PFAFF, CHRISTOPHER MATTHEW, born at Stuttgard in 1686 ; was in 1699 admitted bachelor in the University of Tubingen, where his father was professor of theology. In 5702 he pronounced a discourse in Samaritan before the administrators of the theological school. At eighteen he began to preach and give lessons in theology. He after wards travelled in Germany, Holland, and Eng land, at the expense of the Duke of Wurtemberg ; and extended his knowledge by intercourse with Rabbis and other learned men, from one of whom he acquired the Ethiopic language. Being appointed to travel with the hereditary Prince of Wurtemberg as his tutor and almoner, he received holy orders at Stuttgard in 5708, and accompanied the prince to Turin, where he drew out of their obscurity several important MSS., some of which he copied. On his return from his travels, honours and dignities —both civil and ecclesiastical—were showered upon him. He died in 5760 Chancellor of the University of Giessen, and Dean of the Faculty of Theology.
His erudition was immense, and his works so nu merous that they fill a whole sheet of the German bibliographies. 1. The Bible known among the German Protestants as the Bible of Tiibingen, was published under his direction in one volume folio, in 1729. He also published, in 1709-2. Disser tatio de Genuine librorum Novi Testament: lectionibus, Amsterdam 1709, in 8vo. His other works do not bear directly on Biblical literature. Among them may be mentioned-3. Demonstrations Solider de la virite de in Religion Protestante coati e la religion pretendue Catholique, Tubingen 1713, 1719. 4. Institutiones Theologica dogmaticce et morales, Tubingen 1719, 8vo, Francfort 1721, 8vo. 5. Institutiones historic ecclesiasticee, Tubingen 1721, 8vo, and a second enlarged edition in 1727, Svo—a concise and methodical abridgment. 6. Dissertatio de pact° inter Deum Patrenz et Filium a Itea'ovico lllolino conficto, Tubingen 1726-27.—M. H.