Jan Hendrik Scholten (born Johannes Heinrich Scholten, 17 August 1811, Vleuten – 10 April 1885, Leiden), Dutch Protestant theologian, was born at Vleuten near Utrecht. [1]
After studying at Utrecht University, he was appointed professor of theology in 1840 at Franeker. [2] From Franeker in 1843 he went to Leiden as professor extraordinarius, and in 1845 was promoted to the rank of ordinarius. Through Scholten, Abraham Kuenen became interested in theology; Scholten was not then the radical theologian he became later. The two scholars in course of time created a movement resembling that of the Tübingen School in Germany. [3] From his theology there "began to rise a different type of spirit, the spirit of absolute antisupernaturalism of the German idealistic kind." [2]
Pursuing first the study of dogmatic theology and the philosophy of religion, Scholten published a work on the Principles of the Theology of the Reformed Church (2 vols, 1848–1850, 4th ed. 1861–1862). He then gave special attention to the New Testament, and wrote A Critical Study of the Gospel of John (1864, in German 1867). [4]
Scholten's other works include:
An account of his theological development is given in Afscheidsrede bij het Neerleggen van het Hoogleeraarsambt (1881), and in the biography written by A Kuenen, Levensbericht van J. Henricus Scholten (1885). [4]
He became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1856. [5]