Alois Emanuel BIEDERMANN. — Swiss Protestant theologian, b. at Bendlikon near Winterthur on 2 March 1819, d. at Zurich on 25 January 1885. In 1837 he studied theology at Basel, then in 1839 at Berlin. In 1843 he became pastor at Mönchenstein near Basel. From 1845 to 1850 he was editor of the journal Kirche der Gegenwart; in 1850 he became associate professor and in 1860 full professor at Zurich. B. sought to harmonize the truths of religion with reason. Initially he followed the direction of Strauss; later he devoted himself especially to the study of Hegel’s philosophy, striving to associate the philosopher’s concept of God and of religion with the Christian idea. Of combative temperament, he sought to obtain legal recognition of his doctrines and to introduce a liturgy based on them, and he succeeded in Zurich, St. Gallen, Basel, Bern, etc., though arousing in the Protestant Church of his country opposing parties and lively controversies.
Principal works: Über die Persönlichkeit Gottes (1842); Die freie Theologie oder Philosophie und Christentum in Streit und Frieden (1844); Unsere junghegelsche Weltanschauung (1849); Christliche Dogmatik (1869).