Franz Ignatius Rothfischer

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Franz Ignatius Rothfischer

Franz Ignatius Rothfischer (also Gregorius or Gregor Rothfischer ; * May 2, 1720 or 1721 in Altmannstein ; † February 20, 1755 in Göttingen ) was a German theologian and professor of philosophy at the University of Helmstedt .

Life

Franz Ignatius Rothfischer was born in Altmannstein, in today's Eichstätt district in Upper Bavaria , in 1720 or 1721 , as the son of a market clerk. His father gave the ten-year-old a childless friend to Ingolstadt to bring up . There he entered the Jesuit school at the age of fourteen and later switched to the Jesuit school in Dillingen an der Donau .

After about three years he declared that he did not want to join the Jesuit order. But he was persuaded to continue his education in the Benedictine monastery of Sankt Emmeram in Regensburg and later in the Rott monastery in Rott am Inn . In 1739 Rothfischer began his probationary year, made his vows in 1740 and now took the name Gregorius .

Rothfischer devoted himself intensively to his studies, initially in Regensburg and from 1742 in Salzburg , where he was particularly concerned with church history and passed a philosophical and theological exam after a year. His wish to stay in Salzburg for another year to study law was not granted. Rothfischer was recalled and in 1743 he was a confessor in the Regensburg area and a teacher of philosophy.

He took lessons in mathematics and was particularly concerned with studying the writings of the philosopher, lawyer and mathematician Christian Wolff (1679-1754). Wolff's assertion that authority over the religious constitution and the church property of the state belongs to the sovereign, Rothfischer countered with a pamphlet. However, he failed to change the script for a second edition when doubts arose during the editing that concerned the foundations of Catholic teaching. Although he did not receive permission to publish a dissertation, in 1745 he was given the teaching post of theology.

In 1748 Rothfischer was transferred to Haindling , in today's Straubing-Bogen district , where he made contact with Protestant clergy. In 1750 the Bavarian Benedictine Congregation offered him a theological chair, which he refused, as did similar offers from Salzburg and Erfurt . Ernst August Bertlings (1721–1769) publication against the jubilee year of 1750 proclaimed by Pope Benedict XIV (1675–1758) prompted him to reply, the first part of which appeared in 1751. However, doubts about the Catholic teaching increased during this work.

Lutheran conversion

In the same year he decided to convert to the Protestant church, converted in November 1751 in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig and now again used his original baptismal name Franz Ignatius instead of the assumed religious name Gregorius or Gregor .

The University of Göttingen offered him an extraordinary professorship, to which he preferred a position as a full professor of philosophy in Helmstedt . On April 5, 1752, he was introduced to his office by Vice Rector Bertling, his former opponent.

From the Catholic side he was exposed to violent attacks, to which his Helmstedt colleagues, such as the theologian Christoph Timotheus Seidel (1703–1758), responded with pamphlets to justify Rothfischer. On the other hand, he continued to enjoy a great reputation among important representatives of the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinal Angelo Maria Quirini (1680–1755) tried to persuade Rothfischer to return through several letters. When the letters were unsuccessful, the cardinal turned to Duke Karl I of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1713–1780) in 1753 , but was also rejected by him.

The completely destitute Rothfischer was generously supported financially by Duke Charles I, especially since Rothfischer's compromised health made costly cures necessary. Franz Ignatius Rothfischer died on February 20, 1755 in Göttingen, where he had hoped for a cure from the doctor Johann Gottfried Brendel (1711–1758).

Works (selection)

  • Theses philosophicae . Regensburg 1746 ( books.google.de )
  • Theses mathematico-physicae . Regensburg 1746 ( books.google.de )
  • Indulgence and jubilee year . Regensburg 1751 ( books.google.de )
  • Proposal for a Catholic school improvement and thoughts on the Catholic art of dispute . Leipzig 1752 ( books.google.de )
  • News of his transition to the Evangelical Church . Leipzig 1752 ( books.google.de )

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Döring, p. 647
  2. ^ Paul Zimmermann :  Rothfischer, Franz Ignatius . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 29, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, pp. 361-363.
  3. ^ Dieter Lent: Rothfischer, Franz Ignatius (Gregorius) . In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck , Dieter Lent et al. (Ed.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon - 8th to 18th century . Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2006, ISBN 3-937664-46-7 , p. 596 .
  4. ↑ Christoph Timotheus Seidel: Message from which the professed professor. Rothfischer for his conversion from the Roman Catholic to the Evangelical Lutheran Church . 1752
personal data
SURNAME Rothfischer, Franz Ignatius
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rothfischer, Franz Ignatius; Rothfischer, Franz Ignaz; Rothfischer, Gregorius; Rothfischer, Gregor
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German theologian and professor of philosophy at the University of Helmstedt
DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1720 or 1721
PLACE OF BIRTH Altmannstein
DATE OF DEATH February 20, 1755
Place of death Goettingen