A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

John McClintock & James Strong • SECTION 175

Section 175

← McClintock & Strong Cyclopaedia — Volume 9

Rosen, Friedricii Augustus, a celebrated Ori- ental scholar, was born in Hanover, Sept. 2, 1805, and entered Leipsic University in 1822, where he devoted himself to the study of the Biblico-Oriental languages. He went to Berlin in 1824, and studied Sanscrit under Bopp. He was subsequently called to the London Uni- versity as professor of Oriental literature, which pro- fessorship he resigned in 1831, and devoted himself to study and writing. As secretary of the Asiatic Society, he conducted its entire foreign correspondence. Rosen died in London, Sept. 12, 1837. His first work was Ra- dices Sanscritm (Berlin, 1827). He edited the A rabic Handbooks of Algebra, by Mohammed ben-Musa (Lond. 1831), wrote Oriental articles for the Penny Cyclopaedia, and revised the Sanscrit- Bengali Dictionai-y of Hough- ton (ibid. 1835). In 1836 he began to publish Hymns if the Rig-Veda, but left it unfinished. It was published by the Asiatic Society under the title Rigreda-Sanhita, Liber Primus, Sanscrite et Laiine (ibid. 1838).— CAam- bers's Encycloj). s. v.

Rosenbach, Joiiann Georg, a journeyman spur- maker of Heilbronn, in Wiirtemberg, who i)ecame one of the most prominent fanatics of the last century.

ROSENFELD

133

ROSENMULLER

Converted to God, as he thought, hy the reading of Pi- ecistic works, he forsook his hanilicraft in 1703, and trav- ersed the cities of Central Germany, preaching and holding devotional meetings. He secured the endorse- ment of several professors in the faculty at Altorf, and gained over some of the students at Tubingen; but he was everywhere opposed by the clergy and driven away by the civil authorities. He eventually went to Hol- land, and there disappeared from view.

The teachings of Kosenbach were given to the world in three books — Glaubembckenntniss (1703), Wunder- u. ffiiadenvolle Bekehrumj (1704), and Wunder- u. i/naden- volle Filhrung Gotles eiiies aiif d. \Vet/e d. Bekeln-ung Christo nachfolfjmd. Sclwfes. It appears that he re- jected infant baptism as not commanded in Scripture, and ineffective to produce conversion. He held the Lord's supper to be simply a memorial ; despised the ministry in the churches; regarded the Bible as a mere dead letter, and not the Word of God; believed Christ to be the Saviour, but asserted that the kindling of in- ward goodness would result in the saving, through Christ, of those who do not know of him ; and con- founded faith with its fruits, and justification with sanc- tification. He insisted positiveh' on the existence of an intermediate state of souls .ifter death, and on the prospect of a millennial reign of saints with Christ dur- ing a thousand years prior to the general resurrection.

The appeal of Rosenbach to the professors of Altorf in support of his views led to a protracted controversy, in which Job. Phil. Storr, pastor at Heilbronn, and Prof. .J. Michael Lange were the principal champions. See Walch, Einl. in d. Rel.-Streitifjkeiten d. ev.-luth. Kirche, i, 799 sq., 838 sq. ; ii, 755 sq. ; v, 109 sq. ; Un- schuldige Nachrichten, 1704, p. 852; 1707, p. 172; 1708, p. 758; 1715, p. 1054; 1716, p. 426 sq.; 1721, p. 1096; also Von Einem, Kirchengesch. des I8ten Jahrliunderts, ii, 747 sq. ; and Schrockh, Kirchengesch. seit d. Refor- mation, viii, 404. — Herzog, Real-Encyklop. s. v.

Rosenfeld, Hans, a German impostor who set himself up as the Messiah, about the year 1763, in Prus- sia, declaring that Jesus Christ and his apostles were impostors, and that Frederick the Great was the Evil One, whom Rosenfeld was to depose. He taught that he was to govern the world, assisted by a council of twenty-four elders, like those of the Apocalypse. He deluded multitudes, and lived upon them in outrageous profligacy for twenty years. P^ventually, in 1782, one of his followers appealed to the king, whom he believed to be the Evil One, to revenge him on Rosenfeld for the seduction of his three daughters. Tlie king ordered proceedings against Rosenfeld, and he was sentenced to be flogged, and imprisoned for the remainder of his life at Spandau. After this his followers, called RosenJ'elders, quietly disappeared.

Rosenfeld, Samson Wolf, ral)bi of Bamberg, was born Jan. 26, 1780, at Uhlefeld, in Bavaria. At the age of thirteen he entered the Jewish academy at Ftirth, where, besides the Talmu<l, he studied the philo- sophical writings of Maimonides, Albo, and others. At tlie age of nineteen he returned to his native place, and continued his studies, especially devoting himself to the writings of Moses Mendelssohn. In 1817 he was appointed rabbi of his native place. In 1819 he repre- sented his coreligionists in Munich, and presented a me- morial concerning the amelioration of tlie condition of the Jews; an act which he repeated in 1840, in spite of the hatred of the orthodox Jews, who thought of putting him under ban. In 1820 he was called to Bamberg, and, having passed the necessary examination required by the government, he entered upon his new field in TMarch of the same year. He was a conservative re- former, and as such he published some works which tended to enlighten his coreligionists. He died May 12, 1862. Of his publications, we mention especially his St linden der Andacht fur die furaelilen beiderlei Ge- schkchls (2d ed. Dinkensblihl, 1858, 3 vols.). See Fiirst,

Bihlioth. Jnd. iii, 1G9; Kayserling, Bihl. jiid. Kunzel- redner, i, 414 S(i. ; Klein, in Frankel's JMonatsschriff, 1863, p. 201 s(i. ; Krilraer, in the Jewish year-book Achuwa, 18(;6, p. 15-33. (B. P.)

Public-domain 19th-century biblical, theological, and ecclesiastical reference work; OCR text from Internet Archive. Historical scholarship and terminology reflect its era; OCR may contain errors. Verify quotations and current scholarly claims independently.

Project Gutenberg source record →