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 WITZEL

680

WLADISLAW

widow, Caroline Munding, of Dinkelscherben, bound bim more closely to the city of St. Ulrich and for over thirty years he laboured there with unflagging zeal for faith and learning, Church and people. His"Allge- meine Geschichte der kathohschen Slissionen" (1S46 and 1850) was the first treatment of this subject in German; the second volume of the work treats mainly of the conversion of the Indian tribes in America. A political paper founded by him, "Stadt- und Landbote", still exists as a local Cathohc journal with a wide circulation under the title "Neue Augsburger Zeitung". Another periodical, however, his "Sendbote", a successful champion of "Ultramontane" interests and a zealous promoter of the Society of St. Boniface (Bonifatiusverein), has lately (1912), after sixty years of existence, ceased to appear.

Dr. Wittmann was also largely instrumental in the founding of a mother-house of the Sisters of Charity and of a hospice and home for workmen under the direction of the Capuchins. He was a noted speaker at conventions and other assemblies, and an active worker for churches and benevolent societies, and in many instances served as the guardian of widows and orphans. He was also a generous patron of young students. After the death of his wife in 1869, Witt- mann Hved for ten years with his only son, first at Munich, then at Bamberg, and returning, in 1883, with his son to Munich, died there of apoplexy. He was buried in the Cathohc cemetery at Augsburg, In recognition of his services Pius IX gave him the Order of St. Gregory. The general board of managers of the Bonifatiusverein estabUshed at Merseburg an annual commemoration in perpetuity for him and his descendants.

Ladchert in AUgemeine deutsche Biofjraphie, s. v. Wittmann; also articles in Catholic periodicals of Bavaria, Swabia, etc.

Pius Wittmann.

Witzel (WiCELius), Gborg, theologian, b. at Vacha, Province of Hesse, 1501 ; d. at Mainz, 16 Feb., 157.3, He received his primary and academic educa- tion in the schools of Schmalkalden, Eisenach, and Halle; spent two years in the University of Erfurt, and seven months in that of Wittenberg. Following the wish of his father he was ordained priest in 1520 and appointed Vicar of Vacha. In 1524, however, the teachings of Luther attracted him. Abandoning the Faith, he married, and the following year was ap- pointed to the pastorate of Wenigenlupnitz by James Strauss, and a little later to that of Niemeck by Luther himself. He now began a thorough study of the Scriptures and the Fathers, and soon became con- vinced that the Church of Luther was not the true Church and that Lutheran morals did not make for the betterment of the people. To express his dis- satisfaction with the new teaching, he wrote in L527 two works which he sent to the theologians of Witten- berg without, however, receiving any satisfaction from them. To give more emphatic expression to his conviction of the error of the new religion, he resigned his charge in 1.531 and returned with his family to Vacha. Here he spent two years in extreme poverty. In 1532 he published, under the pseudonym Agricola Phacjus, his "Pro defensione bonorum operum", a work which aroused all the bitterness of his enemies. Among his works published at this time his "Apolo- gia" (Leipzig, 1.533) deserves special mention, since in it he gives his reasons for returning to the Church of Rome.

Owing to Witzel's untiring opposition to the doc- trinal novelties of the age, he was forced to leave Vacha. He proceeded to Eisleben, and in 1538 was called to Dresden. Here he conceived a plan of reunion, which took the form of a public disputation in Leipzig in 1539. Ho had already (1.537) published his "Methodus concordia' ecclesiastica'", .and for the new disputation he prepared "Typus prioris Eccle-

sise" in which he proposed the Church of the first centuries as the ideal to be sought for. His endeav- ours for reunion, however, were without result. Opposition forced him to flee to Bohemia, thence to Berlin. The rapid progress of heresy soon convinced him that here too his efforts would be fruitless, and he forthwith proceeded to Fulda, where he directed his efforts towards defending the Church; but in 1554 he was again forced to flee, now to Mainz, where he spent the remainder of his life in Uterary work and probably as professor at the university. The number of Witzel's works is extraordinarily large. Rass in his "Convertiten" enumerates ninety-four, but this is far from complete.

