Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 13.djvu/589

 SCHENKL

527

SCHERER

Dean of St. Paul's, London. He also published numerous other works.

HuRTER, Nomenclalor, IV (Innsbruck, 1910), 550.

R. Maere.

Schenkl, Matjrus von, a Benedictine theologian and canonist, b. at Auerbach in Bavaria, 4 January, 1749; d. at Amberg, 14 June, 1816. After studying the humanities at the Jesuit college in Amberg (1760- 1765), he entered the Benedictine monastery of Priifen- ing (Priefling) near Ratisbon, took vows on 2 Oct., 1768, and was ordained priest on 27 Sept., 1772. From 1772-7 he held various offices at his monastery; in 1777 he was at first oeconomus at Puch, then pastor at Gelgenbach; from 1778-83 he taught dogmatic, moral and pastoral theology and canon law at the Benedic- tine monastery of Weltenburg; in 1783 he became librarian at Prufening where he at the same time taught canon law till 1785, then moral theology till 1790, when with his abbot's consent he accepted a position as professor of canon law, moral, and pastoral theology at the lyceum of Amberg. With his pro- fessorial duties was connected the regency of the seminary and, after declining an offer to succeed his confrere, Bede Aschenbrenner, as professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt in 1793; he was also appointed rector of the school at Amberg in 1794. Upon his urgent request he was relieved of the rector- ship in 1798 and, after refusing another offer as pro- fessor of canon law at Aschaffenburg in 1804; he was honoured with the title of spiritual councillor of the king. Owing to ill-health he resigned the regency of the seminary and after 1808 he taught only canon law and pastoral theologj'. He was highly esteemed as a theologian and canonist, and his works were used as texts in many institutions of Germany and Austria. His chief works are (1) "Juris ecclesiastici statu Germania; maxime et Bavariie adcommodati sj^n- tagma" (Ratisbon, 1785). When interpolated edi- tions of this work were published (Cologne, 1787, and Bonn, 1789), he re-edited it under the title "Institu- tiones juris eccl. etc." (2 vols., Ingolstadt, 1790-1), but it was again reprinted without his consent (Bonn, 1793, and Cologne, 1794). The latest (Uth) edition was prepared by Engelmann (Ratisbon, 1853). (2) "Ethica Christiana universalis" (3 vols., Ingolstadt, 1800-1, 5th ed.. Gran, 1830). (3) "Theologiaj pasto- ralis systema" (Ingolstadt, 1815-25).

Lindner, Die Schriftsteller des Benediktiner-Ordens in Bayern, 1750-1780, I, (RatLsbon, 1880). 250-2; Heldmann, Memorii Mauri de Schenkl (Ratisbon, 1832); Felder. Gelehrten-Lexikon

II. 277-282. Michael Ott.

Schenute (Schenudi, Schnudi, Sinuthius), a Coptic abbot. The years 332-33-34 and 350 are mentioned as the date of his birth, and the years 451-52 and 466 as the date of his death, all authors agreeing that he lived about 118 years. He was born at Schena- lolet in the district of Akhim, and died in his monas- tery, which still exists under the name of Deir-el-Abiad (White Monastery), near the ruins of the village of Atripe. In 371, he became a monk at this large double monastery, which was then ruled by his uncle Bgol, whom he succeeded as abbot in 388. St. Cyril of Alexandria, whom he accompanied to the Council of Ephesus in 431, appointed him archimandrite during that council. The Copts honour him as a saint and as the Father of the Coptic Church.

The monastic rule of Pachomius underwent various modifications and was made more severe under the abbacy of Bgol and Schenute. Perhaps the most im- portant modification was the introduction of vows into the monastic life. Each monk made a solemn profes- sion in the church, that he would faithfully observe the rule of the monastery. The formula of this vow, as prescribed by Schenute, was published by Leipoldt (loc. cit. below, p. 107), and by Leclercq in "Diet. d'Archeologie chr^t." s. v. Cenobitisme. It is as fol- lows: "Ivow [bixo\o')(etv\ beforeGodin His holy place as

