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* RITSCHL. 166 RITTENHOTJSE. March 20. 1889. Ritschl ranks high both as an historian and as an exegete, but he is most widely known as a theologian. His tlu>olof;y was of the subjective type. He- was tilled with a desire to know the essence of Christianity apart from what he termed its 'ac- cidents." Man and his spiritual needs became the centre of his system. He claimed that the tirst prerequisite of theological culture was a clear understanding of the Christian idea of reconcilia- tion, and this, with the accompanying doctrine of justification, was at one time the burden of his teaching. His thought, however, may be said to have been in a state of continual flux. He passed through eveiy stage of current religious thought, and, though widely learned, he had no sense of pro])ortion in doctrine. Yet he furnished a rare fund of suggestion to his pupils, and. espe- cially in his later years at Guttingen, gathered about him a circle of enthusiastic and devoted disciples. Aside from lectures, addresses, ser- mons, and numerous reviews, Ritschl's most im- portant publications were: Die Entstehuny der altkaiholischcn Kirche (1850: 2d ed. 1857); Ueber das Verlmltnis dps Bekeiuitnisses zur Kirche (1854) ; Die christliche Lehre von der RechtfertigiDig iind der Yersohnung (1870- 74: 3d ed. 1888-89: Eng. trans. 1872-l!tOO): ^clilcirniiachcni Eeden iiber die Religion iintl Hire Xnchii-irlning auf die ecangelische Kirche Deiifschhinds (1874); Vnterricht in der christ- licU-n Religion (1875: 5th ed. 1895); Ge- schichte des Pietism us (1880-86); Theologie und MctaijhgKik (1881); Fid^s Implicita (1890). Two voiumcs of Gesammelfe Aufsdtze were pub- lished after his death (1893-96). The RiTscHLiAN School of Theology grew out of, but does not uniformly reflect, the teaching of Ritschl. Strictly speaking, it is a movement rather than a school, and it has been aptly de- scribed as an organic evolution. Its develop- ment is incomplete and there is wide divergence of views among its members. It may be de- scribed from one point of view as Christianity apart from creeds and from another as theistic altruism. Its watchwords are : " Theolog>' with- out metaphysics" and ''From ethics to religion." Like Ritschl. it resents the metaphysical nomen- clature in which the great Christian verities have been expressed, and also claims that men should first be incited to work in the kingdom of God and thus reach out from that vantage ground to the religious thought of the kingdom. It claims that preaching should be disburdened of such doctrines as the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Atonement, and that the gospel miracles, the resurrection of .Jesus Christ, and the unpleasant fact of sin should be thrust into the background of all teaching, so as not to keep men of intelli- gence and culture from embracing Christianity. The tendency of the movement is away from over- defining and in favor of great liberty and elas- ticity of thought and expression. The Ritschlians attempt, by surrendering the supernatural ele- ment in religion, as a concession to modern crit- ical thought, and by abandoning all discus- sions of metaphysical questions in theology, to save belief in Christ and in human re- demption as "judgments of worth or value," ■which, though not actually capable of theoretic proof, are yet the very essence of religious life and knowledge. The move- ment is widespread and influential ; its disciples hold chairs in the principal German universities; the spirit of their teaching has penetrated Conti- nental theology and made its influence felt widely in England and America. Bibliography. The life of Ritschl has been written by his son. Otto Ritschl, professor at Bonn (F'reiburg, 1892-90). Works treating of his teaching and the Ritsehlian school are numerous; the following may be mentioned, most of which contain extensive bibliographies: Pflei- derer. Die Ritselilsche Theologie kritisch beleuch- let (Brunswick, 1891); Schoen, Les oriyincs liistoriqiics de la theologie de Ritschl (Paris, 1893) : Mielke, Dos Si/stein Albrccht Ritschls (Bonn, 1894) ; Denny, Studies in Theology (Lon- don, 1894) ; Orr, The Ritsehlian Theology and the Ecangelical Faith (Xew York, 1899) ; Swing, The Theology of Albrecht Ritschl. with Instruc- tion in the Christian Religion, translated from the 4th German edition (ib., 1901) ; Brown, The Essence of Christianity (ib., 1902) ; Garvie, The Ritsehlian Theology, Critical and Constructive (ib., 1902). RITSCHL, Friedkich Wilhelm (1800-70). A German philologist. He was born at Gross- vargula, in Thuringia. April 6, 1806. He stud- ied at Leipzig under Hermann, and from 1826 to 1829 at Halle. In 1833 he was called to Breslau as extraordinary professor. In 1834 he became full professor, and he spent the winter and spring of 1836-37 on a tour through Italy. In 1839 he went to Bonn as professor of clas- sical literature and rhetoric. His first literary works were devoted to the Greek grammarians, as the edition of Thomas Magister (Halle, 1832), the treatise De Oro et Orione (1834). and the Die Alexandrinisehen Bibliotheken und die 8amm- lung der Homerischen Gedichte durch Pisistratus (1838). prove: but by far his greatest work is his edition of Plautus" (1848-53). Subsequently he devoted himself to a systematic treatment of Latin inscriptions, with the view of illustrating the history of the Latin language, and published a long series of epigraphical studies, followed in 1862 by his monumental folio Priscce Lutinitatis Monutnenta Epigraphica. He died November 8, 1876. His life has been written by Ribbeck (2 vols., Leipzig, 1879-81) and Midler (Berlin 1877). RIT'SON, Joseph (1752-1803). An English antiquary, born at Stockton-on-Tees. He studied law, and practiced as conveyancer. Afterwards he was appointed high bailiff of the liberty of the Savoy (1784), a position he held for life. He was a man of learning, but of peculiar disposi- tion, and a savage critic. Warton. .Johnson, Steevens, Malone, Bishop Percy, Pinkerton, and others were the subjects of his bitter pen. His works include: Observations on Warton's Three First Volumes of the History of English Poetry (1782) : Cursory Criticisms (1792) ; Bibliograph- iea Poetica: a Catalogue of English Poets of the XII.-XVII. Centuries (1802)"; Ancient Eng- lish Metrical Romances (1802) : and several col- lections and anthologies. Consult : Haslewood, .S'ome Account of the Life and Publications of the late Joseph Ritson, Esq. (1824), and Nicholas, Letters of Joseph Ritson, Esq., icith a Memoir (1833). RIT'TENHOUSE, D.vid (1732-96). An American astronomer and maker of astronomical