HEIDEGGER, John Henry (1633-1698), theologian, was born at Bärentschweil, in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, on July 1, 1633. He began his studies in his native country, and completed them at Marburg and Heidelberg. Becoming doctor of philosophy at the latter university, he soon afterwards was appointed professor extraordinarius of Hebrew, and later of philosophy. From Heidelberg he was in 1659 summoned to Steinfurt to fill the chair of theology and ecclesiastical history, and in the same year he became doctor of theology of Heidelberg. In 1660 he revisited Switzerland; and, after marrying, he travelled in the following year over Holland. The war at this time having dispersed the students from Steinfurt, Heidegger returned in 1665 to Zurich, where he was immediately elected professor of moral philosophy. Two years later he succeeded Hottinger in the chair of theology, which he occupied till his death, January 15, 1698. Heidegger was the principal author of the Formula Consensus Helvetica in 1675, which was designed to unite the Swiss Reformed churches, but had an opposite effect.

His writings are largely controversial, and are in great part levelled against the Roman Catholic Church. The chief are Be IIistοriα sacra Patriarcharum Exercitationes selectee, 1667-1671; Dissertatio de Peregrinationibus Religiosis, 1670; Be Ratione Studiorum, opuscula aurea, &c., 1670; Historia Fapatus, 1684; Tumultes Concilii Tridentini, 1690; Exercitationes Biblicoe, 1700, with a life of the author prefixed; Corpus Theologiae Christianae, 1700; and lives of Hottinger, 1667, and Fabricius, 1698. His autobiography appeared in 1698, under the title Historia Vitee J. H. Heideggeri.