Herkulan Oberrauch

Herkulan Oberrauch

Herkulan Oberrauch OFM, born as Anton Nicolaus Oberrauch , (* December 5, 1728 in Sarntal , † October 22, 1808 in Schwaz ) was a Tyrolean Franciscan , philosopher and Catholic moral theologian .

Life

Herkulan Oberrauch was born in Tyrol under the name Anton Nicolaus as the son of Catholic parents. The rich and educated father, a farmer , took good care of his upbringing, and the boy was inquisitive and decided to become a clergyman later. In Wengen a clergyman taught him religion, arithmetic, writing and Latin . From 1740 he attended a grammar school in Innsbruck . There he showed himself to be diligent in studying theology and philosophy .

After Oberrauch had finished his philosophical studies, he publicly defended his dissertation and was thus promoted to a master's degree . He also passed his theological candidate examination in Innsbruck in 1750 . Then he was accepted into the Franciscan order in Kaltern , renamed himself to Herkulan and took the religious vows . He then continued his philosophical studies in Bolzano in 1751 , as prescribed by the monastery rules.

On October 23, 1753, Oberrauch was ordained a priest and began to study theology. In 1756 he completed this course and spent another year studying canon law . In the following year he became theological repetitionist after defending many works of church history. He was director of the weekly monastery conferences on morality and casuistry from 1759.

In 1760 Oberrauch went to Füssen as a philosophy teacher , and two years later to Bozen . There he disputed another year later, in 1763, in the Dominican monastery , whereupon he became lecturer in canon law in Hall in Tirol . Before he took up this office, he dealt with natural and constitutional law, for which he read the writings of famous law teachers. From 1765 he worked as a lecturer for canon law at Innsbruck's main monastery.

Oberrauch was appointed full professor for moral theology at the University of Innsbruck in 1766 . He gave up the office in 1782. He later lived in the Franciscan monastery in Schwaz . He also worked several times in the definitory .

In old age, Oberrauch did not let down his extensive activity, but became weaker. In February 1808 his health situation came to a head, on February 9th he was so ill that it was feared that he would soon die. Nevertheless, he recovered somewhat at first and was able to hold masses in his room again towards the end of March and briefly leave the hospital. Nevertheless, he died on October 22 of this year in the Franciscan monastery in Schwaz at the age of 79. There he was buried at his request.

Act

As a professor in Innsbruck, Oberrauch taught moral theology. He tried to teach them thoroughly, comprehensively and systematically, since until then this area had been dealt with more historically. He taught diligently and also wrote a moral theology textbook. The first part appeared in 1774, the other three were published in 1775. In the period from 1776 to 1784 Oberrauch wrote six dissertations on this topic, with which his moral theology can be regarded as complete. One of these dissertations is called Institutiones justitiae christianae sive theologia moralis , in which he took the view that the ultimate cause and purpose of all things is God.

Oberrauch had read Augustine's works and found explanations of difficult moral issues in them. He was of the opinion that there was no greater church father than Augustine.

As a teacher, Oberrauch was gifted because he was also able to present abstract topics in an understandable way by providing them with examples and parables . He asked his listeners not to just believe what he said, but to think about them so that you could decide for yourself whether the teacher's words were correct or not. Heinrich Döring recognizes this as a sign of the lack of egoism in Oberrauch. If someone brought him well-founded doubts about his teachings, he did not hesitate to make these claims publicly. This enabled him to prepare a good study of moral theology for many students, but philosophers and lawyers also listened to his lectures with enthusiasm, especially on natural and canon law.

His moral theological system was also accused of being unfounded, confused and illogical and not representing a good knowledge of moral philosophy and natural law. In 1775, Oberrauch took a negative stance on the duty of chastity in his work Vindiciae moralis theologiae suae contra Recensentem Freiburg , which was not well received by his opponents. His main work Institutiones justitiae christianae sive theologia moralis was indexed in 1796 . At the request of several bishops, a cardinal said that the work had been banned because it contained not only Catholic doctrines. At that time, the work was published under a second edition that was not banned.

Although Oberrauch was particularly concerned with moral theology, he also noticed that more and more indifferentism and skepticism were spreading. He complained that there was no work in which the foundations and principles of the Catholic religion were presented. On the occasion of this he wrote Theon and Amyntas - Conversations on Religion and Justice , which was published in Innsbruck in four volumes from 1786 to 1788.

Oberrauch stood in opposition to Kant's philosophy , which was set out in his work The Most Important and Only Necessary . There he dealt with philosophers of his time and argued why the Kantian philosophy had a bad influence on human morality. This work was also the focus of criticism. In 1794 he wrote in defense of the state of destruction to Herr Critiker and Augsburg . Around this time he slowly gave in and wished not to hear of the argument with the critics. He continued to act according to his conscience and also asked his friends to only defend the truth and not him or his teachings.

