STRAUSS, DAVID FRIEDRICH (1808-74). A distinguished German theological and philo sophical writer, born at Ludwigsburg, near Stuttgart. He was educated in the evangelical seminary of Blaubouren (where F. C. Baur was then teaching), whence he passed to the University of Tubingen. Here his religious con victions became disturbed. The theories of Schelling, of Jakob Baffle, and, finally. of Sebleiermacher and Hegel successively claimed his allegiance. He left the university in 1830 to become assistant pastor of a small church and then taught in the seminary at Maul bronn. Here he remained but six months, and then went to Berlin in order to hear Schleier macher and Hegel. The death of Hegel and Sehleiermaeher's apparent lack of sympathy de termined him to quit Berlin after a very brief stay to take up the work of a `repetent' at bingen (1832). Here his lectures on Hegelianism attracted attention. His skepticism was now quite pronounced, since his view of Hegelianism, which he accepted as the final philosophy, made a miraculous Christianity impossible. His the ory of the origins of Christianity was formu lated in the work that made him famous, I)as Lebec .Jesu. leritisch bearbeitet (1835-36; Eng. trans. by George Eliot, 1816), in which he sought to explain the Gospel history on the mythical theory. The work aroused a storm of opposition, but nevertheless had a widespread influence. In consequence of his views, he was removed from his position and given a subordi nate place in the Lyceum of Ludw•igsburg. From 1836 until his death Strauss lived a somewhat wandering life, holding no position, though he had accepted, in 1839, an appointment in the University of Zurich, which position, on account of popular opposition, he had not been permitted to fill.
Because of his interest in the political agita tions of the times he was elected a member of the Wfirttemberg Diet in 1848. But he was not sufficiently radical for his constituents and so resigned. His second chief work, Die ehristliche Glaubcnslehre in How gcsehichtliehen Ruticivle lueq end i o KaMpf unit der modem'', Wissen schaft dorgestellt, was even more skeptical than his Lebo& Jesu. After the publication in 1848 of Sechs theologiseh-politisehe Volksreden Strauss turned from theological to literary criticism and biography. He wrote critical biographies of Sehubart (1849), Marklin (18511, Frischlin (1855), Ulrich von Mitten (1857, 4th ed. 1878), Ileimarns (1862), and Voltaire (1S70. 5th ed. 1877), the last a work of remarkable merit. Not until 1864 did he again turn to theology, when he published Das Lcben Jesu fiir dos deutsche rolk, following it in the next year by Die lialben mad die Gam:en and Der Christ us des and der Jesus der Gesehichte. His last work was Der ON. and der ntle (Doubt'. ein Dekeurtris (1872. 11th ed. 1881). In these last works Strauss gave up entirely the faith he once may have had in Christianity. Strauss's popularity was doubtless due as much to his clear and captivating style as to any logical force in his arguments.
His Grsammc1te Sehriften were edited with an Introduction by his friend Eduard Zeller (Bonn, 1876-78, 12 vols.). For his life, consult: Zeller. D. P. Strauss in seinen, Lebrn und seinen Sehrif ten (Bonn. 1874) ; Hausrath, D. P. Strauss and die Theologic seiner Zeit (Heidelberg. 1876-78).