Ferdinand Sterzinger

Ferdinand Sterzinger

Ferdinand von Sterzinger CRTheat (born May 24, 1721 in Lichtenwörth Castle in Tyrol, † March 18, 1786 in Munich ) was an Austrian Catholic theologian and canon lawyer.

Life

Sterzinger came from a Tyrolean noble family. His father was a royal-imperial councilor in Innsbruck. On September 11, 1740, he joined the Theatin community and in 1742 made his vows. He completed his philosophical and theological studies in the monastery of the order in Innsbruck . The careful study of the Roman classics laid the foundation for his scientific education early on. In 1747 he was sent to the University of Rome by his superiors and soon, as he could not stand the climate there, sent to the University of Bologna to continue his theological and canonical studies.

After his return from Italy in 1750 he became professor of moral theology at the University of Prague , 1753 teacher of philosophy in the Theatine monastery in Munich, 1756 professor of canon law in Prague, 1759 teacher of church history and canon law and prefect of the young clergy in the monastery in Munich. In 1762 he was elected superior of the Theatine monastery for three years . As such, he was in Rome for a few months on the occasion of a general chapter . Otherwise he stayed in Munich from 1759 until his death. In 1759 he also became a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences , in 1779 director of the historical class and associated supervisor of the academic printing press.

Act

Sterzinger earned particular merit through the "Chronological Introduction to Church History" published from 1776 to 1778 , for which Christian Friedrich Pfeffel (1726–1807) and Peter von Osterwald (1718–1778) had supplied the first two volumes. Due to his knowledge in the field of theology, Sterzinger acted as a Catholic representative of the Enlightenment against the superstition and ignorance of various believers. From 1766 he rejected the foolish superstition, the root cause of witchcraft, magic and ghosting, in several writings, which soon earned him a respected name in southern and northern Germany.

In 1775 he especially denied "the miracle cures of Pater Gaßner" and tried to constantly participate in the investigation. By its 1783 published "ghosts and magic catechism" , by its 1785 published book "efforts to overthrow superstition" and the 1786 published writing "apparitions, a fantasy or fraud, evidenced by the Bible doctrine of reason and experience," he had this proven. These writings also aroused displeasure in some people, so that he was constantly attacked.

Works

• Selectae propositiones ex philosophia mentis et sensuum. Prague 1756.
• De libro quinto Decretalium Gregorii PP IX. Munich 1761.
• Diss. Theologica canonica etc. Munich 1768.
• Academic discourse on the common prejudice of active and active witchcraft. Munich 1766.
• Deceiving magic and dreaming witchcraft, or the defense of academic discourse against the common prejudice of active and active witchcraft against the judgment without prejudice. Munich 1767, (online)
• Thoughts on the works of the Lover of Truth (Agnellus March) of the Hexerey. Munich 1767, (online)
• Chronological introduction to church history; from French. Munich 1767–1778 5 parts 1st part, (online)
• Diss. II de jurispradentia ecclesiastica. Munich 1769.
• Draft of the condition of the first Bavarian church which the Zenobites of the monastery of St. Peter in Salzburg found offensive. Munich 1773.
• Joh. Trithemius, Abbot of Sponheim, teaching how a priest should live decently. Translated from the Latin. Munich 1774.
• The Gaßner miracle cures discovered, illuminated from authentic documents and verified by eyewitnesses. Munich and Augsburg 1774, 2nd edition. Munich 1775 (supplemented with the catechism of the doctrine of spirits) - digitized edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf ( google )
• Francone dell 'Amavero Inquiry into whether there is any firmness? In the process many other superstitious errors are exposed. Nuremberg 1775.
• The questioner brought to the Catholic school about catechism of the spirit doctrine. Augsburg 1775, (online)
• Investigation of whether there is a firmness in that many other superstitious errors are refuted, along with the added catechism of the Spiritual Doctrine. Munich 1775, (online)
• Assessment of Gaßner's miracle cures by a pastor and zealot for the Catholic religion. Munich 1775, digitized edition - (online)
• Spirits and Magic Catechism. Munich 1783, (online)
• Efforts to overthrow superstition. Munich 1785, (online)
• The ghostly apparitions, a fantasy or a deception, proven by the Bible, reasoning and experience. Munich 1786.

literature

• Karl Friedrich Bouginé: Handbook of the general Litterargeschichte after Heumann's plan. Part 2, Volume 6, Orell, Füßli and Compagnie, Zurich 1802, p. 308. (online)
• Samuel Baur : Gallery of Eighteenth Century Historical Paintings - A Handbook for Every Day of the Year. Gottfried Adolph Grau, Hof 1804, p. 443. (online)
• Samuel Baur : New historical-biographical-literary concise dictionary from the creation of the world to the end of the eighteenth century. Volume 5, Verlag Stettin, Ulm 1810, Sp. 187. (online)
• Johann Georg Meusel : Lexicon of the German writers who died from 1750 to 1800. Gerhard Fleischer d. J., Leipzig 1813, Volume 13, p. 371. (online)
• General German real encyclopedia for the educated classes. Volume 9, 5th edition. FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1820, p. 513. (online)
• WD Fuhrmann: Concise dictionary of Christian religions and church history. Volume 3, Verlagbuchhandlung Waisenhaus, Halle 1829, p. 736. (online)
• Heinrich Doering : The learned theologians of Germany in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Volume 4, Verlag Johann Karl Gottfried Wagner, Neustadt an der Orla 1835, p. 367, (online)
• Constantin von Wurzbach : Sterzinger, Ferdinand . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 38th part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1879, pp. 311–314 ( digitized version ).
• Franz Heinrich Reusch:  Sterzinger, Ferdinand . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 36, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1893, p. 124 f.

Web links

Wikisource: Ferdinand Sterzinger  - Sources and full texts