ith ever-increasing success, due not to any
attractions of manner or to the enunciation of novel or bizarre
opinions, but to the soundness of his investigations, the impartiality
of his judgments, and the clearness of his method. In 1843 he was raised
to the office of consistorial councillor, and was selected by the
university to hold the office of rector, a distinction which has not
since been conferred upon any theologian of the Reformed Church. He died
suddenly of apoplexy on the 27th of February 1859.

Bleek's works belong entirely to the departments of Biblical criticism
and exegesis. His views on questions of Old Testament criticism were
"advanced" in his own day; for on all the disputed points concerning the
unity and authorship of the books of the Old Covenant he was opposed to
received opinion. But with respect to the New Testament his position was
conservative. An opponent of the Tubingen school, his defence of the
genuineness and authenticity of the gospel of St. John is among the
ablest that have been written; and although on some minor points his
views did not altogether coincide with those of the traditional school,
his critical labours on the New Testament must nevertheless be regarded
as among the most important contributions to the maintenance of orthodox
opinions. His greatest work, his commentary on the epistle to the
Hebrews (_Brief an die Hebraer erlautert durch Einleitung, Ubersetzung,
und fortlaufenden Commentar_, in three parts, 1828, 1836 and 1840) won
the highest praise from men like De Wette and Fr. Delitzsch. This work
was abridged by Bleek for his college lectures, and was published in
that condensed form in 1868. In 1846 he published his contributions to
the criticism of the gospels (_Beitrage zur Evangelien Kritik_, pt. i.),
which contained his defence of St John's gospel, and arose out of a
review of J.H.A. Ebrard's _Wissenschaftliche Kritik der Evangelischen
Geschichte_ (1842).

After his death were published:--(1) His _Introduction to the Old
Testament_ (_Einleitung in das Alte Testament_), (3rd ed., 1869); Eng.
trans. by G.H. Venables (from 2nd ed., 1869); in 1878 a new edition
(the 4th) appeared under the editorship of J. Wellhausen, who made
extensive alterations and additions; (2) his _Introduction to the New
Testament_ (3rd ed., W. Mangold, 1875), Eng. trans. (from 2nd German
ed.) by William Urwick (1869, 1870); (3) his _Exposition of the First
Three Gospels_ (_Syn