BAUMGARTEN, SIEGMUND JAKOB. - Protestant theologian, called by Voltaire “the crown of German scholars.” Born at Wolmirstädt, near Magdeburg, on 14 March 1706; died at Halle on 4 July 1757.
In 1724 he studied at Halle, where in 1726 he became inspector of the Latin school and in 1734 ordinary professor of theology. He was an extraordinarily active man and an almost universal writer in the field of theology, despite his frail health. In his doctrine he endeavoured to take account of the results of the natural sciences, historical criticism, and empirical philosophy, thus preparing the transition from Protestant Pietist dogmatic theology to the theology known as that of “enlightenment,” that is, to rationalistic tendencies. He is distinguished by the clarity and acuteness of his definitions, as well as by the breadth of his learning.
The most important works of B. were published after his death by his disciple J. S. Semler of Altorf.
Worthy of mention are: Evangelische Glaubenslehre (3 vols., Halle 1759–60); Ausführlicher Vortrag der theologischen Moral (ibid. 1764); Geschichte der Religionsparteien (ibid. 1766).