Johann Baptist von Hirscher

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Johann Baptist von Hirscher
Johann Baptist von Hirscher, painted by his protégé Sebastian Luz for his 70th birthday on January 22, 1858

Johann Baptist ( since 1835: von) Hirscher (born January 20, 1788 in Alt-Ergarten, Bodnegg , † September 4, 1865 in Freiburg im Breisgau ) was a German Roman Catholic moral theologian and pastoral theologian . The reform-oriented and at the same time conservative Hirscher is a main representative of the Catholic Tübingen school and is considered to be the founder of catechetics as a scientific discipline. The focus of his catechetics is the idea of the Kingdom of God .

Life

The Bodnegg farmer's son Johann Baptist Hirscher first attended the monastery school in the nearby Weißenau monastery (to which his home parish Bodnegg belonged). After the abolition of the monastery with the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss in 1803, he moved to the grammar school in the episcopal city of Konstanz before studying Catholic theology at the University of Freiburg in 1807 . From 1809 to 1810 he finished his training at the seminary in Meersburg . Hirscher was ordained a priest in 1810 and was curate in Röhlingen (now in Ellwangen ) for two years . In 1812 he was repetent at the seminary in Ellwangen.

In 1817 Hirscher was appointed to a chair for moral and pastoral theology at the University of Tübingen , which he held for 20 years. In 1820 he was awarded an honorary doctorate there. In 1835 he received the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Württemberg Crown , with which the personal title of nobility was associated.

In 1837 Hirscher became a professor for moral theology and catechesis at the University of Freiburg . From there he exerted great influence on the theology of his time for 25 years. In 1839 he became cathedral chapter, in 1850 dean of the cathedral chapter . As a representative of the university he was sent to the First Chamber of the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1850 . He belonged to this chamber from 1847 to 1849 and again from 1861 to 1862 as a member appointed by the Grand Duke. In 1863 he retired from his apprenticeship for reasons of age; two years later he died in Freiburg and was buried in the old cemetery . The Freiburg sculptor Josef Alois Knittel created his tomb .

Around 1846 he took the nephew of his housekeeper Marie Luz (Lutz) Sebastian Luz into his house and enabled him to attend high school, study art and supported him spiritually and financially until his death.

plant

Hirscher's theology is influenced by his patron Ignaz Heinrich von Wessenberg and Johann Michael Sailer . In addition to Johann Sebastian von Drey , Johannes Evangelist von Kuhn , Franz Anton Staudenmaier and Johann Adam Möhler , he was a main representative of the Tübingen school . Hirscher and his colleagues founded the theological quarterly in 1819 . Hirscher's catechetical writings for laypeople were widespread and had a great influence on the Catholic piety of his time.

Hirscher spoke out strictly against liberal influences in the Catholic school system and in favor of denominational schools. However, he is responsible for reform approaches in the field of religious education (including the publication of a catechism). Hirscher was - revolutionary at the time - against learning by heart , he aimed at understanding learning and wanted to include the students' living environment in the lessons. His opponents from the " Second Mainz Circle " pleaded for a precise memorization of the catechism (for example the catechism of Joseph Deharbe used in Mainz ), through which the pupils should internalize the beliefs literally. Because of his approach, Hirscher can be described as the father of modern correlative religious education.

On the other hand, his far-reaching reform proposals for a modernization of the church included the inclusion of lay people in synods and the holding of masses in the vernacular (two demands that the Second Vatican Council finally fulfilled from 1962 to 1965) as well as the laicization of the clergy and the abolition of celibacy . His reform demands brought him at odds with the Catholic doctrine of his time, and two of his books were included in the index of banned books .

The child labor and other excesses of the Industrial Revolution condemned Hirscher sharp in his work the social conditions of the present and the church of 1849. The problems of orphans and neglected children he described in his pamphlet The concern for morally neglected children . He called for a tight organization of the "rescue work" for these children under the direction of the bishops. He was then commissioned by the Archbishop of Freiburg, Hermann von Vicari , to found "education centers" (such as the St. Kilian children's and youth home in Walldürn ). Hirscher raised many donations for this purpose and also made generous donations himself; for this he also sold parts of his remarkable art collection that he had assembled over the years.

