Johann Nepomuk Sepp

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Johann Nepomuk Sepp
Grave of Johann Sepp on the old southern cemetery in Munich location

Johann Nepomuk Sepp (born August 7, 1816 in Tölz in Upper Bavaria , † June 5, 1909 in Munich ) was a German historian , folklorist , church historian and politician .

Live and act

Johann Nepomuk Sepp came as the son of the dyer and red tanner Josef Bernhard Sepp (1785–1860) and his wife Maria Victoria, nee. Oefele (1781–1860) to the world. He attended the Latin School in Tölz and the Gymnasium in Munich. From 1834 to 1839 he studied philosophy , Catholic theology , law , philology and history at the University of Munich . In 1836 and 1837 he lived in the Georgianum seminary in Munich and received minor orders . In 1839 Sepp was promoted to Dr. Joseph Görres , whose pupil he understood himself and whose circle he belonged to. phil. PhD . He first settled in Tölz as a private scholar . In 1844 he completed his habilitation in Munich and taught as a private lecturer until 1846 , then as an associate professor of history. While still a private lecturer, Sepp founded the ultramontane -oriented Academic Round Table . In 1847 he and seven of his colleagues were deposed as a result of the Lola Montez affair, the venia legendi was revoked, he was banned from the Bavarian capital and settled again in Tölz. During these years Sepp published his first major work, The Life of Jesus Christ , which appeared in seven volumes between 1842 and 1846, with a foreword by Görres. With this work he took part in the life of Jesus research and turned explicitly against rationalistic approaches like those of David Friedrich Strauss .

In his years as a student and lecturer, Sepp undertook extensive trips, initially with his younger brother Bernhard, who died in 1838: in 1835 he traveled to Lower Bavaria and Austria, in 1836 to Italy and Switzerland, in 1839 to Bohemia, southern and northern Germany, Holland and Belgium. From August 1845 to May 1846 Sepp undertook his greatest journey, which took him via Sicily , Malta , Greece , Turkey , Rhodes and Cyprus to Beirut and on to Damascus . He visited Palestine and Egypt , from where he returned via Trieste .

Sepp was a member of the Association for Constitutional Monarchy and Religious Freedom , which was founded in Munich in May 1848. The association campaigned for the preservation of the traditional social order and the rights of the Catholic Church. At the end of April 1848, Sepp was elected to the Frankfurt National Assembly in the Rosenheim constituency, in which he joined the conservatives who met in the Steinerne Haus , later in the Café Milani , and which he attended until May 1849. After his return from Frankfurt, Sepp ran in the constituency of Traunstein for the Bavarian Chamber of Deputies , to which he was elected in July 1849 and to which he initially belonged until 1855. During this electoral period, an important bill on the emancipation of the Jews fell , through which the equality of Jewish and Christian citizens should be achieved. The law, which ultimately failed in the Chamber of Reichsräte , was rejected by Sepp and he justified this rejection in the Chamber of Deputies on December 10, 1849 in a diction that is characterized in literature as an early form of "modern anti-Semitism ". Anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish stereotypes can also be found at Sepp's later times.

In October 1850, Sepp was reappointed an extraordinary professor in Munich by King Maximilian II , which was to be understood as reparation for the actions of Ludwig I in 1847. Nevertheless Sepp at the University in the era of Maximilian II. Not good prospects had, since his understanding of science was attributed to "more of the pre-critical period of the science of history," the monarch but just tried in this field to modernization and therefore for the appointment of Heinrich von Sybel saw . Sepp was only appointed full professor by Maximilian's successor Ludwig II . However, the monarch retired Sepp on December 3, 1867. The background was a dispute under private law between Sepps and the mathematician Georg Recht (1813–1873), a colleague at the university who owed him money and for whose culpability he actively ensured. This rigorous approach by Sepp, which was also reported in the press, was viewed by the university's senate as being detrimental to the institution's reputation. Sepp himself saw in the process an intrigue of his political and ideological opponents, which he explained in the treatise Memorandum on the matter of my Quieszirung (1868) and in various other places.

In February 1868, Sepp was elected to the newly created German customs parliament, in which he joined the southern German parliamentary group, whose aim was to prevent the customs parliament from expanding its powers. In May 1869 he was also elected to the Chamber of Deputies of the Bavarian State Parliament in the Kelheim constituency. Sepp was one of those Bavarian members of the Customs Parliament with a Landtag mandate who decided at a meeting in Berlin on June 11, 1869 to join the Chamber of Deputies to form the Patriotic Group . This is what happened when the Landtag met in September 1869, in which the founding act of the Bavarian Patriot Party can be seen. Sepp thus belonged to the inner circle of founders of the party. After the state parliament was soon dissolved, Sepp was re-elected to the Chamber of Deputies in November 1869 - this time in the Rottenburg constituency - and belonged to the Chamber until 1875.

