7, including Agnus and Ernst
Relatives	Theodosius Harnack (father); Axel (brother); Arvid Harnack (nephew);
Institutions	University of Leipzig (1874—1879); University of Giessen (1879—1886); University of Marburg (1886—1888); University of Berlin (1888—1921);
Notable students	Karl Barth; Wilhelm Bousset; William Adams Brown; Adolf Keller; Rudolf Handmann; Emanuel Hirsch; William Miller Macmillan; Arthur Cushman McGiffert; Friedrich Loofs; Wilhelm Pauck; Friedrich Rittelmeyer; Carl Schmidt (Coptologist); Nathaniel Schmidt; Elisabeth Schmitz; Heinrich Scholz; Henry Nelson Wieman;

Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is sometimes credited as Adolf Harnack). He was ennobled (with the addition of von to his name) in 1914.

Harnack traced the influence of Hellenistic philosophy on early Christian writings and called on Christians to question the authenticity of doctrines that arose in the early Christian church. He rejected the historicity of the Gospel of John in favor of the Synoptic Gospels, criticized the Apostles' Creed, and promoted the Social Gospel.

In the 19th century, higher criticism flourished in Germany, establishing the historical-critical method as an academic standard for interpreting the Bible and understanding the historical Jesus (see Tübingen school). Harnack's work is part of a reaction to Tübingen, and represents a reappraisal of tradition.

Besides his theological activities, Harnack was a distinguished organizer of sciences. He played an important role in the foundation of the Kaiser Wilhelm Gesellschaft and became its first president.

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