Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 6.djvu/49

 FELBIGER

27

FELICISSIMUS

in die Bucher des alten Buiides und den hebraisciien Alterthumern" (Innsbrucli, 1803); "Animadversiones in historian! ecolesiasticam" (Innsbruck, lS03);"Satze aus der Einleitung in die Biiciier des neuen Bundes und der bibl. Hermeneutik" (Innsbruck, 1804); "Ein- leitung in die Bucher des neuen Bundes" (Innsbruck, 1810); "Auszug des hebr. Sprachlehre nach Jahn" (Innsbruck, 1812); " Die Verketzerungssucht" (Rott- weil, 1820). His principal work, "Einleitung in die Bucher des neuen Bundes", published in a revised edition (Tubingen, 1830), is inaccurate and was praised far beyond its due. He also contributed papers and criticisms to the "Annalen der osterreichischen Lit- teratur und Kunst" and the " Theologische Quartai- sehrift" of Tubingen. His exegetical writings are influenced by the rationalistic spirit of his day. He denied the genuineness of the Comma Johanneum and maintained that the Books of Job, Jonas, Tobias, and Judith are merely didactic poems.

HuRTER, Nomenclator; Welte in Kirchenlex., s. v.; Scrip- lores O.S.B. (Vienna, 1881); Wackernell, Beda Weber (Inns- brucli, 1893); Theol. Quarlalschrift (Tubingen, 1831); Greinz in BucHBBRGBR, Kirchl, Handlexikon, s. v.

Alexius Hoffmann.

Felbiger, Johann Ignaz von, a German educa- tional reformer, pedagogical writer, and canon regular of the Order of St. Augustine, b. 6 January, 172-1, at Gross-Glogau in Silesia; d. 17 May, 1788, at Presburg in Hungary. He was the son of a postmaster, who had been ennobled by Emperor Charles VI. The death of his parents constrained liim, after studying theology at the University of Breslau, to accept (174-1) the position of teaclier in a private family. In 1746 he joined the Order of Canons Regular of St. Augus- tine at Sagan in Silesia, was ordained a priest in 1748, and ten years later became abbot of the monastery of Sagan. Noting the sad condition of the local Catliolic schools, he strove to remedy the evil by publisliing his first school-ordinance in 1761. During a private jour- ney to Berlin, in 1762, he was favourably impressed with Hecker's Realschule and Hiihn's method of in- structing by initials and tables (Literal- or Tabellen- melhode), and became an enthusiastic propagator of this method. A school-ordinance for the dependen- cies of the monastery of Sagan was issued in 1763, a teachers' college was established, and Felbiger's school- reforms soon attracted the attention of Catholics and Protestants alike. He was supported by the Silesian minister von Schlabrendorff, and at the latter's re- quest, after a second journey to Berlin he elaborated a general school-ordinance for the Catholic elementary schools in Silesia (1765). Three graded catechisms, the joint work of the prior and the abbot of Sagan, ap- peared in 1766 under the title, "Silesian Catechism", and enjoyed a wide circulation. The death of von Schlabrendorff in 1769 marked the end of the Silesian government's educational efforts. Felbiger's sugges- tions were heeded, however, by King Frederick II in the regulations issued (1774) forSilesian higher schools.

At the request of the empress, Maria Theresa, he re- paired to Vienna in 1774, and was appointed General Commissioner of Education for all the German lands of her dominions. The same year he published his general school-ordinance, and in 1775 his most impor- tant pedagogical production: " Methodenbuch fur Lehrer der deutschen Schulen". His school-reform was copied by Bavaria and other German lands and was not without influence on Russia. Considerable opposition, aroused by Felbiger's arbitrariness, devel- oped in Austria against his plan of founding special schools for the neglected instruction of soldiers. Maria Theresa, Iiowever, always remained his faithful protectress. But liis strictly rehgious principles of education displeased Joseph II, who deprived liim of his position, assigned him to his provostship at Pres- burg, and advised him to look after educational inter- ests in Hungary (1782). The chief peculiarity of Fel-

biger's too mechanical method was the use of tables containing the initials of the words which expressed the lesson to be imparted. Other features were the substitution of class-instruction for individual instruc- tion and the practice of questioning the pupils. He aimed at raising the social standing, financial condi- tion, and professional qualification of the teaching body, and at giving a friendly character to the mutual relations between teacher and pupil. For a list of his 78 publications, which are mainly of a pedagogical character, see Panholzer's "Methodenbuch" (46-66). VoLKHER, Johann Ignaz van Felbiger (Habeischwerdt, 1890); Panholzer. J. I. von Felbiger's Methodenbuch, Vol. V of Biblio- thek der kath. Pddagogik (Freiburg, 1892); Kahl, Felbiger's Eigenschaften, W issenachaftcn u. Bezeigen rechtschaifener Schul- leute (2d ed., Paderborn, 1905); Williams, History of Modern Education (Syracuse, 1899), 354, 355; Stockl, Lehrbuch d. Gesch, d. Pedagogik (.Mainz, 1876), 351-55.

N. A. Weber. Feldkirch. See Brixen. Felicianists. See Adoptionism.

Felician Sisters, 0. S. F., founded 21 November,

1855, at Warsaw, Poland, by Mother Mary Angela, under the direction of Father Honorat, O. M. Cap. On their suppression, in 1864, by the Russian Govern- ment they transferred the mother-liouse to Cracow, Austria. In the province of Cracow there are forty- four houses of this congregation, and in the United States, where the first foundation was made in 1874, there are two provinces, 820 choir and lay sisters, 100 novices, 168 postulants; in charge of 87 schools with 36,700 pupils, 5 orphanages with 416 inmates, 2 homes for the aged, an emigrant home, working girls' home, and a day nursery.

Mother Mary Jerome.

Felicissimus, a deacon of Carthage who, in the middle of the third century, headed a short-lived but dangerous schism, to which undue doctrinal import- ance has been given by a certain class of writers, Neander, Ritsehl, Harnack, and others, who see in it " a presbytcrial reaction against episcopal autocracy ". Of the chief figure in the revolt, Felicissimus, not much can be said. The movement of which he was after- wards the leader originated in the opposition of five presbyters of the church in Carthage to St. Cyprian's election as bishop of that see. One of these presby- ters, Novatus, selected Felicissimus as deacon of his church in the district called Mons, and because of the importance of the office of deacon in the African Church, Felicissimus became the leader of the mal- contents. The opposition of this faction, however, led to no open rupture until after the outbreak of the Decian persecution in 250, when St. Cyprian was com- pelled to flee from the city. His absence created a situation favourable to his adversaries, who took ad- vantage of a division already existing in regard to the methods to be followed in dealing with those who had apostatized (lapsi) during persecution and who after- wards sought to be readmitted to Christian fellowship. It was easy under the circumstances to arouse much hostility to Cyprian, because he had followed an ex- tremely rigorous policy in dealing with those lapsi. The crisis was reached when St. Cyprian sent from his place of hiding a commission consisting of two bishops and two priests to distribute alms to those who had been ruined during the persecution. Felicissimus, re- garding the activities of these men as an encroach- ment on the prerogatives of his office, attempted to frustrate their mission. This was reported to St. Cjf- prian, who at once excommunicated him. Felicis.si- mus immediately gathered around him all those who were dissatisfied with the bishop's treatment of the lapsi and proclaimed an open revolt. The situation was still further complicated by the fact that the thirty years' peace preceding the Decian persecution had caused much laxity in the Church, and that on the