KEIM

keim, karl theodor (1825-1878), german protestant theologian, was born at stuttgart on the 17th of december 1825. his father, johann christian keim, was headmaster of a gymnasium. here karl theodor received his early education, and then proceeded to the stuttgart obergymnasium. in 1843 he went to the university of tubingen, where he studied philosophy under j. f. reiff, a follower of hegel, and oriental languages under heinrich ewald and heinrich meier. f. c. baur, the leader of the new tubingen school, was lecturing on the new testament and on the history of the church and of dogma, and by him in particular keim was greatly impressed. the special bent of keim's mind is seen in his prize essay, _verhaltniss der christen in den ersten drei jahrhunderten bis konstantin zum romischen reiche_ (1847). his first published work was _die reformation der reichstadt ulm_ (1851). in 1850 he visited the university of bonn, where he attended some of the lectures of friedrich bleek, richard rothe, c. m. arndt and isaak dorner. he taught at tubingen from june 1851 until 1856, when, having become a pastor, he was made deacon at esslingen, wurttemberg. in 1859 he was appointed archdeacon; but a few months later he was called to the university of zurich as professor of theology (1859-1873), where he produced his important works. before this he had written on church history (e.g. _schwabische reformationsgeschichte bis zum augsburger reichstag_, 1855). his inaugural address at zurich on the human development of jesus, _die menschliche entwicklung jesu christi_ (1861), and his _die geschichtliche wurde jesu_ (1864) were preparatory to his chief work, _die geschichte jesu von nazara in ihrer verkettung mit dem gesamtleben seines volkes_ (3 vols., 1867-1872; eng. trans., _jesus of nazareth, and the national life of israel_, 6 vols.), 1873-1882. in 1873 keim was appointed professor of theology at giessen. this post he resigned, through ill-health, shortly before his death on the 17th of november 1878. he belonged to the "mediation" school of theology. chief works, besides the above: _reformationsblatter der reichsstadt esslingen_ (1860); _ambrosius blarer, der schwabische reformator_ (1860); _der ubertritt konstantins d. gr. zum christenthum_ (1862); his sermons, _freundesworte zur gemeinde_ (2 vols., 1861-1862); and _celsus' wahres wort_ (1873). in 1881 h. ziegler published one of keim's earliest works, _rom und das christenthum_, with a biographical sketch. see also ziegler's article in herzog-hauck, _realencyklopadie_.