The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Michelis, Friedrich

MICHELIS, Friedrich, a German theologian, born in Münster, July 27, 1815. He was ordained as a priest at Münster, became a private tutor, and held various positions till 1864, when he was appointed professor of philosophy at the lyceum of Braunsberg. In his writings he attempts to reconcile the teachings of Plato and those of modern science with the doctrines of the church of Rome, and in 1866-'7 he was prominent in the Prussian chamber as an opponent of Bismarck's ecclesiastical policy. But he opposed the influence of the Jesuits and the dogma of papal infallibility in several pamphlets (1869-'70), which led to his excommunication. His principal work is Die Philosophie Platon's in ihrer innern Beziehung zur geoffenbarten Wahrheit (2d part, Münster, 1859-'60); his latest is Der Organismus und die Kirche (Bern, 1874). He has written much against Darwin's theories. For some time he has been editor of Der Katholik, an organ especially directed against the Jesuits.