HOFMANN, JOHANN CHRISTIAN KONRAD:
German Protestant; b. at Nuremberg Dec. 21, 1810; d. at Erlangen Dec. 20, 1877 He was educated at the universities of Erlangen (1827-29) and Berlin (1829-32), devoting himself chiefly to theology and history. After teaching several years at the gymnasium in Erlangen, he became repetent in the theological faculty of the university, where he first became entirely absorbed in the study of the Bible and where the questions to which he devoted the best part of his life began to occupy him. These were especially the doctrine concerning the inspiration of the Bible, prophecy, and fulfilment. In 1838 he established himself as privat-docent, at the same time keeping his position at the gymnasium. In 1841 he was appointed professor at the university; the following year he accepted a call to Rostock. Although the number of his hearers was here considerably smaller, a new field of activity opened itself — in union with Kliefoth, Karsten, and Wichern, he labored zealously in the field of home missions. He remained at Rostock until 1845, when he was recalled to Erlangen, and it was chiefly through his proficiency and his working in harmony with his colleagues that a new period of prosperity for the university dated from this time. His interest in missions increased in the land of his birth; he became committee member of different missionary societies and member of the General Synod of Bavaria, and took part in the editorship of the Zeitschriftfiir Protestantismus und Kirche. He was also interested in political affairs, and represented Erlangen and Fiirth at several sessions of the Bavarian parliament. But he did not lose sight of the main purpose of his life, his career as professor and writer. He lectured on a great number of books in the New Testament, on hermeneutics, propaedeutics, and ethics, the secret of his success lying in the fact that he confined himself in a consistent, clear, and precise manner to the subject-matter and pretended to be nothing but an interpreter of Scripture.
Among Hofmann's first publications were two historical works — Geschichte des Aufruhrs in den Sevennen (Nordlingen, 1837) and Weltgeschichte fur Gymnasien (1839; 2d ed., 1843). His first effort in theology was Die siebenzig Jahre des Jeremm
RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Hoffmeister Hofstede
und die siebenzig Jahrwochen des Daniel (Nuremberg, 1836) . The seventy weeks of Daniel he counts in the order 62-J-1-J-7; the 62 extend from 605 to 171 B.C.; the single week, from 171 to 164 b.c; the other seven mark the intervening period before Christ's coming. In his Weissagung und Erfullung im Allen und Neuen Testament (2 parts, Nordlingen, 1841-44) he brought prophecy into closest connection with history, and treated it as an organic whole. History itself is prophecy; and each period contains the germ of the future, and prefigures it. The entire Scriptural history is a prophecy of the final and eternal relation between God and man. The incarnation marks the beginning of the essential fulfilment; for Christ is the new man, the antitype of the old; but it marks only the beginning of this fulfilment; for the head is only the realization of the intended perfect communion with God, when it is joined with the body of believers. Prophecy in the Old Testament becomes ever richer and richer in its forms, but points only to one goal — the Godman. He is then, in turn, the starting-point for new prophecy and hope; his appearance being the prefigurement of the final glorification of the church of believers. The permanent worth of this work consists in the proof that the Old and New Testaments are parts of a single history of salvation; displaying the gradual realization of redemption for the race. Hofmann's second great work, Der Schriftbeweis (3 parts, Nordlingen, 1852-56; 2d ed., 2 vols., 1857-60), is an attempt to prove the authenticity and divine origin of Christianity from its records by using the Biblical record as one organic whole. He started from the idea that, to understand Christianity, it was necessary only to develop the simple fact that makes men Christians, or the communion of God with man mediated by Christ. He starts with the new birth, and with him all is historical. The work aroused opposition. The author had denied the doctrine of vicarious atonement, and the charge of denying the atonement altogether was made against him. To this he replied in Schutzschriften (5 parts, 1856-59). His other works were Die heiligen Schriften des Neuen Testaments (9 parts, 1862-81); Theologische Ethik (1878); Encyklopddie der Theologie (Nordlingen, 1879); Biblische Hermeneutik (1880). (A. Hauck.)
Bibliography: W. Volck, Erinnerungen an J. C. K. von Hofmann, Erlangen, 1878; A. F. C. Grau, A. F. C. Vilmar . . . und J. C. K. von Hofmann, Gutersloh, 1879; H. Schmid, Vermischte Aufsatze von Prof, von Hofmann, Erlangen, 1878; W. Volck, Theologische Brief e der Prof. Delitzsch und von Hofmann, Leipsic, 1891.
