Heinrich Brewer

Heinrich Brewer

Heinrich Brewer , also Heinrich von Puffendorf (born September 6, 1640 in Puffendorf , † 1713 in Aachen ) was a German Catholic theologian and historian .

Live and act

The out of the small town Puffendorf at Jülich derived and therefore Heinrich von Puffendorf called in some mentions Heinrich Brewer attended as a pupil that of Jesuit -run Dreikönigsgymnasium in Cologne . He then went through training to become a licentiate in theology and was ordained a priest in 1664 .

After a brief activity as a private tutor , Brewer initially took on a position as vicar at what was then Cassius-Stift , today's Bonn Minster , and from 1667 as a lecturer in theology at the University of Cologne . In 1669 he followed a call to the Groß-Nazareth nunnery in Cologne-Sachsenhausen, which he headed as father and rector until 1682. On December 29, 1682 he finally moved to Aachen , where he was pastor at St. Jakob until shortly before his death in 1713 .

Ever since his time as rector of the nunnery, he had a great preference for historical studies. He continued in several editions a multi-volume historical work, which had already been supplemented by Christian Adolf Tulden and originally written by Johann Adolf Brahel, on the events in the years 1661 to 1671, and added a number of memoranda, letters and contracts to it. For this he received the honorary title of "imperial historiographer". Shortly before moving to Aachen, he published a biographical treatise on Thomas von Kempen , in which, among other things, after extensive research, he expressly expressed the opinion that in the copyright dispute over the work " De imitatione christi " (Cologne, 1681) the author Kempen was the authorship must be awarded beyond doubt.

In addition, Heinrich Brewer also devoted himself to poetry at times. He drew attention to himself as early as 1668 in Bonn with a volume of poetry, which he dedicated to Archbishop Maximilian Heinrich of Bavaria . In Aachen he wrote a play with songs of victory, partly in German, partly in Latin, which was performed on the occasion of the celebration of the liberation from the Turks after the siege of Vienna . As far as is known, it is one of the few plays that have been preserved in Aachen from that time.

Fonts (selection)

• Tractatus Historico-Politici Qui hic ceu in universali Belli Pacisque Theatro proponuntur, Enarrantes Leges S. Rome. Imperii Fundamentales, praecipuorum Europae Dynastarum Foedera offensiva & defensiva, Tractatus Pacis Generalis & speciales , together with Johann Adolf Brahel, Christian Adolf Thulden; 3 vol., Cologne, Kinckius, 1659, 1674, 1679
• Historia universalis rerum notabilium, ubique pene terrarum gestarum , together with Johann Adolf Brahel, Christian Adolf Thulden; Cologne, Kinckius, 1671
• Historica Rerum Notabiliorum, Quae Ex Anno MDCLXI. In Annum MDCLXXII. In Terris Utriusque Imperatoris, Electorum, Principum, Ac Statuum Utriusque Germaniae Accidere Breviter Ac Succincte Per Henricum Brewer Iuliacensem, STL Adornata Enarratio , Cologne, Kinckius, 1672
• Historia rerum notabiliorum, quae ex anno 1661 usque ad annum 1672 in regnis terrisque Christianis extra Germaniam, puta in Italia, Hispania, Gallia, Anglia, Suecia, Polonia, Lusitania, Dania et Moscovia contigere, enarrata breviter et succincte pro historiae universalis Brachelianae- continuatione by Henr. Brewer s. theologiae licentiatum cum scriptis et tractatibus publicis huc facientibus , Cologne, Kinckius, 1675
• Chronographicum genethliacum in et super nativitate Neo-Archiducis Austriae , Nuremberg, 1678
• Thomae a Kempis ... Biographia, in qua ipsius vita, scripta, mors, elevatio epithaphium, elogia, controversia super libris IV de imitatione Christi , Cologne, Alstorff, 1681
• Viri, Vitae sanctimonia, & doctrinae fama eximii, Theologiae Asceticae Doctoris primarii, Canonicor. Regular. Ord. S. Augustini, Congregationis Windesheimensis, Religiosissimi Presbyteri, Thomae a Kempis, Viographia, Proque Ipsius Libris IV. De Imitatione Christi Apologia , Cologne, Kinckius, 1683
• The righteous Catholic and truly great Kayser Karl in the relics veneration at the ordinary opening of the Aachische Schatz-Kammer Heiligthums , Aachen, Clemens, 1685
• Catalogus praeserenissimorum Principum ex ... Austriae domo , 1690

Literature and Sources

• Leonhard Ennen:  Brewer, Heinrich . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 3, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1876, p. 323 f.
• R. Pick: 4. Smaller communications: 1. On the biography of Pastor Heinrich Brewer , in: From Aachens Vorzeit , Vol. 2, 1889, p. 14
• Hermann Joseph Hartzheim : Bibliotheca Scriptorum Coloniensis , v. Büllingen, printing company of the city of Cologne, 1747

Web links

• Publications by and about Heinrich Brewer in VD 17 .
• Biography in the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913, engl.) By Patricius Schlager