Ferdinand Christian Baur

Who was Ferdinand Christian Baur?

Ferdinand Christian Baur was a German Protestant theologian and founder and leader of the Tübingen School of theology. Following Hegel's theory of dialectic, Baur argued that second century Christianity represented the synthesis of two opposing theses: Jewish Christianity and Gentile Christianity. This and the rest of Baur's work had a profound impact upon higher criticism of biblical and related texts.

Adolf Hilgenfeld followed Baur's lead and edited the Tübingen School's journal, though he was less radical than Baur. A patristic scholar and philosopher at Tübingen, Albert Schwegler, gave the School's theories their most vigorous expression. The School's influence peaked in the 1840s, but was waning by the early twentieth century.

Baur's views were revolutionary, but "one thing is certain: New Testament study, since his time, has had a different colour". He had a number of followers, who in many cases modified his positions, and the groundwork laid by Baur continues to be built upon in the twenty-first century.