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 HERGENROTHER

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HERGENROTHER

While professor of canon law at Wiirzburg, Her- genrotlier published several important historico- ca- nonical essays on such suljjects as early ecclesiastical reordinations (OEster. Vicrteljahrsch. f. kath. Theol., 1862), the canonical relations of the various rites in the Catholic Church (Archiv f. kath. Ku-chenrecht, 1S62), the pohtico-ecclesiastical relations of Spain and the Holy See (ibid., 1863-66), and the canon law of the Greeks to the end of the ninth century (ibid., 1870). His interest in the ecclesiastical vicissitudes of his own day was manifested by valuable essays on the States of the C!hurch after the French Revolution (Hist.-polit. Blatter, 1859), spirit of the age (Zeit- geist) and papal sovereignty (Der Katholik, 1861), and the Franco-Sardinian Treaty (Frankfort, 1865). Among his historico-apologetic essays we may coimt his treatises on the modern errors condemned by the Holy See in the Encyclical (Syllabus) of 8 Dec, 1864 (in the Chilianeum, 1865), the veneration of the Blessed Virgin in the first ten centuries of the Christian Era (Miinster, 1S70). He was a regular contributor of simi- lar but briefer articles to the Wiirzlsurg periodicals, "Die katholische Wochenschrift " and the "Chilia- neum". Hergenrother was constantly engaged in attempting to develop a genuine Catholic sentiment and truly Christian life among the faithful. He preached frequently, and was always a welcome speaker at the general assemblies of the German Catholic associations (Vereine; 186.3-77). For the Fulda meeting of the Prussian bishops (1870) he pre- pared an exhaustive historical study on the spoliation of the Papal States, in which he developed at length the arguments for the temporal power of the papacy.

Together with other Catholics of prudence and in- sight, Hergenrother deplored the attitude that certain Catholic theologians assumed from about 1860, in par- ticular that of the celebrated historian DoUinger. The latter's work " Kirche und Kirchen, Papsttiim und Kirchenstaat " (1861) wascriticized by Hergenrother in " Der Katholik ". At the Munich meeting of ( 'atholic savants (1863), Hergenrother was one of the eight who sent in a written protest against the opening discourse of DoUinger on the past and present of Catholic theol- ogy. Among the other signers were Heinrich Mou- fang von Schiizler, Haffner, Philipps, Hettinger, and Scheeben. Hergenrother was soon called on to an- swer the pamphlet of Dr. Michelis, " Kirche oder Partci? Ein offenes u. freies Wort an den deutschen Episkopat" (Church or Faction? A Frank Address to the German Episcopate), in which this writer attacked violently the "Mainz" and the " Roman" theologians. Hergenrother's answer appeared in the "Chilianeum" (1865) under the title of "Kirche u. nicht Partei. Eine Antwort auf die jiingste Broschiire des Herrn Dr. Fr. Michelis" (Church and not Faction: an An- swer to the latest Brochure of Dr. Michelis). In the same review (1863) Hegenrother hail written a critical accovuit of the latest efforts of Western Catholics for ecclesiastical reunion with the Oriental Churches.

The opening of the Vatican Council (1870) brought to a head the domestic conflict in Germany. Her- genrother was the foremost defender of the council and its decrees; as early as 1868 he had been ap- pointed, with Hettinger, consultor for the preparation of the council's work and had taken up his residence at Rome. His inexhaustible knowledge of ecclesias- tical history, canon law, and Catholic dogma made him a valuable co-labourer in the many careful and detailed preliminary meetings of the council commis- sion. In the meantime he prepared, with Hettinger, and published in the "Chilianeum" (1869) a memorial of the theological faculty of Wiirzburg in reply to five questions, submitted by the Bavarian Government, concerning the approaching council. He also pub- lished (Der Katholik, 1871) another outlined memo- rial concerning the Vatican Council, in reply to eleven questions submitted by the Bavarian Minister of

Worship to the theological and law faculties of Wiirzburg. This memorial, though projected, was never formally called for by the Government. The opposition to the Vatican Council reached its acme in the notorious work, "Der Papst und das Concil", by "Janus" (DoUinger). In the same year (1869) Her- genrother prepared his "Anti-Janus", an historico- theological critique (Freiburg, 1870). He also pub- lished a number of small brochures in favour of the coiincil and against DoUinger, e. g. " Die Irrthtimer von mehr als vier hundert Bischofen und ihr theo- logischer Censor" (Freiburg, 1S70), and a critique of Dr. Dollinger's declaration of 28 March, 1871 (Frei- burg, 1871). His pen was also active in the "His- torisch-politische Blatter", where he published (1870) a series of articles on the "AUgeraeine Zeitung" and its letters from the council, on papal infallibility be- fore the Vatican Coimcil, and on ancient (iallicans and modern Appellants. In 1871 he publishetl the solid study, " Das unfehlbare Lehramt des Papstes" [The Infallible Magisterimn (teacliing office) of the pope, Passaii, 1871]. These grave antl exhaiisting lal)oin's were crowned and partially siimmarized by a new work, " Katholische Kirche u. christlicher Staat in ihrer geschichtlichen Entwicklung u. in Bezichung auf die Gegenwart" (The Catliolic Church and the Christian State, in their historical development and their relations to the present), together with an "Anti-Janus vindicatus" (Freiburg, 1872, 2nd anno- tated ed., Freiburg, 1876). The former is a thesaurus of information concerning politico-ecclesiastical con- flicts of the past, and is marked throughout by an un- compromising Catholic tone. It was translated into Italian (Pavia, 1877) and into English (London, 1876; Baltimore, 1S89).

The friends and disciples of Hergenrother had often urged him to compose a manual of ecclesiastical his- tory, but the labours of the Vatican Council had left him no time for such a task; moreover, he had been considering an extensive work on Cliurch and State in the eighteenth century. He yieldetl, however, to the general desire, and published his " Handbuch der allgemeinen Kirchengeschichte " (Manual of General Church History) in the "Theological Library" of Herder (Freiburg, 1876). A second annotated edi- tion appeared in 1S79; in 1880 a third volume was added, containing the notes and documentary evi- dence. This work was then and remains yet unsur- passed for abundance of information, accuracy of narrative, and manifold soiirces of historical proof. A third edition appeared (1884-86), in which the notes are no longer printed apart, but accompany the text. The writer of this article is the editor of a fourth edi- tion (3 vols., Freiburg, 1902-1909). When it was proposed to bring out a new edition of the " Kirchen- lexikon" of Wctzer and Welte, Hergenrother was naturally suggested as the savant most capable of executing this gigantic task. He accepted it, but was compelled to abandon it when scarcely begun; his elevation to the dignity of cardinal with the obligation of a Roman residence, left him no freedom for the enterprise. The first volume contains many articles from his pen, some of them quite lengthy. He was unable to do as much for the other volumes — in all there are eighty-seven articles signed by him. Other minor literary tasks consumed his spare hours in the last period of his life at Wiirzburg. The various sub- jects were Pius IX (Wiirzburg, 1876); Athanasius the Great (Cologne, 1876) ; Cardinal Maury in " Katholische Studien " (Wiirzburg, 1878) ; a short history of the popes (Wiirzburg, 1878); the vow of poverty among the Oriental monks in "Archiv f. kath. Kirchenrecht" (1877); the canonical signifi- cance of nomination (iliid., 1878). Hergenrother's solid and important works in the departments of church history and canon law, and his firm attitude on the great ecclesiastical questions of the day, won for