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    "source_title": "Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911)",
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    "chunk_id": "1911:bengel:fca699de2ba7",
    "title": "BENGEL",
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    "verified_text": "bengel, johann albrecht (1687-1752), lutheran divine and scholar, was born at winnenden in wurttemberg, on the 24th of june 1687. his father died in 1693, and bengel was educated by a friend, who became a master in the gymnasium at stuttgart. in 1703 bengel left stuttgart and entered the university of tubingen, where, in his spare time, he devoted himself specially to the works of aristotle and spinoza, and in theology to those of philipp spener, johann arndt and august franke. his knowledge of the metaphysics of spinoza was such that he was selected by one of the professors to prepare materials for a treatise _de spinosismo_, which was afterwards published. after taking his degree, bengel devoted himself to theology. even at this time he had religious doubts; it is interesting in view of his later work that one cause of his perplexities was the difficulty of ascertaining the true reading of certain passages in the greek new testament. in 1707 bengel entered the ministry and was appointed to the parochial charge of metzingen-unter-urach. in the following year he was recalled to tubingen to undertake the office of _repetent_ or theological tutor. here he remained till 1713, when he was appointed head of a seminary recently established at denkendorf as a preparatory school of theology. before entering on his new duties he travelled through the greater part of germany, studying the systems of education which were in use, and visiting the seminaries of the jesuits as well as those of the lutheran and reformed churches. among other places he went to heidelberg and halle, and had his attention directed at heidelberg to the canons of scripture criticism published by gerhard von mastricht, and at halle to c. vitringa's _anacrisis ad apocalypsin_. the influence exerted by these upon his theological studies is manifest in some of his works. for twenty-eight years--from 1713 to 1741--he was master (_klosterpraceptor_) of the _klosterschule_ at denkendorf, a seminary for candidates for the ministry established in a former monastery of the canons of the holy sepulchre. to these years, the period of his greatest intellectual activity, belong many of his chief works. in 1741 he was appointed prelate (i.e. _general superintendent_) at herbrechtingen, where he remained till 1749, when he was raised to the dignity of consistorial counsellor and prelate of alpirspach, with a residence in stuttgart. he now devoted himself to the discharge of his duties as a member of the consistory. a question of considerable difficulty was at that time occupying the attention of the church courts, viz. the manner in which those who separated themselves from the church were to be dealt with, and the amount of toleration which should be accorded to meetings held in private houses for the purpose of religious edification. the civil power (the duke of wurttemberg was a roman catholic) was disposed to have recourse to measures of repression, while the members of the consistory, recognizing the good effects of such meetings, were inclined to concede considerable liberty. bengel exerted himself on the side of the members of the consistory. in 1751 the university of tubingen conferred upon him the degree of doctor of divinity. he died after a short illness, in 1752. the works on which bengel's reputation rests as a biblical scholar and critic are his edition of the greek new testament, and his _gnomon_ or _exegetical commentary_ on the same. (a.) his edition of the greek testament was published at tubingen in 1734, and at stuttgart in the same year, but without the critical apparatus. so early as 1725, in an addition to his edition of chrysostom's _de sacerdotio_, he had given an account in his _prodromus novi testamenti graeci recte cauteque adornandi_ of the principles on which his intended edition was to be based. in preparation for his work bengel was able to avail himself of the collations of upwards of twenty",
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