Loffler, Josias Friedrich Christian

Loffler, Josias Friedrich Christian a noted German Protestant theologian, was born at Saalfeld January 18, 1752. Having lost his father in 1763, he was educated in the orphan asylum and at the University of Halle. In 1774 he went to Berlin, where he made the acquaintance of Teller, and in 1777 became minister of one of the churches of that city. He now made himself known as a writer by translating Souverail's renowned work on the Platonism of the fathers. In 1778 he went to Silesia as chaplain of a Prussian regiment, but returned at the end of a year to Berlin, where he resumed his office, devoting also part of his time to educational pursuits. In 1783 he became professor of theology at Frankfort-on-the-Oder, and minister of the principal church of that city. Here his rationalistic views made him many enemies. In 1787 he was appointed general superintendent at Gotha, but entered on this office only in the following year. The University of Copenhagen conferred on him the degree of D.D. in 1792. He died February 4, 1816. Loffler published a number of separate sermons, dissertations, and tracts, and was after 1803 the editor of the continuation of Teller's Magazia fur Predifer. See Doring, Die deutsch. Kanzelredner des 18 and 19 Jahrh. page 223; Herzog, Real- Encyklopädie, 8:451.