HASE

hase, karl august von (1800-1890), german protestant theologian and church historian, was born at steinbach in saxony on the 25th of august 1800. he studied at leipzig and erlangen, and in 1829 was called to jena as professor of theology. he retired in 1883 and was made a baron. he died at jena on the 3rd of january 1890. hase's aim was to reconcile modern culture with historical christianity in a scientific way. but though a liberal theologian, he was no dry rationalist. indeed, he vigorously attacked rationalism, as distinguished from the rational principle, charging it with being unscientific inasmuch as it ignored the historical significance of christianity, shut its eyes to individuality and failed to give religious feeling its due. his views are presented scientifically in his _evangelisch-protestantische dogmatik_ (1826; 6th ed., 1870), the value of which "lies partly in the full and judiciously chosen historical materials prefixed to each dogma, and partly in the skill, caution and tact with which the permanent religious significance of various dogmas is discussed" (otto pfleiderer). more popular in style is his _gnosis oder prot.-evang. glaubenslehre_ (3 vols., 1827-1829; 2nd ed. in 2 vols., 1869-1870). but his reputation rests chiefly on his treatment of church history in his _kirchengeschichte, lehrbuch zunachst fur akademische vorlesungen_ (1834, 12th ed., 1900). his biographical studies, franz von assisi (1856; 2nd ed., 1892), _katerina von siena_ (1864; 2nd ed., 1892), _neue propheten_ (die jungfrau von orleans, savonarola, thomas munzer) are judicious and sympathetic. other works are: _hutterus redivivus oder dogmatik der evang.-luth. kirche_ (1827; 12th ed., 1883), in which he sought to present the teaching of the protestant church in such a way as hutter would have reconstructed it, had he still been alive; _leben jesu_ (1829; 5th ed., 1865; eng. trans., 1860); in an enlarged form, _geschichte jesu_ (2nd ed., 1891); and _handbuch der prot. polemik gegen die rom.-kath. kirche_ (1862; 7th ed., 1900; eng. trans., 1906). for his life see his _ideale und irrtumer_ (1872; 5th ed., 1894) and _annalen meines lebens_ (1891); and cf. generally otto pfleiderer, _development of theology_ (1890); f. lichtenberger, _hist. of german theology_ (1889).