Steiger, Carl Friedrich, a Reformed minister of GeriTiany, was born in 1806 at Flaweil, in Switzerland. In 1832 he was called to the pastorate at Brunnadern, in 1838 to Balgach, and in 1841 to Wattwyl, in Tog- genburg, where he died, Slay 11, 1850. He published, Kleine Wuchenpredifften iiber des Christen Stimmnnr) viid (ler Wvtton (5th ed. St. Gall, 1862) ;— il/«nVi von Bethanien. Ein Andachtsbuch fiir c/irigtl. Jiini/J'rtiuen (ibid. 1843) :—£»((« Gebetbuch der Bibel (ibid. 1847-53) : — Religiose Gedichte (ibid. 1851). See Koch, Gesch. des deutschen Kirchenliedes, vii, 382 sq.; Rer/ensbin-f/er Conversations- Lexi/con, s. v.; Zuchtdd, Bibl. Theulog. ii, 1261 sq. (B. P.)
Steiger, Wilhelm, a minister of the Reformed Church in Switzerland, was born in Aargau, Feb. 9, 1809, and matriculated at Tubingen in 1826. Steudlin and Bengel were at that time in the faculty, though the lat- ter died only a year afterwards. Steiger then removed to Halle, and came under the controlling influence of Tholuck, through which his natural aversion to the prevalent rationalism was intensitied. In 1828 he was ordained at Aargau to the ministry, and devoted himself to earnest labors within his own denomination, being urged by the conviction that a lack of faithfid preach- ing and pastoral care was largely responsil)le for the separation of many believing souls frotn the Church. In connection with Dr. Hahn, of Wiirtemberg, he con- d icted social meetings for spiritual edilication, tutored students, and wrote for the periodical press, among oth- er things an interesting history of the Jlomiers of Vaud for the Evangel. Kirchenzeitumj at Berlin. He became associate editor of that journal in 1X29, and devoted himself wholly to study and literary work. From this period date the pamfihlet Die llallische Streitsache, etc., and the book Kritik des Raliomdismus in Wegscheider's Dogmatik (Berlin, 1830). In 1832 he issued a valuable commentary on 1 Peter, dedicating the work to the theological committee of the P^vangelical Association of Geneva, which had just called him to the exegetical chair of its theological instituiiim. He entered on his new station at Easter, 1832. It is said that he was un- commonly successful in giving adequate expression to German ideas in the French language. After his death, one of his students published, from notes taken in the lecture-room, an Introd. Generale oiix lAcres du N. T. (Geneva, Lausanne, and Paris, 1837). Two volumes
(1833-34) of a journal started by him and Havernick (q. V.) were issued, entitled Melanges de Theologie Re- J'ormee, a.ni\ in 1835 appeareil his commentary on Colos- sians. In this work he included in the introduction only such iiifnrmation as was derived from sources oth- er than the exposition oftlie epistle itself, and appended to tlie work a review of the exposition, in which he compared its residts with the introduction. The work is built upon solid historical and philological founda- tions, and devotes especial attention to criticism of the text, despite its studied Itrevity. A hymn in honor of the Son of God, with which the preface concludes, af- fords evidence of the poetic endowment of the author, who left, in addition, a number of unjtrinted poems. He died Jan. 9, 1836, leaving a widow and an infant son. See Herzog, Real- Encyklop. s. v.
Steinhofer, Maximilian Fuikdrich Christoph, an eminent nnnister in the Church of Wiirtemberg, was born Jan. 16, 1700, at Owen, and graduated in theology at Tubingen in 1729. He sup|ilemented his studies with a journey of observation among the churches of North (Jermany, and visited Herrnhut, the seat of the Moravian Brotherhood. Mutual esteem resulted, and measures were jiroposed for obtaining Steinhofer as pas- tor to the community of Herrnhut, but before any de- cision was re^iched he returned to Wiirtemberg. Zin- zendorf subsequently secured the release of Steinhofer from his own Church for Herrnhut; but the Saxon gov- ernment interposed difficulties, and he accepted a call to Ebersdorf instead, where he tilled the post of chap- lain to the coinits. The latter had previously organ- ized the religious portion of their household into an ecclesiola after the pattern of Spener, and to guide this organization and oversee the associated orphanage was to be his task. The society ultimately (August, 1745) effected an organization and adopted a constitution modelled after those of Herrnhut, but was distinguished from the latter in doctrine and modes of expression, be- ing more cautious, critical, and iniqualifiedly scriptural. Stenihofer's relations with Herrnhut, however, were strongly influential, and in 1746 the Ebersdorf congre- gation united with the Moravian Brotherhood, while Steinhofer himself was ordained "coepiscopus for the Lutheran tropus." His service here was, however, brief, though varied. He married in 1747, and became inspector of a training-school for a short time, after which he travelled in the execution of his office through various districts. The unsettled life to which he was condemned and the increasing fanaticism of the Broth- erhood alienated him gradually from what had never been a thoroughly congenial home, and a brief visit to Wiirtemberg tlirew him in the way of influences which excited all his long suppressed aversion to the sensuous teachings and modes of expression in current use at Herrnhut. He thereupon quietly retired from his func- tions, and in time, after correspondence with Zinzen- dorf, laid down his offices, March 14, 1749, and returned to the Church of Wiirtemberg. F\>ur years were now spent in the sub-pastorate at Dettingen, whose fruit ap- peared in a collection of sermons, published in 1753. In this year he obtained the parish of Zavelstein, in 1756 that of Ehningen, and in 1759 he was made dean and preacher at Weinsbcrg, where he died in peace, Feb. 11, 1761. Steinhofer was characterized by mildness of dis- position, joiiu'd with heroic devotion to the truth. He studied the Bible to obtain a correct apprehension of its meaning and for the enriching and developing of the Christian character. He differed from Bengel in not preferring apocalyptic studies, and from Oetinger in avoiding a theosophic tendency. He preferred the soliil ground of Scripture to the position of any specu- lation whatever. He is said by his contemporaries to have been endowed with an inexpressible some- thing in his character— with a peculiar sanctity which cannot be described. It was impossible to trifle in his presence, and yet impossible not to find pleasure there. He was an anointed one, who carried about with him