P r e f a c e .

The unique character of this biblical dogmatics Biblical Dogmatics is a branch of theology that aims to systematically organize the religious teachings and doctrines found within the Bible. At the time of this writing, De Wette was helping to shift this field from a purely devotional study to a critical, historical discipline. lies partly in the method of historical investigation Ausmittelung: a term referring to the process of ascertaining or "working out" historical truths through critical inquiry, and partly in the philosophical perspective. Regarding the latter, the author can only count on the agreement of the few who have not shied away from the effort of following the deep, rigorous research of that philosopher whom the author has chosen as his guide. From these few, as well as from Fries Jakob Friedrich Fries (1773–1843) was a philosopher and colleague of De Wette. He argued that religious faith is based on "Ahnung" (presentiment or aesthetic feeling) rather than purely rational proof, a concept De Wette integrated into his theology. himself, I can only expect a judgment regarding the correctness of the application of the adopted philosophical principles to this type of subject matter.