Henry Eyster Jacobs was professor at Pennsylvania College and, later, professor of systematic theology and president at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He also served as president of the General Conference of Lutherans, the American Society of Church History, and the German Society of Pennsylvania. He authored or edited numerous books including the The Lutheran Cyclopedia, The Lutheran Commentary (12 vols.), A Summary of the Christian Faith, First Free Lutheran Diet in America, Philadelphia, December 27–28, 1877, The Lutheran Movement in England, Martin Luther: The Hero of the Reformation, and The German Emigration to America, 1709–40.