Hitzig, Ferdinand

Hitzig, Ferdinand a German exegetical scholar, was born at Hauingen, in Baden, June 23, 1807. He studied at Heidelberg and Halle, commenced his academical career at the former place in 1830, accepted a call to Zurich in 1832, went again in 1861 to Heidelberg as Umbreit's successor, and died January 22, 1875. At Zurich Hitzig publicly announced himself in favor of calling Strauss. Though on the one hand a man without fear or hypocrisy, and on the other of a polemic temperament and caustic wit, which seemed to exclude personal piety and gentleness, yet Hitzig was of a pious nature, and not only loved the Old Test., but sought to serve the kingdom of God by his investigations. He enjoyed the esteem of his colleagues and friends, and even of his opponents. We can adopt the words of Keim, in the. dedication of his History of Jesus (2d ed. January 1875): "To the memory of F. Hitzig, the honest man without fear, the faithful friend without deceit, the pride of Zurich and Heidelberg, the bohl, restless architect of Biblical science." Hitzig's earliest and by far the best work is his Uebersetzung und

Auslegung des Propheten Jesaia (Heidelberg, 1833); his other works are, Die Psalmen, historischer und kritischer Commentar (1835-36, 2 volumes; new ed. 1863-65): — Ueber Johannes Markus und seine Schriften (Zurich, 1843): — Urgeschichte und Mythologie der Philistder (Leipsic, 1845): — Die Spruche Salomo's (Zurich, 1858): — Die wolf kleinen Propheten (3d ed. 1863): — Jeremiah (1841; 2d ed. 1866): — Ezechiel (1847): — Ecclesiastes (eod.): — Daniel (1850): — Das. Hohelied (1855): — Hiob (1874): — Geschichte des Volkes Israel (Leipsic, 1869). As to the value of Hitzig's commentaries and history, says Kamphausen, "If I am not mistaken, it was a want of common-sense which prevented this gifted and truthloving investigator to such a remarkable degree from becoming an exemplary exegete and a trustworthy historian. Ewald was fully justified when he complained that Hitzig made that which was beautiful and tender in Solomon's song disagreeable and repulsive; that he, in an almost incredible manner, declared the first nine chapters of the Proverbs to have been the last composed, etc. But, in spite of this, Hitzig will always have a place of prominence among his contemporaries, and his works will for a long time remain a fountain of instruction and quickening to many." Hitzig also contributed to Schenkel's Bibel-Lexikon, to the Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenldndischen Gesellschaft, and other periodicals. See Kneuker, in Protestantische Kirchenzeitung (1875, col. 181-188); Weech, in Badische Biographien, 1:377-380 (Heidelberg, 1875); Diestel, Geschichte des Alten Testaments in der christl. Kirche (Jena, 1869); Kamphausen, in Plitt-Herzog's Real-Encyklop. s.v.; Lichtenberger, Encyclop. des Sciences Religienses, s.v. (B.P.)