In his Catechism of the Christian Catholic Religion (1842), as an “appendix” to the “Fourth Section”, there is a section “On the behavior of the children of God against the animals” (pp. 161f.), An early Catholic reaction to the founding of the first animal welfare association in Germany by the evangelical song writer and pastor Albert Knapp , initiated by the writing Request of the poor animals (1822) by the evangelical pastor Christian Adam Dann .

Posthumous honors

The educational center of his hometown Bodnegg and the Johann-Baptist-Hirscher-Haus of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart in Rottenburg am Neckar are named after Hirscher .

Fonts

Christian morality , 1835

(Selection)

  • The Catholic doctrine of indulgence, presented pragmatically . Tübingen 1826, 5th edition 1844 ( DjVu format)
  • Reflections on all the Gospels of the Lent, including the story of the Passion. For homilets and Bible readers; At the same time as a contribution to the practical written explanation . Tubingen 1829
  • Catechetics, or: the profession of pastor to teach and educate the youth entrusted to him in Christianity according to its full extent . Tuebingen 1831
  • Christian morality as a doctrine of the realization of the divine kingdom in humanity . 3 volumes, 1835–1836 (GoogleBooks digital copies; 1st edition: vol. 1 , vol. 2 , vol. 3 ; 5th edition. 1851: vol. 1 , vol. 2 , vol. 3 )
  • Reflections on the Sunday Gospels of the liturgical year , 2 parts. Tübingen 1837–1843
  • The story of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and World Savior . Tubingen 1839
  • Catechism of the Christian Catholic religion . Hechingen, Carlsruhe and Freiburg 1842
  • The Catholic doctrine of indulgence with special regard to its practical significance . Laupp [u. a.], Tübingen 1844 ( digitized version )
  • The smaller catechism of the Christian Catholic religion . Freiburg 1845
  • Discussions on the great religious questions of the present day . 3 volumes, 1846/1847/1855 ( GoogleBooks Vol. 1/2 )
  • The need for a living cultivation of positive Christianity in all classes of society. Submitted to the German governments, initially to the German parliament for appreciation . Tübingen 1848
  • The social conditions of the present and the Church . Tübingen 1849 ( GoogleBooks )
  • The ecclesiastical conditions of the present . Tübingen 1849 ( GoogleBooks )
  • Contributions to homiletics and catechetics . Tuebingen 1852
  • The life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God . Freiburg 1853
  • For guidance on the current church dispute , Freiburg 1854
  • Main pieces of the Christian Catholic faith. For school and home . Tuebingen 1857
  • Considerations on all Sunday epistles of the church year , 2 volumes. Freiburg 1860
  • Delusions. Recorded and put in the light to promote self-awareness . Freiburg 1865

