Johann Georg Walch

Johann Georg Walch (17 June 1693 – 13 January 1775) was a German Lutheran theologian. Born in Meiningen, his father was Georg Walch, general superintendent. Walch studied at Leipzig and Jena Universities, marrying J. F. Buddeus's daughter. In 1716, he published *Historia critica Latinae linguae*, which became widely used. He began his academic career as an extraordinary professor of philosophy at Jena in 1718, later becoming an ordinary professor of rhetoric (1719), poetry (1721), and theology (1724). By 1728, he was an ordinary professor of theology and then professor primarius in 1730. His theological position was moderate orthodoxy, shaped by the philosophy and controversies of the Deistic era. Walch's teaching and writings covered church history, theology, ethics, and pastoral care. He died in Jena in 1775. His notable works include *Bibliotheca theologica* (1757–1765), *Bibliotheca patristica* (1770), his edition of Luther's works (1740–1752), and *Philosophisches Lexikon* (1726). His son, CWF Walch, published his biography anonymously in 1777.