Wilhelm Heitmüller was a German Protestant theologian born in Döteberg, presently a division in the town of Seelze

Seelze

Seelze is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Leine, approx. 10 km west of Hanover. Today Seelze mainly plays the role of a bedroom town for commuters working in Hanover.-Division of the town:...

.

After completing his theological studies, he attended the minister's seminary

Seminary

A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...

 at Loccum

Loccum Abbey

Loccum Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in the town of Rehburg-Loccum, Lower Saxony, near Steinhude Lake.-History:...

. In 1902 he received his habilitation at Göttingen, and in 1908 became a professor of New Testament Studies

New Testament Studies

New Testament Studies is an international peer-reviewed academic journal published by Cambridge University Press under the auspices of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas. The scope of the journal are short studies and articles on issues pertaining to the origins, history and theology of the New...

 at the University of Marburg. Later he was appointed professor at the Universities of Bonn

University of Bonn

The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...

 (1920) and Tübingen (1924).

Heitmüller was a prominent member of the Religionsgeschichtliche Schule (History of Religions

History of religions

The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious experiences and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,000 years ago in the Near East. The prehistory of religion relates to a study of religious beliefs that existed prior to the...

 School), and with Wilhelm Bousset

Wilhelm Bousset

Wilhelm Bousset was a German theologian and New Testament scholar. He was of Huguenot ancestry and a native of Lübeck....

 (1865-1920) was editor of journal Theologische Rundschau.

Selected writings

• Im Namen Jesu: eine sprach- und religionsgeschichtliche Untersuchung zum Neuen Testament, speziell zur altchristlichen Taufe (In the name of Jesus: a language and religious historical inquiry into the New Testament
  New Testament
  The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
  
  , particularly concerning Christian Baptism
  Baptism
  In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
  
  ), 1903
• Taufe und Abendmahl bei Paulus (Baptism and Eucharist
  Eucharist
  The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
  
   by St. Paul), 1903
• Vom Glauben (Of Faith), 1903, second edition 1904.
• Taufe und Abendmahl im Urchristentum (Baptism and Eucharist of the Apostolic Age
  Apostolic Age
  The Apostolic Age of the history of Christianity is traditionally the period of the Twelve Apostles, dating from the Crucifixion of Jesus and the Great Commission in Jerusalem until the death of John the Apostle in Anatolia...
  
  ), 1911