Hoffmann, Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm

Hoffmann, Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm general superintendent of Brandenburg, was born October 30, 1806, in Leonberg, Wurtemberg. His father was the founder of the religious colony at Kornthal (1819), and his brother, Christoph, was the originator of a movement for the colonization of Palestine. Hoffmann studied at Tubingen, where David Strauss was his fellow-student; was in 1829 vicar at Heumaden, near Stuttgart, in 1834 at Stuttgart, and accepted, in 1839, a call to Basle as inspector of the Mission Institute. He remained there for twelve years, giving himself up with great enthusiasm to his duties and to the study of the history of missions. During this period he published, Missionsstunden und Vortrage (Stuttgart, 1847, 1851, 1853): — Missionsfragen (Heidelberg, 1847): — Die Epochen der Kirchengeschichte Indien's (1853): — Die christl. Literatur als Werkzeug der Mission (eod.). From Basle he passed to Tubingen as professor; and, in 1852, he accepted the call of Frederick William, IV as courtpreacher to Berlin. He exerted a greater influence over the king of Prussia than any other man, in favor of ecclesiastical union. Hoffmann was an indefatigable worker, and was very influential as an evangelical preacher, sympathizing with the theology of Bengel. He died August 28, 1873. He published a number of volumes of sermons under the title, Ruf zum Herrn (Berlin, 1854-58, 8 volumes), and Ein Jahr der Gnade in Christo (1864): — Die Posaune Deutschlands (1861-63): — Die gottliche Stufenordsung im Alten Testamsent (1854). He also contributed largely to the first edition of Herzog, etc. See Plitt-Herzog, Real-Encyklop. s.v.; Lichtenberger, Encyclop. des Sciences Religienses, s.v.; Zuchold, Bibl. Theol. 1:572 sq.; Leben und Wirken des Dr. L. Fr. W. Hoffmann (Berlin, 1878, written by his son Karl). (B.P.)