Sepp was elected in 1868 and 1869 as a representative of the Catholic-conservative forces that opposed the liberal policies of the Hohenlohe government . This basic attitude of Sepps changed in the crisis that led to the Franco-German War . When the Chamber of Deputies had to vote on the war credits on July 19, 1870, Sepp and a minority of the patriotic faction voted against the party line represented by Josef Edmund Jörg for approval, whereby the majority was secured together with the Liberals. Whether his enthusiastic speech was decisive for the formation of opinion within his own parliamentary group is controversial in the literature. Sepp was expelled from the Patriot faction in December 1870 and on January 21, 1871 was one of those MPs who approved the November Treaties against the majority of the Patriots . The formerly patriotic proponents of the treaty around Max Huttler , Ludwig Weis and Sepp formed their own parliamentary group called Centrum (approx. 30 members), but most of them soon returned to the patriotic group in view of the beginning of the Bavarian culture war . Sepp, however, remained permanently in the Liberal camp, in March 1872 was one of the founders of the Free Association , which worked together with the Progressive Party , and ran unsuccessfully for the Liberals in Günzburg in 1875 .

After the founding of the empire , an exchange of letters developed between Sepp and Otto von Bismarck , whom he wanted to win over from 1872 to support an archaeological expedition to Tire . In the cathedral there, Sepp believed he could find the remains of Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa . In 1874 the company took place under Sepp's management with special funds from the Chancellor, although he “had no idea of ​​archaeological methods.” Sepp traveled with his son Bernhard and the Berlin lecturer Hans Prutz , but the company was unsuccessful. Sepp presented the expedition in 1879 in the text Sea Voyage to Tire for the excavation of the cathedral with Barbarossa's grave. On behalf of the Prince Reich Chancellor, Professor Dr. Sepp , which met with derisive criticism in specialist circles. Prutz himself spoke in a review “of the confused games of a fantasy completely alienated from the real world of science” and remarked that for Bismarck's support “the intention was (was) decisive, a man who deserves the national cause at a crucial hour had made to give an excellent recognition. "

Sepp was well-read and extensively active as a journalist himself. A list of his writings lists over 70 independent publications. The spectrum ranged from religious studies, through mythology, fairy tales and legends to questions of Bavarian history. At times he was inclined to idiosyncratic interpretations of history, which is why his colleagues gave him the respectfully ironic nickname: The Overturned Book Box . The last major work was his contribution to German folklore, The Religion of the Old Germans. Its persistence in folk tales, proclamations and festive customs up to the present as a kind of retrospective, a condensed, comparative inventory of the historical, folkloric and religious knowledge accumulated and processed during his life, a book that, like most of his works, has not yet been reprinted Has. However, it is still frequently cited, the book Altbayerischer Sagenschatz from 1876, which he himself called a “last-minute” study of the myths, sagas, customs and manners of Bavaria. In it he attempted to provide a (also highly condensed, very eclectic) overview about the legends of Bavaria, as far as this was documented in literature. Sepp also published under the pseudonym Eusebius Amort the Younger , a reference to the theologian Eusebius Amort, whom he admired . Sepp's “works that still belong to the pre-critical period of historical science”, “often products of a confused mind”, “are rightly forgotten today”. Even Walter Goetz had ruled on Sepp's work: "The Görres'sche school was led by it to absurdity. Fantasizing about history was already very close to caricature in Görres; with a less peculiar and spiritual personality, this whole system was condemned to be ridiculous. "

Memorial plaque at the Franciscan monastery in Tölz

More present than his publications today are Sepp's contributions to the culture of remembrance and monument protection . In 1861 he bought the partially destroyed Wessobrunn Monastery , which was then used as a quarry to preserve it for posterity. In 1875 he acquired the Tassilolinde and had the Wessobrunn prayer carved into a boulder that can still be viewed today. In his native town of Tölz, Sepp campaigned, among other things, for the Gothicization of the parish church of the Assumption of Mary and initiated the winegrowers' memorial , which was unveiled in 1887 in the presence of Prince Regent Luitpold . Other projects promoted by Sepp were the Albertus Magnus Memorial in Lauingen (1881), the Schmied von Kochel Memorial in Kochel am See (1900), the Frundsberg Memorial in Mindelheim (1903), the Amort Memorial in Wackersberg (1905) and the memorial for the Sendlinger peasant uprising of 1705 in Waakirchen (1905). At Sepp's suggestion, a window created by Max Ainmiller was installed in Cologne Cathedral in 1856 in honor of Joseph Görres . Sepp's idea to erect a Bismarck monument on the Zugspitze found no support.

Between 1854 and 1856, Sepp had the curious neo-Gothic Sepp house built in Munich's Maxvorstadt , which was destroyed in the Second World War and then replaced by a new building.

The extensive estate of Sepp is in the Bavarian State Library.

Sepp married the merchant's daughter Anna Sybilla Clemens (1824-1880) on May 14, 1849 in Koblenz . The couple had 11 children who were born between 1850 and 1866. The son Bernhard Sepp was also a historian.

tomb

The tomb of Johann Sepp is located in the Old South Cemetery in Munich (wall right place 195 at cemetery 10) location .

