Lesser, Friedrich Christian

Lesser, Friedrich Christian a German theologian, was born May 29,1692, at Nordhausen. In early life he manifested a desire for the knowledge of natural history, and in this department he afterwards distinguished himself greatly. In 1712 he entered the University of Halle, to study medicine, but soon altered his plan, and entered on the study of theology, by the advice of the learned theological professor Francke. He finished his theological studies at the University of Leipsic, and became pastor of a Church in his native city in 1716; in addition to it, he assumed in 1724 the supervision of the Orphan House. In 1739 he became pastor at the collegiate church of St. Martin, and in 1743 of St. Jacob's Church. He died Sept. 17,1754. Besides his works on natural history, in some of which he endeavored to combine natural history with theology, e.g. Theology of Stones (Lithotheologia, Hamb. 1735, 8vo);

Theology of Insects (De sapientia, omnipotentia et providentia ex partibus insectoruen cognoscenda, etc., Nordh. 1735, 8vo), etc., he left productions of a theological character, of which a complete list is given by Doring in his Gelehrt. Theol. Deutschlands, 2:287 sq.