the word of my tongue is my witness: I shall never sully my body in any way; I shall not steal; I shall not take false oaths; I shall not he; I shall not do evil secretly. If I transgress what I have sworn {bixo\oydv] I shall not enter the kingdom of heaven, for I know that God before whom I pronounce the formula of this pledge [^Lad-qK-n] will thrust rae body and soul into hell- fire, for I shall have trangressed the formula of the pledge [SLad-nKti] which I have pronounced" (op. cit.). It is the first monastic vow of which we have any knowledge. Another modification of the rule of Pa- chomius was a combination of the cenobitic with the anchoretic life. Schenute was the most influential monastic head and perhaps the most powerful man in Egypt during his time. Besa, his biographer and suc- ces.sor as Abbot of Atripe, states that at one time he ruled over 2200 monks and 1800 nuns. But Schenute was too self-conscious, passionate, and tyrannical, his rule too severe, and his enforcement of it too violent, to make his influence wholesome and lasting. Out- side of Egypt he remained unknown; neither Latin nor Greek writers make any mention of him. Philosophy he considered useless, and his whole knowledge of theology consisted in the repetition of the current ec- clesiastical formulas. Extremely austere with him- self, he required the same austerity of his disciples, and rigidly enforced an absolute submission to his au- thority. His literary works, writteij in the Sahidic language, consist chiefly of letters to monks and nuns, spiritual exhortations, and some very forcible ser- rnons. They are being edited with a Latin transla- tion by Leipoldt, in "Corpus Scriptorum Christiano- rum Orientalium" (Paris, 1906) and, with a French translation, by Am(51ineau in the same pubHcation (Paris, 1907-.)

His life, written in Sahidic by Beta, his disciple and successor, has been transmitted in the Sahidic, Bohairic, Arabic, and Syrian versions, and was edited by Leipoldt, joc. cit. above. See also Leipoldt, Schenute von Atripe und die Enlstehung des nationnl-mqyplischen Chrislentums in Textc und Untersuchungen, new series, X, I (Paris, 1903) ; Am^lineau, Les moines igyptiens: Vie de Schnoudi (Paris, 1889); Ladeuzf., Etude sur le cenobitisme Pakhomien (Louvain, 1898), passim; Revilloitt, Les origines du schisme igyptien, Senuli le Prophele in Revue de I'histoire des re- ligions, VIII (Paris, 18S3), 401-468; 545-.58] ; Leclercq in Diet. d'Archeologie Chret. (Paris, 1910), s. v. Cenobitisme; Bibliotheca Ilagiographica Orientaiis (Brussels, 1910), 235-7; Bethone- Baker, The date of the death of Nestorius, Schenute, Zacharias, Evagrius, in Journal of Theological Studies, IX (London, 1908),

601-05. Michael Ott.

Scherer, Georg, pulpit orator and controversial- ist, b. at Schwaz, in the Tyrol, 1540, according to Duhr; d. at Linz, 30 Nov., 1605; entered the Society of Jesus in 1559. Even before his ordination he was famed for his preaching powers. For over forty years he laboured in the Archduchy of Austria. To Scherer, in part, it owes the retention of the Faith. In 1577 he was Court preacher to the Archduke Matthias; he retained the post until 1600. In 1590 he was appointed Rector of the Jesuit College at Vienna; the sternness of his character scarcely fitted him for the office, and he was transferred (1694) to Linz. He died of apoplexy. The story of his being struck blind in the pulpit, after having exclaimed: "If the Catholic Church is not the True Church, may I become blind," is a pure invention (cf. Guilhermy).

Scherer was a man of boundless energy and rugged strength of character, a strenuous controversialist, a genuinely popular orator and wTiter. He vigorously opposed the Tubingen professors who meditated a union with the Greek Schismatics, refuted Lutheran divines like Osiander and Heerbrand, and roused his countrymen against the Turks. Believing like his contemporaries that the State had the right to put witches to death, he maintained, however, that since they were possessed, the principal weapons used against them should be spiritual ones, c. g. exorcisms, prayer. Scherer's severe attitude towards witchcraft did not meet the approval of his general, Acquaviva. His eloquence and zeal made many converts, amongst