VETTER, PAUL ALEXANDER

From 1868 he studied philosophy and theology at the Wilhelmsstift in Tübingen, and at the same time philology, in which he graduated there in 1872. Ordained priest in 1873, he became a tutor in the same institute in 1881; then parish priest at Weiler near Rottenburg; but he did not interrupt his studies, copying and collating Armenian manuscripts in Paris. The Kirchenväter-kommission of Berlin entrusted him with the treatment of ancient Armenian Christian writers, and in the Lehrbuch der Patrologie und Patristik (III, Mainz 1881, pp. 206-62) by J. Nirschl he dealt masterfully with Syriac and Armenian writers. In 1891 he was entrusted with the chair of introduction and exegesis of the Old Testament at Tübingen. Appointed professor, he continued to study Armenian manuscripts, making further trips to Paris and to San Lazzaro in Venice (v. MECHITARISTS), and published valuable articles Theologische Quartalschrift (v.) Oriens christianus (v.), in the early years in Rome. He had already published in Latin translation Chosroae Magni episcopi monophysitae explicatio precum Missae (Freiburg 1880). In the field of exegesis he published only one book: Metrik des Buches Job (Freiburg 1897), which at the time was important but today is of only historical value because of the overly complicated theory of the “cures.” On other biblical questions he expressed himself in articles and extensive reviews in Theol. Quartalschrift and in Biblische Zeitschrift; of value is his AHIKAR (v.) in relation to the Book of Tobit. He spoke out boldly on the occasion of the Babel-Bibel controversy, a violent and exaggerated outburst of new research into cuneiform texts, which had for too long been neglected in clarifying the historical and religious environment of Israel, with the claim that mythicism and faith in Revelation exclude one another. Less fortunate, though motivated by good intentions, was his position on the problem of the Pentateuch (v.). Emphasizing the thesis of the famous book by F. V. HUMMELA UER, FRANZ, Exegetisches zur Inspirationsfrage (Freiburg 1903), he argued that “the inerrancy conditioned by the inspired character of the Bible” does not exclude its imperfection (Unvollkommenheit) in the field of profane sciences, a thesis that Spiritus Paraclitus (v.). Associating himself with the “broad and progressive” school, as regards the Pentateuch he did not admit the argument drawn from the divine names; moreover, P for him is earlier than the prophet Amos and D earlier than the prophet Hosea. But he admitted as necessary for the salvation of the Church a “Catholic criticism of the Pentateuch,” which would in substance accept the documents supported by the critics, but reject the core of the religious evolution of Israel, advocated by Wellhausen according to rationalistic principles. The decree of the Biblical Commission on the Pentateuch (cf. Denz-U, nos. 1097-2000) arrived (27 June 1906) when V. was already on his deathbed.