FELTEN, Joseph. – Exegete: scholar of modern New Testament criticism, b. at Düren on 9 Feb. 1851, d. at Bonn on 11 Dec. 1929. Professor from 1877 of theology at St. Cuthbert’s College, Ushaw, near Durham; from 1888 of exegesis at Bonn; retired in 1921.
His principal work is: Neotestamentliche Zeitgeschichte oder Judentum und Heidentum zur Zeit Christi und der Apostel (2 vols., Regensburg 1910; 2nd ed. 4 vols. 1925; Italian trans., 4 vols., Turin 1913 and 1944). Its appearance was hailed as a work destined to become a classic (cf. J. Lebreton, in Revue pratique d’apologétique, 10 (1926), pp. 379–80), but in the 2nd ed. he failed to add new research (cf. J. Lebreton, in Recherches de science religieuse, 16 (1926), pp. 546–48). It nevertheless retains its high value. Also worthy of note are: Papst Gregor IX. (Regensburg 1886); Robert Grosseteste, Bischof von Lincoln (4th ed. 1887); Die Apostelgeschichte (Freiburg im Br. 1892); Die zwei Briefe des hl. Petrus und der Judasbrief (Regensburg 1929).