Joseph Julian Overbeck (1820-1905) was an Orthodox layman who played a central role in the early development of modern Western Rite Orthodoxy. Overbeck was born in Bonn, Germany, and attended the University of Bonn where he became a specialist in Syriac. Ordained to the Catholic priesthood, he did further studies at the Vatican Library and became a professor at Bonn. Disillusioned with the claims of the Roman Church, he left his position at Bonn and began attending Lutheran services. In 1857, he moved to England where he married and taught German in Oxford and later at Staff College, Camberley. Overbeck's marriage after his Catholic ordination was considered a canonical impediment to the priesthood, and while there was an initial inquiry as to whether he could be reordained, he continued h