Despite the criticism, Oberrauch was very much valued, especially in Innsbruck by both spiritual and secular personalities. They came to him for advice on important matters, to use him as a confessor or to confide in him secrets. In 1781, Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria, who had moved to Innsbruck, chose him as her confessor, for which she paid him annually. Oberrauch did not accept more than 200 guilders , since he was paid with this sum for holding mass in the court chapel. As a result, he got by with an annual salary of 400 guilders, and he also donated a lot to the poor. He gave many of the presents the Archduchess gave him to the poor. He was also valued by many clergymen, so that on October 23, 1803, many clergy rulers were present in Telfs for his priest jubilee .

In his early years, Oberrauch only slept about two hours a day, and he continued to do well even in old age. But his doctor advised him to sleep about six hours. Therefore, he had less and less time for professional and literary matters.

Oberrauch wrote some works, including articles in magazines, although some of his writings, allegedly with Latin content, remained unprinted.

Works

Printed works

• Institutiones justitiae christianae sive theologiae moralis (Volumes 1 to 4, Innsbruck 1774 to 1775)
• Vindiciae moralis theologiae suae adversus recensentem Friburgensem (Innsbruck 1775)
• De lege Dei aeterna ad mentem S. Augustini et in subsidium doctrinae moralis explicata Tractatus (Innsbruck 1776)
• Dissertationes theologicae I-VI; De prima rerum omnium causa et de earundem fine ultimo dissertatio theologica prima (Innsbruck without year)
• De ea, qua divina gratia et liberum hominis arbitrium ad actum fini ultimo aptum amice conspirant, mira concordia dissertatio theologica secunda (Innsbruck without year)
• De peccatis ignorantiae dissertatio theologica tertia (Innsbruck 1783)
• De spe theologica dissertatio theologica quarta (Innsbruck 1784)
• De caritate et justitia generali, tanquam de supremo omnium virtutum genere, dissertatio theologica quinta (Innsbruck 1784)
• De caritate theologica, seu speciali, dissertatio theologica sexta et ultima (Innsbruck 1784)
• Theon and Amyntas, or Conversations on Religion and Justice (Volume 1–4, Innsbruck 1786 to 1788, 2nd edition 1792, 3rd edition 1804)
• On the State of Destruction, to the Critics of Augsburg (Innsbruck 1794)
• Quid agendum seditiosis his temporibus? Responsio amici ad amicum (o.O. 1798)
• Theologia moralis (Volume 1–8. Bamberg / Norimberg 1797/1798)
• Brief instructions on Christian perfection or Christian spiritual doctrine, which, according to fixed principles and the consequences derived from them, instructs the perfect love of God (Brixen 1800)
• Blood and tears rewarded unequally: or reflections on the suffering and death of the Redeemer (Brixen 1800)
• Brief reflections on the fourteen stations of the Holy Cross (Brixen 1801)
• The most important and only necessary or: What is the ultimate goal of a person and how does he achieve it? A modification especially dedicated to philosophers and thinkers of our time (Innsbruck 1801)
• De vitae legitime eligendo tractatus (Augsburg 1802)
• Something about science and the arts (Innsbruck 1804)
• Treatise on the duty and virtue of theological hope, or on the legitimate general confidence in God himself. Based on the Latin treatise by Herkulan Oberrauch (Innsbruck 1807)
• Tractatus de perfectione christiana (Freiburg 1882)

