AUGUSTIN BLOUDAU. — Neo-Testamentary philologist, born on 6 March 1862 at Guttstadt in East Prussia, died as Bishop of Ermland on 9 February 1930 at Frauenburg, his episcopal residence. Ordained priest in 1887, he served as chaplain at Marienwerder, obtained his doctorate in theology at Münster in 1891, and then became chaplain and, from 1894, vice-rector of the seminary at Braunsberg. Professor of New Testament exegesis at Münster from 1895, co-director of the Theologische Revue from 1907 to 1909, he was elected Bishop of Ermland on 26 November 1908 and consecrated on 20 June 1909.
Bloudau’s scientific importance lies in textual criticism of the New Testament. He published extensively on the subject and wrote notable studies on the Greek version of Daniel (1897), the Jews of Alexandria (1906), Egeria (1927), and others. Particularly noteworthy are his articles on the Comma Ioanneum (1 John 5:7b–8a), which may have contributed to the modification of the decree of the Holy Office on the “Comma Ioanneum” of 13 January 1897, which took effect on 2 June 1927.