HuRTER, NomenctatoT, I, 8 Rass, Die Convertiten, I (Frei- burg, 1866-80), 123 sqq,; Holzhacsen, G. Witzel u. die kirchllche Union in Zeitschr. fur hislor. Theologie (1S49), 382 sqq.; Schmidt. G, Witzel. Bin AUkatholik des 10. Jahrhuvderls (Vienna, 1876): Pastor, Reunionvhestrebungen (Freiburg. 1S79), 140 sqq.; DoLUNGER, Die Reformation, I (Ratisbon, lS4t)), 2S sqq,

Joseph Schroeder. Wladimir. See Vladimir the Great. Wladislaw, Saint. See Ladislaus, Saint.

Wladislaw (Poli.sh Wlndnwek), Diocese OP (Vlad- islaviensis et Pomerani.e), — The historical origin of this diocese is not known precisely. The city of Wladislaw, or Wloclawek, in the government of War- saw, contains more than 40,000 Catholics. The old PoHsh historians follow John Dlugosz, the fifteenth- century annalist, who narrates that Rlieczyslaw, the first Polish king (962-92), after receiving baptism in 966, founded the two Archbishoprics of Gnesen and Cracow, and seven dioceses, among which was Krusz- wica, or Wloclawek. But as Dlugosz cites no histori- cal document to prove his statement, no confidence can be placed in it. Bogufal, or Boguchwal, Bishop of Posen (d, 1253), another Polish chronicler, attributed the foundation of this diocese to Mieczyslaw II (1025-34), but again ^\-ithout docimientary support for his statement. Julian Bartoszewicz, another Polish writer ("Encvklopedya Powszechna", Warsaw, 1860, III, 636), taking a Bull of Eugene III as his authority, places the foundation as far back as 1148; but this very Bull contradicts the assertion by men- tioning the diocese as already existing in 1123, placing it under the special protection of the Holy See. Other historians attribute its foundation to Boleslaus the Brave (Chrobry) (922-1025); others again to Boleslaus the Bold (Smialy) (1058-80). This last opinion seems improbable, as the letter of Gregory VII to Boleslaus the Bold, dated 20 April, 1075, not only does not mention the Diocese of Kruszwica or of Wloclawek, but deplores the scarcity of bishops in the Kingdom of Poland (see Bielowski, "Mon. Poloniae hist.". Ill, Lemberg, 1804, ])p. 367-71). The only conclusion, therefore, by the light of historical docu- ments, is that the Diocese of Wloclawek dates from the earlier halt of the twelfth century. (See Fijalek, "Ustalenie chronologii biskupow wloclawskich", Cracow, 1894, pp. 7, 8.)

According to Dlugosz the first episcopal see of the Diocese of \\loclawck was at Kruszwica, a city in the territory of Kujawa. LTnder Bishoj) Onoldus (1101- 80) the see was transferred to Wloclawek, But this notice, passed over by other Iiistorians (see Rzep- nicki, op, cit, in bibliography, II, 1, 2), is contradicted by a Bull of Eiigene III, dated from Reims, 4 .-Vjiril, 1148, "Venerabili fratri Warnero, Vlotislaviensi episcopo" (Rzyszczewski", Cod. dipl, Polonia-", II, pt, I, Warsaw, ISIS, jip, 1-4), This Bull mentions that .F^gidius, Hislu)]i of Tusculum, afterwards cardi- nal legate in Poland under Callistus II (probably in 1123), determined the boundaries of the Diocese of Wloclawek, which must, I liercforc, have existed in the first quarter of the twelfth century. On the othei hand, historical documents arc lacking to show clearly whether Kruszwica ever had a bishop, Chodynski