literature

  • Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  Hirscher, Johann Baptist von. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 2, Bautz, Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-032-8 , Sp. 897-899.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  • Franz Bläcker: Johann Baptist von Hirscher and his catechisms in the context of contemporary and intellectual history. A contribution to the contemporary catechism question . (= Studies on theology of pastoral care; Volume 6). Herder, Freiburg 1953
  • Adolf Exeler:  Hirscher, Johann Baptist von. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 9, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1972, ISBN 3-428-00190-7 , p. 222 ( digitized version ).
  • Joachim Faller: "It seems to me that it is time to act ...". Johann Baptist von Hirscher. Work and activity in an era of upheaval (1845–1865) . (= Research on the history of the Upper Rhine region; Volume 52). Alber, Freiburg / Munich 2006, ISBN 3-495-49952-0
  • Walter Fürst: Truth in the interests of freedom. An investigation into the theology of JB Hirschers (1788 - 1865) . (= Tübingen theological studies; Volume 15). Grünewald, Mainz 1979, ISBN 3-7867-0739-1
  • Walter Fürst, Werner Groß: The noble Hirscher. Contributions to his biography and theology . Institute for advanced and advanced training for church services in the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Rottenburg 1988
  • Norbert Greinacher : Johann Baptist Hirscher. Reforming the Church then and now . In: Theological quarterly . 168th year 1988, no. 2, p. 98
  • Werner Groß: Johann Baptist Hirscher and the renewal of the celebration of the Mass . In: Theological quarterly. 168th year 1988, no. 2, p. 115
  • Erwin Keller: Johann Baptist Hirscher . (= Pioneer of today's theology; Volume 1). Styria, Graz a. a. 1969 (mainly Hirscher's texts)
  • Erwin Keller: Johann Baptist Hirscher (1788–1865) . In: Catholic theologians in the 19th century. Vol. 2. Kösel, Munich 1975, ISBN 3-466-20174-8 , pp. 40-79.
  • Karl J. Rivinius, Johann Baptist Hirscher: a trailblazer of the Catholic missionary movement , In: New journal for missiology. - 36: 4 (1980) pp. 252-266.
  • Franz Kohlschein: The “forms” of the mass in German with Johann Baptist Hirscher (1788–1865) . In: Archives for liturgical science . 32nd Jg. 1990, H. 2, pp 161-206
  • Friedrich Kössing: Johann Baptist von Hirscher , in: Badische Biographien . First part. Bassermann, Heidelberg 1875, pp. 372–377 ( digitized version )
  • Anton Lutterbeck :  Hirscher, Johann Baptist . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 12, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1880, pp. 470-472.
  • Konstantin Maier: Johann Baptist von Hirscher (1788–1865). A Swabian theologian between the ages . In: Im Oberland, 2009, No. 1, pp. 43–51
  • Rudolf Reinhardt: Johann Baptist Hirscher - a traitor to the German Church? . In: Journal of Church History. 101. Jg. 1990, H. 2/3, p. 374
  • Otto Rundel: Johann Baptist von Hirscher (1788–1865) and his art collection . In: Journal for Württembergische Landesgeschichte, 49th year 1990, pp. 296–319
  • Hubert Schiel: Johann Baptist von Hirscher. A figure of light from the German Catholicism of the 19th century . Caritas, Freiburg im Breisgau 1926
  • Klaus Schlupp: School, Church and State in the 19th Century - The Catholic Primary School in the Diocese of Mainz and the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1830–1877 . Nordhausen 2005.
  • Karl-Heinz Tillmann: The doctrine of evil in overall systematic drafts of German Catholic theologians in the 19th century: Johann Baptist Hirscher, Franz Anton Staudenmaier, Anton Berlage . (= Regensburg Studies on Theology; Volume 26). Lang, Frankfurt am Main a. a. 1982, ISBN 3-8204-5939-1
  • Hubert Wolf: The Freiburg moral theologian Johann Baptist Hirscher as Rottenburg bishop candidate 1842/47 in the mirror of the correspondence of Albert von Rechberg . In: Freiburg Diocesan Archive . 114th year 1994, p. 173

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Württemberg staff nobility
  2. ↑ Royal Württemberg Court and State Handbook 1839, p. 35.
  3. ↑ Ludwig Bauer, Bernhard Gißler: The members of the First Chamber of the Baden States General from 1819 to 1912. with Fidelitas, Karlsruhe 1913, 5th edition, p 87 and 91st
  4. ^ Alfred Biehler: The grandfather: sculptor Josef Alois Knittel . In: Heinz Spath: sculptor Hugo Knittel , 1957.
  5. ↑ cf. on this: Schlupp, pp. 501-562.
personal data
SURNAME Hirscher, Johann Baptist von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German theologian
DATE OF BIRTH January 20, 1788
PLACE OF BIRTH Bodnegg
DATE OF DEATH September 4, 1865
Place of death Freiburg in Breisgau