Johann Wilhelm Friedrich Höfling (December 30, 1802 – April 5, 1853) was a German Lutheran theologian born in Neudrossenfeld

Neudrossenfeld

Neudrossenfeld is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany.-City arrangement:thumb|left|Church, castle and millthumb|left|Old bridge over Roter Main riverNeudrossenfeld is arranged in the following boroughs:...

, Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

.

He studied philology

Philology

Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...

 and theology

Theology

Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

 at Erlangen

Erlangen

Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....

, and following his theological exam served as a vicar in Würzburg

Würzburg

Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....

 (1823) and afterwards as a minister in Nuremberg

Nuremberg

Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...

 (1827). In 1831 he earned his doctorate in philosophy at Tübingen

Tübingen

Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...

, and in 1835 received his theological degree. In 1833 he was appointed professor of practical theology

Practical theology

Practical theology is the practical application of theology to everyday life. Richard Osmer explains that the four key questions and tasks in practical theology are:# What is going on? # Why is this going on?...

 at the University of Erlangen.

Höfling was a prominent member of the so-called "Erlangen School" within the German Neo-Lutheranism

Neo-Lutheranism

Neo-Lutheranism was a 19th century revival movement within Lutheranism which began with the Pietist driven Erweckung, or Awakening, and developed in reaction against theological rationalism and pietism...

 movement. He specialized in the field of liturgical

Liturgy

Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...

 science, and collaborated with Gottlieb Christian Harless

Gottlieb Christoph Adolf von Harless

Gottlieb Christoph Adolf von Harless , was a German Lutheran theologian.-Life:He was born at Nuremberg. As a youth, he was interested in music and poetry, and was attracted by ancient and German classical literature, especially by Jean Paul. He was indifferent to Christianity...

(1806–1879) on edition of the periodical Zeitschrift für Protestantismus und Kirche. Among his more important publications are the following:

• Das Sacrament der Taufe nebst den anderen damit zusammenhängenden Akten der Initiation, (The Sacrament of Baptism, together with other Related Acts of Initiation); (volume 1- 1846, volume 2- 1848).
• Grundsätze evangelisch-lutherischer Kirchenverfassung,(Principles of Evangelical Lutheran Faith) 1850
• Die Lehre der ältesten Kirche vom Opfer im Leben und Cultus der Christen, Zeugenverhör in einer Reihe akademischer Programme, angestellt, 1851
• Publications about Höfling:
• Johann Wilhelm Friedrich Höfling. Leben und Werk by Manfred Kiesseg, Gütersloh, Mohn 1991.