LOCH, VALENTIN. — Catholic theologian and exegete, born in Bamberg on 24 September 1813, died there on 14 June 1893. He studied theology in Bamberg and Munich. He was professor of theology at Amberg (1843–63), then of exegesis in Bamberg (1865–84), and president of the Historical Association of Bamberg (1875–83).
L. is known for the German version of Holy Scripture, prepared in collaboration with W. Reischl (4 vols., Regensburg 1851–66; reprinted there several times up to 1915).
He was also a distinguished editor of the Biblia Sacra Vulgatae editionis (4 vols., Regensburg 1849; 11th ed., there 1911); Novum Testamentum graece et latine (there 1862); Vetus Testamentum graece iuxta LXX interpretes (there 1866; 2nd ed., there 1886). He left other works on scriptural subjects, including: Materialien zu einer lateinischen Grammatik der Vulgata (Bamberg 1870). L. also edited the new edition of Ch. G. Wilke’s Lexicon Graeco-Latinum in libros Novi Testamenti (Regensburg 1858).
L.’s literary activity extended, in addition to local ecclesiastical history, to dogmatic theology; he prepared the German version of the Canones et decreta of the Council of Trent (Regensburg 1869) and of the Catechismus Romana (there 1872).