Matthes

Matthes KARL, a Lutheran minister in the duchy of Altenburg, in Germany, was born Dec. 26, 1811, at Eisenberg. His early studies were pursued at the lyceum of his native town, and in 1830 he entered the University of Jena as a student of theology. After completing his studies in 1833, he spent several years in the capacity of family tutor and as a teacher, and finally, in 1843, became the pastor of Ober-Arnsdorf. In 1864 he was transferred to Bornshain, where he died suddenly July 3, 1865. Matthes possessed in a rare degree the love and esteem of his acquaintances, who applied to him the saying of Luther, "He lived what we preach." His ripe culture, theological knowledge, and penetrating judgment find expression in his works, which comprise a Leben Philip Melancthon's (of which a second edition appeared in 1846) and a Vergleichende Symbolik (published in 1854). In the latter year he assumed the publication of the Allgemeine kirchliche Chronik, a brief but comprehensive annual, reviewing important matters in the field of Church and theology.