Otto Scheel

1873-1954. German church historian. Born in N Schleswig, Scheel studied historical theology at Halle and Kiel and was appointed professor of church history at Tübingen in 1906. For many years he was chairman of the Verein für Reformationsgeschichte. His most significant work, Martin Luther: Von Katholizismus zur Reformation (1914- 17), was not merely an analysis of Luther's youth, but also a study of education in the period. Scheel left it uncompleted when he accepted a new chair of Schleswig-Holstein local history at Kiel in 1924. He became interested in his homeland, especially the influence of Pietism and the social history of the peasantry, and he was active in organizations that promoted cultural identity among N Schleswigers.