BISPING, AUGUST. — German Catholic exegete, b. at Albersloh on 11 May 1811, d. at Münster on 17 March 1884. Ordained a priest in 1836, he was Privatdozent at the Theological Academy of Münster, extraordinary professor in 1850, ordinary professor in 1855, and rector of the Academy in the years 1861–62 and 1875–76.
He was the first of the modern Catholic exegetes to comment on the whole New Testament: first the Epistles of s. Paolo (3 vols.), then the Gospels and the Acts (4 vols.); finally the Catholic Epistles and the Apocalypse (2 vols.). These nine volumes, published in various years and editions, constitute his Exegetisches Handbuch zum N. T. (Münster 1854–76).
B.’s exegesis is not particularly distinguished for its originality, and lacks depth of thought in passages of some doctrinal importance. Particular reservations have been expressed concerning his commentary on the Apocalypse. But brevity, clarity, and method of exposition are the work’s principal merits, and recommend it for its practical value.