BESS, BERNHARD: German librarian and historian; b. at Nentershausen (near Cassel) May 19, 1863. He was educated at the universities of Marburg and Göttingen, and, after being privat-docent at the former university for several years, was appointed to his present position of librarian of the University of Halle in 1896. In 1902-1903 he was also entrusted with the organization of the library of the Prussian Historical Institute at Rome. He has written Frankreichs Kirchenpolitik und der Prozess des Jean Petit (Marburg, 1891), and Luther und das landesherrliche Kirchenregiment (1894). Since 1891 he has been the editor of the Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte.