Andreas Gau

Andreas Gau (born November 2, 1800 in Flerzheim near Rheinbach ; † November 5, 1862 in Aachen ) was a Catholic theologian , lecturer and subregent in the seminary of the Archdiocese of Cologne , canon of the collegiate church in Aachen .

Andreas Gau, contemporary lithograph. Painted by J. Weber, printed by JC Baum, Cöln, drawn on stone by JC Baum.

Reform efforts in the Archdiocese of Cologne

In 1820, after attending grammar school, the twenty-year-old Andreas Gau began studying Catholic theology at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Bonn . Dogmatik he heard at Georg Hermes , who just at the request of the designated Archbishop of Cologne mirror had been called there and had on the students a huge appeal.

After completing his university studies, Gau attended the seminary in Cologne in 1823 . During this time he taught Hebrew at both high schools in Cologne . On 29 May 1825 he received in Munster the priesthood . He received his first appointment as a religion teacher at the Karmeliter-Gymnasium in Cologne. At the Jesuit grammar school he continued to give Hebrew lessons, which he initially retained as a lecturer in the seminary.

At Hermes' suggestion, Gau was appointed lecturer at the Cologne seminary in 1827 , which had just been reopened in the former Jesuit college on Marzellenstrasse. Here Gau should find a beneficial field of work for almost 25 years. The lecturers were officially called repeaters in order to conceal from the Prussian government the fact that a theological school was being established here. The title of professor was only introduced later.

In the seminary Gau gave lectures in moral theology and liturgy and led the associated scientific treatises and disputations . The curriculum also included lectures on rubrics and exercises in church rites . Gau has recorded some lecture topics in his publications .

Mainly because of his remarkable skills in the subject of liturgy, Gau was appointed sub-regent of the seminary in 1831. He was one of the very few who practiced scientific liturgy at the time, as the church historian Heinrich Schrörs notes.

In 1832 Andreas Gau received his doctorate in theology from the Catholic theological faculty of the Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg . His dissertation “ De valore manuum impositionis atque unctionis in sacramento confirmationis ” deals in 21 chapters with the significance of liturgical acts in the dispensing of the corporate sacrament from a historical-dogmatic point of view.

A whole generation of priests has been shaped by Gau's work in the Archdiocese of Cologne. The later Bishop Konrad Martin looks back gratefully in his memoirs on the seminary that he attended in the years 1835/36. Regarding Andreas Gau, he remarks: “ The lectures by the then Subregens Gau, which dealt with the subject of liturgy , met with more applause. He put together (...) the essentials clearly and concisely and, when he also used what was written, presented with more impartiality and freedom, even with a fairly pleasant organ. In addition, he practiced the rite daily with the students of the seminary and gave them the points of contemplation for the next morning every evening. "

Gau was often counted among the Hermesians. While the actual teaching of Hermes took place in the dogmatic realm, Hermesianism developed into a general attitude of mind which undertook to rescue and develop ideas from the Enlightenment period into the new era. This includes the treatment of theology with scientific methodology and a clear and thorough training of the clergy in the truths of faith. In the fight against sluggish backwardness and the fearful closing themselves off of traditional circles, they were eager to give Catholicism a reputation against a hostile science and to give religiosity a higher status in society.

After Hermes' death in 1831, numerous well-known theologians continued his school. In the magazine for philosophy and Catholic theology, which was published from 1832 as an alternative to the existing Catholic journals and served as an organ for the progressive direction of theology and the Hermesian school until 1852, Gau was a permanent contributor from the start.

The restoration of the 19th century

Under the successors of Archbishop Spiegel, the progressive intellectual climate in the Archdiocese of Cologne changed to the opposite, along with the restoration efforts in the Roman Curia . The excited from conservative circles of the diocesan clergy Roman study of the writings of Hermes ended 1835 with its indexing as faith harmful doctrine. This was intended to affect the entire Hermesian mindset.

The Hermesians included the teachers of the seminary. After taking office, Archbishop Droste zu Vischering tried to give the seminar a new direction in line with traditional ideas. But instead of disclosing his intentions and taking appropriate steps to realize them, he avoided meeting and confronting those affected, instead promoting denunciation and temporarily banned lectures without giving reasons. In 1842, Droste gave his later successor a bad report about the seminary college. Schrörs rejects this judgment in his investigations and continues to remark: “ What is reported here about Gau is not fair. This man, in whose hands ascetic education lay, had never recited anything Hermesian in his writings, and, as his edification lectures later published in the seminary show, he made serious efforts in the ecclesiastical spirit and was highly respected. "

After the outbreak of the turmoil in Cologne , pamphlets on the church-political conflict appeared from all directions. On the conservative side, the Hermesians were portrayed as the main culprits in the outbreak of the conflict, alongside the Cologne cathedral chapter. A largely incorrect representation of Hermesianism, published by the Roman Jesuit Perrone , prompted the seminary to defend it, the so-called "Anti-Perrone". It was written by Andreas Gau and rejected Perrone's presentation "in a detailed investigation and convincingly as untenable".

The Hermesians were also associated with German Catholicism . To this end, the Cologne district administrator sounded out and reported to the Prussian Ministry of the Interior, citing Gau, that the Hermesians would rather join the conservative camp than agree to a separation from Rome.

Although the anti-Hermesian forces demanded the replacement of all teachers from the seminary, Archbishop von Geissel contented himself with an unconditional declaration of submission after he took office in 1842. However, Gau was never able to win Geissel's trust, even if his loyalty to him could not be doubted. In 1850 Gau was dismissed from his office and transferred as a canon to the collegiate church of Aachen, today's Aachen Cathedral . The post of subregent was not filled until 1863, after Gau's death, as the candidate chosen by Geissel refused to accept the position for reasons of conscience.

The increasingly strong reaction against the Hermesians, also personally, prevented Gau from further scientific work. In 1852 he was elected member of the second Prussian chamber for his home constituency of Bonn-Rheinbach and became a member of the Catholic parliamentary group , a forerunner of the German Center Party . Gau was nominated by the Prussian government in 1852 for a vacancy in the Cologne cathedral chapter . Archbishop Geissel refused to give him the necessary certificate of identity , so that the position remained vacant until after Gau's death. On November 5, 1862, Andreas Gau died in Aachen after a short illness at the age of 62.

Publications

• Historical-dogmatic investigations into the nature of the mass sacrifice, or the answer to the question: to what extent the mass is a sacrifice . Publishing house Du Mont-Schauberg, Cologne 1830, 45 pages.
• De valore manuum impositionis atque unctionis in sacramento confirmationis. Dissertations historico-dogmatica. Publishing house Du Mont-Schauberg, Cologne 1832, 90 pages.
• Preces quotidianae in usum Seminarii Archiepiscopalis Coloniensis omniumque clericorum et sacerdotum . Verlag Du Mont-Schauberg, Cologne 1839, 270 pages; 2nd expanded edition 1851, 306 pages.
• About the origin and meaning of the feast days of the saints . In: Journal for Philosophy and Cath. Theology . Bonn, VII, 98-123; VIII, 52-62.
• Anti-Perrone or justification of the archiepiscopal clerical seminary in Cologne against the accusations of Father Perrone in Rome and his defender. In addition to a postscript to Dr. Benkert zu Würzburg. Verlag Eisen, Cologne 1840.
• Ascetic lectures given in the Archbishop's Clerical Seminar in Cologne . Publishing house Du Mont-Schauberg, Cologne 1851, 345 pages.
• Reflections on Christian moral teachings and on the feast days of the church year. Brief reflections on private use, 2 volumes. Verlag Hurtes, Schaffhausen 1852, 334 pages.
• Comments and irrelevant suggestions regarding the internal arrangement of the Archbishop's seminary in Cologne. Manuscript.

Remarks

1. ↑ Date of birth in ADB 8/414 incorrectly 2 May 1800. Marie Rheinbach's birth certificate: Andreas Gau, * 11th Brumaire IX (2 November 1800), 3 p.m., in the village of Flerzheim, Mairie von Rheinbach, district of Bonn , Son of the married couple Johann Peter Gau, Ackermann, and Anna Catharina Bomerichs (otherwise known as "Pommerich"). The sister Anna Maria of the theologian Andreas Gau married a nephew of the Cologne canon Johann Joseph Müller (* 1768 Rheinbach); Biographical data in the Euregio family book .
2. ↑ Hegel 208-211. Lill 22. Trippen, Seminary 66. Martin 128.
3. ↑ ADB 8/414; Hecker 135.
4. ↑ Hegel 243; Trippen, Seminary 59-66.
5. ↑ Hecker 135; Hegel 242; Trippen, Seminary 65; Schrörs, Braun 71-72. Lecture catalogs 1836-38 at Lentzen 9-12, 28-29, 36-37; Agenda ibid. 61-63.
6. ↑ Hecker 135.
7. ↑ Schrörs, Faculty 331-332; Schrörs, Braun 20.
8. ↑ Journal 1832/2/145. Dissertation “ De valore manuum impositionis atque unctionis in sacramento confirmationis. Dissertatio historico-dogmatica. Auctore Andrea Gau, ss. theologiae doctore et seminarii archiep. colon. subregents. Coloniae, apud M. Dumont.- Schauberg. 1832. "
9. ↑ Martin 119-121.
10. ↑ Schrörs, Braun 2-3. Trippen, seminary 66.
11. ↑ Hegel 210; Schrörs, Braun 19-20, 71-72, 153-187. The front page of the magazine shows the list of permanent employees.
12. ↑ Hegel 210-211; Lill 22-25.
13. ↑ Lill 45; Schrörs, Wirren 427, 432-434, 622-623. Trippen, Seminary 73-83. Lentzen 126-127 with the wording of the rulings from 1.11. and November 10, 1837 on the prohibition of lectures.
14. ↑ Schrörs, Braun 341 with A. 1; Confusion 595. Hecker 136.
15. ↑ Schrörs, Braun 319-325, Wirren 535-536 with A. 832. Lill 53-55. " Anti-Perrone or justification of the archbishop's clerical seminar in Cologne against the accusations of Father Perrone in Rome and his defense counsel. Along with a postscript to Dr. Benkert zu Würzburg ", 1840. According to the publisher's catalog of Verlag Eisen, Cologne 1841, Gau the author; Insert of the magazine 1841. See also the magazine 1840/1 / 187-190. After Schrörs the seminar lecturer Reber is the author.
16. ↑ Schrörs, Wirren 593-595 with the quote from District Administrator Schnabel von Mülheim am Rhein, who reported on December 9, 1838 to Minister Rochow. On German Catholicism see also Hegel 492-493.
17. ↑ Hegel 489-490; Schrörs, Braun 341 with A. 1; 375-377. Trippen, seminary 88-89, cathedral chapter 134 with A. 95. Hecker 137. ADB 8/414. Manual 1850 / XXIX, XXX, 1857 / 28.30.
18. ^ Schrörs, Faculty 332.
19. ↑ ADB 8/414. Schrörs, Braun 542-545, 544 A. 1.
20. ↑ ADB 8/414. Trippen, cathedral chapter 134.

swell

• Birth certificate of Mairie Rheinbach, Andreas Gau * 11th Brumaire IX (November 2, 1800), 3 p.m., in the village of Flerzheim, Mairie von Rheinbach, district of Bonn.
• Hand and address book of the Archdiocese of Cologne . Later: Handbook of the Archdiocese of Cologne . 1st edition, Cologne 1827; 2nd edition, 1830; 4th edition, 1840; 7th edition, 1854; 8th edition 1857.
• Death certificate of the mayor's office of Aachen, Andreas Gau, + Aachen 5th November 1862.
• Catalog of the publishing house Eisen, Cologne 1841.
• Journal of Philosophy and Catholic Theology . Years, Cologne 1832 - Bonn 1852.

literature

• Hermann Joseph Hecker: Chronicle of the regents, lecturers and economists in the seminary of the Archdiocese of Cologne 1615 - 1950 . Düsseldorf 1952.
• Eduard Hegel: The Archdiocese of Cologne between the Restoration of the 19th Century and the Restoration of the 20th Century: 1815-1962 . In: Eduard Hegel: History of the Archdiocese of Cologne . 5th volume, Cologne 1987.
• Johann Heinrich Lentzen (attributed to): The seminary of Cologne under the archbishops Ferdinand August, Count Spiegel zum Desenberg and Canstein, and Clemens August, Freiherr von Droste-Vischering . Cologne 1838.
• Rudolf Lill : The settlement of the Cologne turmoil 1840-1842 . Düsseldorf 1962.
• Konrad Martin: Time pictures or memories of my eternal benefactors . Mainz 1879.
• Franz Heinrich Reusch:  Gau, Andreas . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 8, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1878, p. 414.
• Heinrich Schrörs: History of the Catholic theological faculty in Bonn 1818-1831 . Cologne 1922.
• Heinrich Schrörs: A forgotten leader from the Rhenish intellectual history of the nineteenth century, Johann Wilhelm Joseph Braun (1801-1863), professor of theology in Bonn . Bonn and Leipzig 1925.
• Heinrich Schrörs: Die Kölner Wirren (1837), studies on their history . Berlin and Bonn 1927.
• Norbert Trippen: The cathedral chapter and the archbishopric elections in Cologne 1821-1929 . Cologne and Vienna 1972.
• Norbert Trippen (Ed.): The Cologne seminary in the 19th and 20th centuries . Siegburg 1988.

Web links

• Detailed biography in the family book Euregio