Penzel, Klaus

About the author: Klaus Penzel, a native of Germany, studied theology at the universities of Göttingen, Zurich and Heidelberg. A recipient of an ecumenical fellowship of the World Council of Churches, he continued his studies in the history of American Christianity at Union Theological Seminary, New York, where he received his Master’s and Doctor’s degrees. He is now Professor Emeritus of church history, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, where he taught from 1962 to 1995. He is also an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

German Education of Christian Scholar Philip Schaff: The Formative Years, 1819 - 1844

2004 0-7734-6428-X
The focus of this study is Philip Schaff (1819-1893), whose life spans two continents. Born in Switzerland and educated at German universities, as an immigrant scholar he had a distinguished American career as church historian, biblical scholar, apologist of Christianity, and fervent advocate of the reunion of the Christian churches.

This book offers for the first time a scholarly exploration of Philip Schaff’s German years of education, for, as the book demonstrates, only a thorough understanding of Schaff’s formative years will enable us to do full justice to his distinguished American career. His German education largely shaped his American career.

With its broad compass and with its focus on outstanding personalities and theological positions in nineteenth-century German Protestantism, this study therefore contributes to the ongoing scholarly discussion both of a significant figure in nineteenth century American Christianity and of German Protestantism in the nineteenth century’s first half, as it contributes to the important field of immigration studies. An extensive bibliography of relevant German literature is another contribution to scholarship by this book.