he studied theology at the universities of leipzig and halle, where he made the acquaintance of august tholuck and was influenced by proponents of confessional orthodoxy. at halle, he was involved in the turmoil of 1830 when advocates of orthodoxy demanded the dismissal of "rationalist" professors wilhelm gesenius and julius wegscheider (accusations made against the two were partially based on lecture notes taken by havernick). afterwards, he studied theology in berlin, where he was a disciple of ernst wilhelm hengstenberg. he then taught classes in geneva, and later relocated to the university of rostock, where in 1837 he became an associate professor of theology. four years later, he gained a full professorship at the university of königsberg.