Karl Hase

He was born at Steinbach (near Penig) in Saxony. He studied at Leipzig and Erlangen, and in 1829 was called to Jena as professor of theology. He retired in 1883 and was made a baron.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} He was the great-grandfather of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Hase's aim was to reconcile modern culture with historical Christianity in a scientific way. But though a liberal theologian, he was no dry rationalist. Indeed, he vigorously attacked rationalism, as distinguished from the rational principle, charging it with being unscientific inasmuch as it ignored the historical significance of Christianity, shut its eyes to individuality and failed to give religious feeling its due.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

File:Karl Hase Statue in Jena.jpg

His views are presented scientifically in his [https://archive.org/details/evangelischepro00hasegoog Evangelisch-protestantische Dogmatik] (1826; 6th edition, 1870), the value of which "lies partly in the full and judiciously chosen historical materials prefixed to each dogma, and partly in the skill, caution and tact with which the permanent religious significance of various dogmas is discussed" (Otto Pfleiderer). More popular in style is his Gnosis: Oder evangelische Glaubenslehre, für die gebildeten in der Gemeinde, ([https://archive.org/details/gnosisoderevang04hasegoog volume 1, 1827]; [https://archive.org/details/gnosisoderevang01hasegoog volume 2, 1828]; [https://archive.org/details/gnosisoderevang02hasegoog volume 3, 1829]; second edition in two volumes, 1869 & 1870). But his reputation rests chiefly on his treatment of church history in his [https://archive.org/details/kirchengeschich01hasegoog Kirchengeschichte, Lehrbuch zunächst für akademische Vorlesungen] (1834, 12th edition, 1900; [https://archive.org/details/ahistorychristi00winggoog English translation, 1870]).{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

His biographical studies, [https://archive.org/details/franzvonassisie02hasegoog Franz von Assisi] (1856; second edition, 1892), [https://archive.org/details/caterinavonsien00hasegoog Caterina von Siena] (1864; second edition, 1892), Neue Propheten (Die Jungfrau von Orleans, Savonarola, Thomas Münzer) are judicious and sympathetic. Other works are:

• Hutterus Redivivus, or, doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (1827; 12th edition, 1883), a work in which he sought to present the teaching of the Protestant church in such a way as Leonhard Hutter would have reconstructed it, had he still been alive.
• [https://archive.org/details/daslebenjesuleh00hasegoog Das Leben Jesu] (1829; 5th edition, 1865; [https://archive.org/details/lifejesustrbyjf00chrigoog English translation, 1860]); in an enlarged form, Geschichte Jesu (second edition, 1891).
• [https://archive.org/details/handbuchderprot00hasegoog Handbuch der protestantischen Polemik gegen die Römisch-katholische Kirche] (1862; 7th edition, 1900; English translation, [https://archive.org/details/handbooktocontro01hase volume 1], [https://archive.org/details/handbooktocontro02hase volume 2], 1906).{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

For his life, see his [https://archive.org/details/idealeundirrthm00hasegoog Ideale und Irrtümer] (1872; 5th edition, 1894) and [https://archive.org/details/annalenmeinesle00hasegoog Annalen meines Lebens] (1891); and for comparison — Otto Pfleiderer, [https://archive.org/details/a603765000pfleuoft "The development of theology in Germany since Kant"] (1890) and Frédéric Lichtenberger, [https://archive.org/details/historyofgermant00lichuoft "History of German theology in the nineteenth century" (1889)].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

{{reflist}}

• {{EB1911|wstitle=Hase, Karl August von|volume=13|page=50}}
• [https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/ADB:Hase,_Karl_von Biography] at Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie.

• {{Internet Archive author |sname=Karl Hase}}

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Category:1800 births

Category:1890 deaths

Category:19th-century German Protestant theologians

Category:Academic staff of the University of Jena

Category:19th-century German male writers

Category:German male non-fiction writers