BAUMGARTEN-CRUSIUS, bourn/Or-ten kri'Vze-us. LUDWIG FRIEDRICH OTTO ( 17SS- 1843) • A Berman theologian. He was horn at Merse burg, July 31, 1758, and died at Jena, May 31, 1843. He studied theology at Leipzig, and in 1810 became university preacher. In 1812 he was appointed professor extraordinary of theology at Jena, in 1817 full professor of theology, and always distinguished himself as a champion of religions liberty, on behalf of which he wrote various treatises. In 1820 appeared his Intro duction to the Study of Dogmatics (Leipzig, 1820), a work of considerable originality and wealth of thought. cianplete exhibitions of his opinions are to be found in his llunuul of Christian Ethics (Leipzig, 1526) ; Outlines of Biblical Theology (Jena, 1828) ; and Outlines Protestant Dogmatics (Jena, 1830). In 1831-32 he published a Text-hoof,: of the History of Doc trines: in 1834, a work on Schleiermacher, His Alethod of Thought, and llis Value; and also Considerations on Certain Writings of Liruien miat.s. After his death, Kimmel published the
whole of his exegetical preleetions on the Gospels and Pauline Epistles, and H. Hase completed from his notes his Gompendium der ohristlichen Dogntengeschiehlc (2 vols., Leipzig, 1840-46).
Baumgarten was conspicuous for the breadth and solidity of his learning, the originality of his spirit, and the acuteness of his understanding, but was nevertheless deficient in clear and vivid expression. He attached himself to no school, theological or philosophical. At an early period lie had been greatly influenced by the meta physics of Schelling, from which, however, he ultimately emancipated himself. His thinking was to a certain extent rationalistic, but ou the whole approached more closely to the direction of the spiritual Schleiermacher.