Walch, Johann Georg
WALCH, JOHANN GEORG (1693-1775). German theologian, was born on the 17th of June 1693 at Meiningen, where his father, Georg Walch, was general superintendent. He studied at Leipzig and Jena, amongst his teachers being J. F. Buddeus (1667-1729), whose only daughter he married. He published in 1716 a work, Historia critica Latinae linguae, which soon came into wide use. Two years later he became professor extraordinarius of philosophy at Jena. In 1719 he was appointed professor ordinarius of rhetoric, in 1721 of poetry, and in 1724 professor extraordinarius of theology. In 1728 he became professor ordinarius of theology, and in 1750 professor primarius. His theological position was that of a very moderate orthodoxy, which had been influenced greatly by the philosophy and controversies of the Deistic period. His university lectures and published works ranged over the wide fields of church history in its various branches, particularly the literature and the controversies of the church, dogmatics, ethics and pastoral theology. He died on the 13th of January 1775.
Of his works the most valuable were Bibliotheca Oteologica (1757- 1765); Bibliotheca patristica (1770, new ed. 1834); his edition of Luther's works in 24 vois. (1740-1752); Historische and theologtsche Einleittmg in die religiosen Streitigkeiten, lueiche sonderltch ausser der ev -luthenschen Kirche entstanden (5 vols., 1733 ff.); the companion work to this, Einleitung in die Religionsstrettigkeiten dsr evangel, luth. Kirche (1730-1739), and Philosophises Lexikon (1726, 4th ed 1775). His life, with a complete list of his writings, which amounted to 287, Leben und Charakter des Kirchenraths J. G. Walch, was published anonymously by his son C. W. F. Walch (Jena, 1777)- Cf. Wilhelm Gass, Protestantische Dogmatik, iii. p. 205 sq.
His son, JOHANN ERNST IMMANUEL (1725-1778), studied Semitic languages at Jena, and also natural science and mathematics. In 1749 he published Einleitung in die Harmonic der ' Walafrid also edited Thetmar's Life of Louis the Pious, prefixing a preface and making a few additions, and divided Einhard s Vtla Caroli into chapters, adding an introduction.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
