Johann Heinrich Heidegger facts for kids
Johann Heinrich Heidegger (born July 1, 1633 – died July 18, 1698) was a famous Swiss theologian. A theologian is someone who studies religion and God. He was born in a place called Bäretswil in the Canton of Zürich.
Contents
A Life of Learning and Teaching
Early Studies and First Jobs
Johann Heinrich Heidegger started his studies at the University of Marburg and then at the University of Heidelberg. At Heidelberg, he became good friends with J. L. Fabricius. He was soon made a special professor of Hebrew. Later, he became a professor of philosophy.
In 1659, he moved to Steinfurt. There, he became a professor of dogmatics (the study of religious beliefs) and ecclesiastical history (the history of the church). In the same year, he earned his doctor's degree in theology from Heidelberg.
Returning to Switzerland
In 1660, Heidegger visited Switzerland again. He married Elisabeth von Duno. The next year, he traveled to Holland. There, he met another important theologian named Johannes Cocceius.
Heidegger returned to Zürich in 1665. He was chosen to be a professor of moral philosophy at the University of Zurich. Just two years later, he took over the theology chair at the University. He kept this important job until he passed away. He even turned down offers to teach at other famous universities like Leiden and Groningen.
Important Work and Writings
The Helvetic Consensus
Heidegger played a key role in writing the Formula Consensus Helvetica in 1675. This document was meant to bring the Swiss Reformed churches closer together. However, it actually caused some disagreements instead. Wilhelm Gass, another scholar, called Heidegger the most important Swiss theologian of his time.
His Published Works
Heidegger wrote many books and papers. His writings often discussed different religious ideas. They were mostly aimed at the Roman Catholic Church. However, his writings were not harsh or mean-spirited.
One of his important works was Historia papatus (History of the Papacy), published in 1684. He also wrote Exercitationes biblicae (Biblical Exercises) in 1700. His own life story, called Historia vitae J. H. Heideggeri, came out in 1698.
Today, his Handbook of the Bible is being translated. You can even find parts of it online.
