Ammon, Christoph Friedrich von

AMMON, CHRISTOPH FRIEDRICH VON: German theologian; b. at Baireuth Jan. 16, 1766; d. in Dresden May 21, 1850. He distinguished himself as a student at Erlangen, and became professor there in 1789. In 1794 he went to Göttingen as professor, university preacher, and director of the theological seminary; returned to Erlangen in 1804; in 1813 went to Dresden as court preacher; became member of the Saxon ministry of worship and public instruction in 1831, and vice-president of the consistory in 1835. He was a versatile and many-sided man, an accomplished scholar in diverse fields, an influential official in Church and State, a prolific writer, and much admired as preacher and orator. The most noteworthy of his theological writings were: Entwurf einer reinen biblischen Theologie (3 vols., Erlangen, 1792; 2d ed., 1801-02); Handbuch der christlichen Sittenlehre (1795; 2d ed., 3 vols., Leipsic, 1838); Summa theologiæ christianæ (1803; 4th ed., ib. 1850); Die Fortbildung des Christentums zur Weltreligion (ib. 1833; 2d ed., 4 vols., 1836-40). At first Ammon was a decided rationalist, but his tone changed in successive editions of his works, and in 1817 he surprised his friends by defending the theses of Claus Harms in Bittere Arznei für die Glaubensschwäche der Zeit (Hanover). Later he returned to his earlier views, and his vacillation subjected him to, much harsh criticism. His last writings were Die Geschichte des Leben Jesu (3 vols., Leipsic,1842-47) and Die wahre und falsche Orthodoxie (1849). From 1813 to 1822 he was editor of the Kritisches Journal der neuesten theologischen Litteratur.

(F. W. Dibelius).

Bibliography: Ch. F. v. Ammon, nach Leben, Ansichten und Wirken, Leipsic, 1850.