HOFMANN, RUDOLPH HUGO: German Lutheran; b. at Kreischa (10 m. s. of Dresden) Jan. 3, 1825. He studied at the University of Leipsic 1843-47, and after being afternoon preacher in the university church at Leipsic in 1850-51 and pastor at Stormthal, near Leipsic, in 1851-54, was professor in the Furstenschule at Meissen until 1862. In 1862 he was appointed associate professor of practical theology at Leipsic, and four years later became honorary full professor, while since 1871 he has been active professor of the same subject. He is also a privy ecclesiastical councilor and a cathedral canon, and in theology is an Evangelical Lutheran. He has
written Das Zeichen des Menschensohns am Himmel (Leipsic, 1849); Das Leben Jesu nach den Apokryphen (1851); Symbolik (Leipsic, 1856) ; Die Lehre vom Gewissen (1866); Predigten gehalten in der Universitatskirche zu Leipzig (1869); Schulbibel (Dresden, 1872); Zum System der praktischen Theologie (Leipsic, 1875) ; Predigten uber das Vaterunser (1881) ; Die freien christlichen Liebestatigkeiten und die Gemeinde (1884); Rechtfertigung der Schule der Reformation gegenuber ungerechtfertigtenAngriffen (1889); and Galilaa auf dem Oelberg (1896).
HOFMEISTER, hef-mai'ster (Gr. Oikonomos), SEBASTIAN: Swiss Reformer; b. at Schaffhausen 1476; d. at Zofingen (25 m. s.e. of Basel) Sept. 26, 1533. He became a Franciscan friar in Schaffhausen, and then went to Paris and studied classical languages and Hebrew for five years. In 1520 he returned to his native city, and in the same year became lector in the monastery of his order at Zurich and entered into close friendship with Huldreich Zwingli, whose influence upon him became decisive. He was removed to Constance and thence to Lucerne, and at the latter place began his reformatory activity. After having been accused of heresy and expelled from the town, he returned to Schaffhausen, where he became preacher of the principal church. He attacked the ecclesiastical abuses so forcibly that he won over a great number of the citizens to his cause, while at the same time he excited the opposition of another and stronger party.
In Jan., 1523, Hofmeister took part in the religious colloquy between Zwingli and Faber, vicargeneral of Constance, at Zurich, and was one of the presidents in the second disputation at Zurich in Oct., 1523, against the Anabaptists. The Romanists sent Erasmus Ritter of Bavaria to Schaffhausen to oppose Hofmeister's activity, but Ritter took the part of the Reformer. In 1525, however, Hofmeister had to leave the city. He became preacher in Zurich after abandoning his antipedobaptist views, but in 1526 appeared again in Grisons as leader of an important religious colloquy at Ilanz. In 1528 he went to the disputation at Bern, where, upon the recommendation of Zwingli, he was retained and employed as professor of Hebrew and catechesis. But after a few months he went to Zofingen as preacher. For the cause of the Reformation in Switzerland he wrote Ein treuwe ermanung an die Strengen, Edlen, festen, frommen und weisen Eidgenossen, das sich nit durch irefalschen propheten verfilrt, sich wider die lere Christi setzend (1523).
(E. BLOSCHf.) Bibliography: M. Kirchhofer, Seb. Wagner, genannt Hofmeister, Zurich, 1808; C. Brunner, Das alte Zofingen und sein Chorherrenstift, pp. 58-59, Aarau, 1877; R. Stahelin, Huldreich Zwingli, 2 vols., Basel, 1895-97; S. M. Jackson, Huldreich Zwingli, pp. 204, 253-255, New York, 1903; Scbaff, Christian Church, vii. 129-130. Hofmeister's letters are in Zwingli, Opera, ii. 166, 348, vii. 146, 289.
HOFSTEDE, PETRUS: Dutch theologian; b. at Zuidlaren (10 m. s.s.e. of Groningen), province of Drenthe, Apr. 16, 1716; d. at Rotterdam Nov. 27, 1803. He studied theology at Groningen and Franeker, and in 1739 became preacher at Anjum, in the province of Friesland. Then he was appointed preacher in Steenwijk and in Oost-Zaandam, until
Hofstede Holbach