Lampe, Frederic Adolphus

, a German protestant divine, was born at Dethmold, in the county of La Lippe, in Westphalia, Feb. 19, 1683. After being taught the learned languages at Bremen, he studied at Franeker and Utrecht, and fixing on divinity as a profession, became the pupil of Campejus, Vitringa, and other eminent lecturers of that period. His theological course being completed, he officiated successively in the churches of Weezen, Tenteburgh, and Bremen. In 1709 he officiated as second pastor at the latter place, and in 1719 was appointed first pastor. In 1720 he accepted the office of theological professor at Utrecht, but was not constituted minister of the church, as the author of his funeral eloge seems to intimate. His only duty was to preach each alternate Sunday in German, and besides this he held no ecclesiastical function. In 1726 he was appointed professor of church history, but the year following he was again invited to Bremen, where he was not only made ordinary professor of divinity, but rector of the college, and pastor of the church. These honours, however, he enjoyed for no long time, being cut off by a haemorrhage, in the forty-sixth year of his age, Dec. 8, 1729, and at a time when his health, which had been injured while at Utrecht, seemed to be re-established.

Professor Lampe was a man of great learning in ecclesiastical history and antiquities, and published various works which procured him a high reputation among his contemporaries. Thirty-one articles are enumerated by Burman, which were published some in Latin and some in German. His first publication was “De Cymbalis veterum libri tres,” Utrecht, 1703, 12mo, a work, says Dr. Burne}', of great learning and research, and containing much precious information for a classical antiquary. Another of his works was an excellent compendium of church history, entitled “Synopsis historiae sacrx et ecclesiasticse, ab origine mundi ad prcesentia tempora, secundum seriem periodorum deductae,” Utrecht, 1721, 12mo, of which a third edition appeared in 1735. This book is not uncommon in this country, and was used by Dr. Doddridge as the ground work of his course of lectures on ecclesiastical history, and | its a text book for his students. His other works consist of sermons, and commentaries on various parts of holy writ, the most considerable of which is his commentary on the gospel of St. John, “Commentarius Analytico-exegeticus evangelii secundum Joannem,” Amst. 1724, and 1725, 3 vols. 4to. Fabricius pronounces this a very learned work. It was afterwards translated into German. As professor Lampe obtained very early reputation for learning, Klefeker has given him a place in his “Bibliotheca eruditorum praecocium.” ¹