KEIL, JOHANN FRIEDRICH KARL: German
Protestant exegete; b. at Lauterbach near Ölsnitz
(25 m. s.w. of Zwickau), Saxony, Feb. 26, 1807; d.
at Rödlitz (8 m. s.e. of Glauchau), Saxony, May 5,
1888. He studied theology in Dorpat and Berlin,
and in 1833 accepted a call to the theological faculty
of Dorpat, where he labored for twenty-five
years as docent and professor of Old- and New-Testament
exegesis and Oriental languages. With Sartorius,
Busch, later Philippi, Theodosius, Harnack
and Kurtz, he educated for the Baltic provinces a
generation of preachers who faithfully adhered to
the confession of the Church. In 1859 he settled at
Leipsic, where he devoted himself to literary work
and to the practical affairs of the Lutheran Church.
In 1887 he removed to Rödlitz, continuing there his
literary activity until his death. He belonged to the
strictly orthodox and conservative school of Hengstenberg.
Ignoring almost entirely modern criticism,
all his writings represent the view that the
books of the Old and New Testaments are to be retained
as the revealed word of God. Till the very
last he regarded the modern development of German
theological science as a passing phase of error.
His chief work is the commentary on the Old Testament
(4 vols. in 14, Leipsic,1861-75; Eng. transl.,
25 vols., Edinburgh, 1864-78), which he undertook
with Franz Delitzsch. To this work he contributed
commentaries on all the books from Genesis
to Esther inclusive, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and
the minor prophets. He also published commentaries
on Maccabees (Leipsic,1875), Matthew (1877),
Mark and Luke (1879), John (1881), Peter and Jude
(1883), and Hebrews (1885). Other works are: Der
Tempel Salomos (Dorpat, 1839); Einleitung in die
kanonischen Schriften des Alten Testaments (Frankfort,
1853; 3d ed., 1873; Eng. transl., 2 vols.,
Manual of Historico-Critical Introduction to . . .
The O. T., Edinburgh, 1870); and Handbuch der
biblischen Archäologie (1858-59; 2d. ed., 1875; Eng.
transl., Manual of Biblical Archæology, 2 vols.,
Edinburgh, 1887-88).
(W. J. KEIL.)
KEIM, KARL THEODOR: German historical
theologian; b. at Stuttgart Dec. 17, 1825;
d. at Giessen Nov. 17, 1878. He studied theology
from 1843 to 1847 at Tübingen, devoting himself
with special zeal to Oriental Ianguages, and being
influenced by F. C. Baur. He was tutor in the
family of Count Sontheim, 1848-50; in 1850 continued
his studies at Bonn; was lecturer at Tübingen,
1851-55; pastor in Esslingen, Württemberg,
1856-59. From 1860 to 1873 he was professor of
historical theology at the University of Zurich, and
from 1873 until shortly before his death, when ill
health compelled his resignation, held a corresponding
position at Giessen. The three years of preaching
and pastoral labor at Esslingen, of which a
memorial exists in
Freundesworte zur Gemeinde,
a collection of sermons (Stuttgart, 1861), show him to
have been an eloquent and edifying preacher; but
he was essentially a scholar. His chief importance
for Evangelical theology lies in the sphere of history,
especially in the investigation and scientific
establishment of the historical foundations of
Christian faith. After his first theological examination
he published a prize essay,
Verhältnis der Christen
in den ersten drei Jahrhunderten bis Konstantin
zum römischen Reiche (1848). The Revolution of
1848 caused him to leave Tübingen and return to
his native city where he occupied himself first with
the study of primitive Christianity, but soon turned
to the history of the Reformation, especially in
Swabia. In the latter field he published:
Die Reformation
der Reichsstadt Ulm (Stuttgart, 1851);
Schwäbische Reformationsgeschichte bis zum Augsburger
Reichstag (Tübingen, 1855);
Ambrosius
Blarer (Stuttgart, 1860);
Reformationsblätter der
Reichsstadt Esslingen (Esslingen, 1860). His historical
investigations show scientific earnestness and
great freedom from prejudice combined with a deep
insight into the character of the Reformers as
Thinkers upon the great religious and political
questions of the time. At Zürich Keim devoted
himself exclusively to the study of primitive Christianity.
His special effort was to explain the
development of the Christian Church from its apostolic
origin up to its conquest over the old faith
and the military power of the Roman Empire,
and to give a scientific representation of the
historic origin of our faith, the history of Jesus.
The results along the first of these two lines are set
forth especially in:
Die römischen Toleranzedikte für
das Christentum und ihr geschichtlicher Wert and
Bedenken gegen die Echtheit des hadrianischen
Christenreskripts (in
Theologische Jahrbücher, 1852,
1856);
Der Uebertritt Konstantins des Grossen zum
Christentum (Zurich, 1862);
Celsus' Wahres Wort
(ib. 1873);
Aus dem Urchristentum. Geschichtliche
Untersuchungen in zwangloser Folge (ib. 1878); and
Rom und das Christentum (Berlin, 1881). In regard
to the origin of our faith he wrote:
Die menschliche
Entwickelung Jesu Christi (Zürich, 1861),
Die
geschichtliche Würde Jesu (ib. 1864); he then republished
the two just named, with a new lecture,
under the caption,
Der geschichtliche Christus (ib.
1865); then followed his greatest works,
Die Geschichte
Jesu von Nazara in ihrer Verkettung mit
dem Gesammtleben seines Volkes frei untersucht und
ausführlich erklärt (3 vols., ib. 1867-72; Eng. transl..
The History of Jesus of Nazareth, 6 vols., London,
1873-82). In order to give his views a wider currency,
Keim published
Die Geschichte Jesu nach den
Ergebnissen heutiger Wissenschaft für weitere Kreise
übersichtlich erzählt (1874, 1875). Although he emphasized
chiefly the human side in Christ, he can
not be called a "Unitarian." While minimizing the
miraculous element in Christianity, and in spite of
the most concrete conception of the human limitations
and development of its founder, he considered
Jesus not only the greatest upon earth, but the Son
"in whom the Father reveals himself." In his criticism
of the historical sources he starts from Paul,
whose epistles he regards as the firm basis for
Evangelical history and the decisive test for judging
all other events; and in this criticism he proceeds
entirely according to objective points of view,
unhampered by any dogmatic theory of inspiration.
He rejected the fourth Gospel; among the synoptic
Gospels he gave the preference to Matthew, which,
according to him, originated as early as 68 and is
distinguished by primitive simplicity and absence
of preconceived notions, showing only slight traces
of revision. Luke, according to Keim, obscured
the simple representation of Matthew by his mediating Pauline standpoint. Mark wrote in the interest
of a world-embracing universalism, changing
the picture of Jesus in Matthew by omitting
the most important speeches wherever they clash
with his theory. Keim's work shows rare scientific
solidity and deep penetration, and holds a
position in the literature of the life of Jesus
which can not be neglected even by those who
do not share his rationalistic standpoint.
(H. ZIEGLER.)