Unprinted works

• Modus diem transigendi a personis Deo dicatis (without year)
• Four plays: a) The infinite love of God who is dying for people. b) The image and archetype. c) The example of the most perfect obedience. d) The great, but still small, reciprocal love (1760)
• Notae in Joan. Gottlieb Heinecii Institutiones juris civilis (1763)
• Notamina quaedam in Jus Canonicum publicum et privatum (without year)
• Assertiones controversae in jure sacro (1765)
• Systema juris universi (no year)
• In Pauli a Rieger Institutiones juris prudentiae eccles. Commentarius (no year)
• Jus sacrum privatum (without year)
• Oratio inauguralis accepta professura sua (1766)
• Praelectiones de S. Eloquentia in Conventu Oenipont, habitae (1768)
• S. Eloquentiae praecepta justa methodo digesta (1770)
• Systema Metaphysices generalis de rebus creatis (no year)
• Scripta de pio foedere inter sacerdotes ineundo (1784)
• Dissertatio de concordia imperii cum sacerdotio (1784)
• About the Union of Protestants and Catholics (1786)
• De cultu sanctorum generatim et speciatim de illo BMV dissertatio (1787)
• Ascesis (no year)
• Epistola ascetica ad Fratres, seu appendix ad ascesin (no year)
• Miscellanea, quae continent sententias asceticas, opiniones scientificas, scripta politica (1791)
• Oratio funebris defuncto professore (no year)
• Appeal to the Germans by a German (1797)
• Conversation about the correctness of mathematical principles (1798)
• Epistola, qua probatur, quod unitas perfectionem contineat, multitudo vero imperfectionem denotet (1799)
• Systema magnum exhibens nexum omnium 8 tomulorum theologiae moralis et systema minus pro tomulo octavo (1799)
• Concio super "Dominum Deum tuum" etc (no year)
• De meditatione sacra (without year)
• Epicedium seu: in piae memoriae Fr. Casimirum lusus litterarius ad moestos Sodales ejusdem (without year)
• De concordia fratrum (without year)
• In Regulam S. Francisci commentariolus (1800)
• About the mathematical truth. A treatise as an addendum to the conversation on religion and justice by Theon and Amyntas (1800)
• Variae epistolae circa caput IV.S. Regulae (1800)
• About the words: Quantum potes, tantum aude etc (1802)
• Typus totius philosophiae (no year)
• Responsa ad quaestiones philosophicas - de distinctionibus (without year)
• Responsa ad 122 quaestiones varii tenoris (without year)
• Gregorius et Joannes, seu: Ad Deum cognoscendum perfecteque diligendum auxilia quopiam in Dialogo aliquo proposita (1802)
• RP Herculani Oberrauch Notae in Joan. Gottlieb Heinecii Institutiones juris civilis adornatae (1803)
• Bias et Cleon ie brevissimum de firmitate praeteritorum colloquium (1804)
• Casus morales a RP Herculano Oberrauch pro conferentiis casuisticis in provincia nostra annis 1804–1807 propositi, from eodemque scriptotenus demum soluti (no year)
• Elucidatio casuum in Dioecesi Curiensi reservatorum (no year)
• Circa ordinationes in Capitulo provinciali anno 1803 statuendas vagae quaedam opiniones (no year)
• To the new professors of catechesis to be appointed. With a "draft for a well-founded teaching of Christian doctrine" (1804)
• De locis theologicis animadversiones (1804)
• Casus morales a RP Herculano Oberrauch pro conferentiis casuisticis in provincia nostra annis 1804–1807 propositi, from eodemque scriptotenus demum soluti (no year)
• Elucidatio casuum in Dioecesi Curiensi reservatorum (no year)
• Circa ordinationes in Capitulo provinciali anno 1803 statuendas vagae quaedam opiniones (no year)
• De locis theologicis animadversiones (1804)
• Casus morales a RP Herculano propositi et soluti (1806)
• De locis theologicis seu fontibus credendi Dissertatio ad amicum a RP Herculano (1806)
• How to get to inner peace (without a year)
• Abdon et Ida, see: De Mysterio SS. Trinitatis (1806)
• From the first and most important of all duties, namely the duty to honor God because of God. A treatise to all sincere Christians by Father Herculan (1807)
• De aerumnis vitae humanis (1807)
• De mysterio incarnationis nova et insolita hypothesis (1807)
• Dubia circa hanc tuam scriptionem emergentia (no year)
• Exhortation ad martyrdom (1807)
• De concordia sacerdotii cum imperio. Appendix ad Tractatum de ecclesia (1808)
• De curanda salute studiosae juventutis epistola parenetica ad amicos (1808)
• Epistola RP Herculani in qua quasdam objectiones in Tractatum de Cultu Sanctorum factos refutat (1808)
• De sublimissimo divinae incarnationis mysterio (1806)
• Regulae quaedam pro sacerdotibus (1808)
• Critique of some of the finest pieces in Mathesis (1808)
• De unione hypostatica scriptio aliqua ad amicum (1808)
• De probe educanda juventute religiosa (1808)
• Divinorum Judiciorum vindicia dissertatio (1808)
• Dialogus ad summum Trinitatis mysterium contra rationem humanam defendendam (1808)
• De primae innocentiae, et baptismatis numquam violati felicitate (1808)
• Epistola quae magis declarat, quid sit sperare in misericordia Dei (1808)
• Healing advice and admonitions of the Hochw. P. Herculans. a) From the damage of bad books. b) Of suffering and adversity. c) How priests who want to promote the salvation of others should behave. d) From St. Prayer and spiritual exercises. e) The benefit of a pious spiritual community. f) The acceptance of the candidate in the monasteries. g) De conversatione inter homines (1808)

literature

• Ignaz de Luca : The learned Austria: An attempt. The second part of the first volume . 1776, p. 371 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
• Georg Christoph Hamberger , Johann Georg Meusel : The learned Teutschland, or lexicon of the now living German writers . tape 5 , 1797, pp. 473 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
• Alois Adalbert Waibel : Herkulan Oberrauch: A strange life story . 1829 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
• Heinrich Döring : The learned theologians of Germany in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries . tape 3 , 1833, p. 97-103 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
• Franz Heinrich Reusch :  Oberrauch, Herculanus . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 24, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1887, p. 106.
• Karl-Heinz Kleber: Justice as love . The moral theology of Herkulan Oberrauch, OFM (1728–1808). In: Moral Theological Studies. Historical department . tape 7 . Patmos, Düsseldorf 1984, ISBN 3-491-71059-6 (also habilitation thesis at the University of Mainz 1975).
• Karl-Heinz Kleber :  Oberrauch, Herkulan. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 6, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-044-1 , Sp. 1076-1083.