RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Zoeckler Zonaras
ZOEPFFEL, tsiip’fel, RICHARD OTTO: Theologian; b. at Arensburg (on the island of Osel, Gulf of Riga), Russia, June 14, 1848; d. at Strasburg Jan. 7, 1891. He studied theology at Dorpat, 1862- 1868, and history at Géttingen, 1868-70, becoming in 1870 privat-docent at the latter university; he was called to Strasburg as extraordinary professor of church history in 1872, was made ordinary professor in 1877, and rector in 1887. His chief writing was Die Papstwahlen . . . vom 11. bis 14. Jahrhundert (Gottingen, 1871); he also issued Johannes Sturm, Der erste Rektor der Strassburger Akademie (Strasburg, 1887). Besides these works, he was a contributor to the Herzog RE, was collaborator with H. Holtzmann in the Lexikon ftir Theologie und Kirchenwesen (1882), was a contributor to the Allgemeine deutsche Biographie, and to various theological journals. In all of these labors his most characteristic trait was tirelessness in reaching fundamental facts, combined with impartiality in setting them forth. (H. Hoitzmannyf.)
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Erichson, in Evangelisch protestantische Kirchenbote, 1891, p. 10; ADB, xlv. 431-482.
ZOHAR. See Casa, § 17.
ZOLLIKOFER, tsol’li-cof’er, GEORG JOA- CHIM: Renowned preacher, poet, and hymnwriter; b. at St. Gall Aug. 5, 1780; d. at Leipsic Jan. 22, 1788. He received his education at the gymnasia of St. Gall and Bremen and the high school of Utrecht; taught for four years in a family of Frankfort; took position in 1754 as minister at Murten, canton Bern, Switzerland, then at Monstein, and later at Isenburg; in 1758 he became pastor of the Reformed congregation at Leipsic, to which he gave the rest of his life. Among his seryices to the Church may be named in the front rank that to hymnology. He recognized the fact that many of the hymns used were unworthy, and made a contribution in his Neues Gesangbuch (1766), in which he incorporated some of his own compositions, including “ Dein, Gott, ist Majestat und Macht” and “ Willst du der Weisheit Quelle kennen.” In the region of devotional works he issued Anreden und Gebete (Leipsic, 1777) and Andachtstibungen und Gebete zum Privatgebrauche (1785; Eng. transl., Devotional Exercises and Prayers, London, 1815). But his place in history is best assured by his sermons (collected edition, 15 vols., 1789-1804; Eng. transl., 10 vols., London, 1803-12; some of these also reproduced in the United States). For his style he has been given a worthy place in the history of German literature by such a critic as Goethe. While his theology was that of the Enlightenment (q.v.), he did not belong to the “ storm and stress’? movement. He is best described as a rational supernaturalist. His preaching was both textual and thematic, while his treatment was tasteful, clear. lively, warm, rarely glowing.
(P. MEHLHORN.) BIBLIOGRAPHY: C. Garve, Ueber den Charakter Zollikofers,
Leipsic, 1788; F. K. G. Hirsching, Historisch-litterarisches
Handbuch, xvii. 872 sqq., ib. 1815; J. M. H. Doring, Die
deutschen Kanzelredner, pp. 856 sqq., Neustadt, 1830;
C. G. H. Lentz, Geschichte der christlichen Homiletik, ii.
327 sqq., Brunswick, 1839; K. H. Sack, Geschichte der Predigt in der deutsch-evangelischen Kirche, 2d ed., pp.
185 sqq., Heidelberg, n.d.; R. Rothe, Geschichte der Predigt, pp. 485 sqq., Bremen, 1881; P. Weinmeister, Beitrage zur Geschichte der evangelisch-reformierten Gemeinde zu Leipzig, 1700-1900, pp. 158 sqq., Leipsic, 1900; ADB, xlv. 415 sqq.
ZONARAS, zen’a-ras, JOHANNES: Byzantine writer on ecclesiastical law and history; flourished in the last part of the eleventh and the first half of the twelfth century. He filled many offices under the Emperor Alexius Comnenus, among them “‘commander of the bodyguard ” and “ head of the chancery.”’ In later life he entered a monastery in the present Niandro. The reason for his becoming a monk is not quite clear; it may have been because of loss of relatives, but more likely because he was involved in intrigues concerning the succession to the throne in 1118.
Of first importance is his great work on eastern ecclesiastical law. The collection of ecclesiastical law on which he commented was completed practically in his own times, but of this collection only parts of secondary importance have come down. According to Zonaras’ commentary, it consisted of the Apostolic Canons, the canons of the councils of Nicwa 325, Constantinople 381, Ephesus 431, Chalcedon 451, the Trullan Synod of 692, the Photian synods of 861 and 879, the provincial synods of Carthage under Cyprian, Ancyra 314, Neocesarea 315, Gangra 340, Antioch 341, Laodicea 343, Sardica 347, Carthage 419, and Constantinople 394. Zonaras also commented upon the Canons of Dionysius of Alexandria, Basilides of Pentapolis, excerpts from the Peri metanotas of Peter of Alexandria, and writings of Gregory Thaumaturgus, Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil of Caesarea, and Gregory of Nyssa. Many manuscripts exist of Zonaras’ work, and it was put into vernacular Greek. The first full edition, with the commentaries of Balsamon and Aristenos is by Beveridge, Synodikon (Oxford, 1672), but because of its form it is not very useful. It is surpassed by the edition of G. Rhallis and M. Potlis (6 vols., Athens, 1852-59); the commentaries of Zonaras are in vols. ii—iv. The purpose of Zonaras was not to write for the learned, and his work is consequently clear and simple, though splendid in its diction and written in flowing Greek. The work reveals the historical point of view, and the author uses various methods to make clear his position. He expounds the matter in hand from history or archeology, compares similar or seemingly opposed canons, explains the opposition with clarity, and proceeds from the simple to the more difficult. He has the critical sense, seeks to reconcile or expound opposing declarations, in cases of doubt employs the milder or humanitarian exegesis, and he is on the watch for the ethical. The work was highly prized in the Church, and, alongside of the works of Balsamon and Aristenos, was regarded as a source of ecclesiastical law. For Nicodemus Hagiorites Zonaras is the chief authority.
Besides the commentaries Zonaras issued on the same general subject Peri tou mé dein, duo disexadelphous tén autén agagesthai pros gamon, and Logos pros tous tén physikén tés gonés ekroén miasma hegoumenous (earlier ed. in Fabricius-Harles, Bibliotheca Greca, xi. 225 sqq.; better in Rhallis and Potlis, ut sup., iv. 592-611). Zonaras worked also as an exe-
Zonaras Zoroaster