Fonts (selection)

  • The life of Jesus Christ. Regensburg 1842–1846, 7 volumes; 2nd edition 1853–1862, 6 volumes.
  • Paganism and its meaning for Christianity. Regensburg 1853, 3 volumes.
  • Acts and teachings of Jesus with their world-historical authentication. Schaffhausen 1864.
  • History of the Apostles from the Death of Jesus to the Destruction of Jerusalem. 2nd edition, Schaffhausen 1866.
  • The Hebrew Gospel or the Mark and Matthew question. Schaffhausen 1870.
  • Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Schaffhausen 1862–1863, 2 volumes; 2nd edition, Regensburg 1872–1876.
  • New architectural studies and historical-topographical research in Palestine. Wuerzburg 1867
  • Ludwig Augustus, King of Bavaria. Schaffhausen 1869.
  • Germany and the Vatican. Statesmen and people, as well as church superiors for serious consideration. Munich 1872.
  • Old Bavarian legends. Munich 1876.
  • Görres and his contemporaries. Nordlingen 1877.
  • Sea trip to Tire to the excavation of the cathedral with Barbarossa's tomb. Leipzig 1879
  • A people of ten million, or the Bavarian tribe. Munich 1882.
  • The Bavarian Peasants' War with the battles of Sendling and Aidenbach . Munich.
  • Festschrift on the occasion of the unveiling of the monument to Kaspar Winzerer (III) in Bad Tölz . 1887
  • Life and deeds of the field captain Kaspar von Winzer, colonel of the mercenaries, burgrave of Dürnstein, statesman and keeper of Tölz. For the unveiling of the warrior monument with the bronze statue of the golden knight. Toelz, June 26, 1887
  • The religion of the old Germans and their persistence in folk tales, procreations and festive customs up to the present day. Munich 1890.
  • Name of Lake Constance , in: Writings of the Association for the History of Lake Constance and its Surroundings , 23rd year 1894, pp. 68–69 ( digitized version ).
  • The blacksmith von Kochel . Stage plays in 5 acts, 1898.
  • Schmiedbalthes. Balthasar Maier in the Turkish war and the hero in the Sendling peasant battle . Occasionally the erection of his monument, 1900.
  • Festschrift for the second turn of the century of the Battle of Sendling. Munich 1905.

literature

  • Meyers Konversations-Lexikon. 4th edition 1888–1890, Volume 14, Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig and Vienna, p. 869 ( digitized version ).
  • Hyacinth Holland : Sepp, Johannes Nep. In: Biographisches Jahrbuch und Deutscher Nekrolog , Volume 14 (1909). Printed by and published by Georg Reimer, Berlin 1912, pp. 205–211 ( digitized version ) (with incorrect date of birth).
  • Dr. Johann Nepomuk Sepp (1816-1909). A picture of his life from his own records. Xenium for the hundredth birthday (August 7, 1916), Volume 1: From birth to the end of public activity. Manz, Regensburg 1916 (no longer published).
  • Heinrich Best and Wilhelm Weege: Biographical Handbook of the Members of the Frankfurt National Assembly 1848/49. Düsseldorf 1996, p. 317f.
  • Sr. Georgia Otto OSB: Prof. Dr. Johann Nepomuk Sepp (1816-1909). In: Wessobrunn municipality (ed.): 1250 years of Wessobrunn. Festschrift. Fink Verlag 2003, ISBN 978-3-89870-128-0 , pp. 107-111
  • Monika Fink-Lang: "Committed in spirit". The Görres students Johann Nepomuk Sepp and Michael Strodl. In: Helmut Flachenecker and Dietmar Grypa (eds.): School, University and Education. Festschrift for Harald Dickerhof on his 65th birthday. Regensburg 2007, pp. 243-293.
  • Claudius Stein: The "Fall" of the historian Johann Nepomuk Sepp (1867). Struggle for principles between liberalism and ultramontanism at the University of Munich? In: Journal for Bavarian State History 71 (2008), pp. 175–229 ( digitized version ).
  • Typical Sepp. Accompanying volume for the special exhibition of the historical association in the town museum Bad Tölz (= contributions to Isarwinkler Heimatkunde Volume 2). Historical association for the Bavarian Oberland, Bad Tölz 2009.

Web links

Commons : Johann Nepomuk Sepp  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Johann Nepomuk Sepp  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Typical Sepp. Accompanying volume for the special exhibition of the historical association in the Bad Tölz City Museum, Bad Tölz 2009, p. 196.
  2. ^ Heinz Gollwitzer: A statesman of the Vormärz: Karl von Abel 1788-1859. Göttingen 1993, p. 425 f.
  3. ↑ Typical Sepp. Accompanying volume for the special exhibition of the historical association in the Bad Tölz City Museum, Bad Tölz 2009, p. 198.
  4. ↑ Typical Sepp. Accompanying volume for the special exhibition of the historical association in the Bad Tölz City Museum, Bad Tölz 2009, pp. 122–124.
  5. ↑ Typical Sepp. Accompanying volume for the special exhibition of the historical association in the Bad Tölz City Museum, Bad Tölz 2009, pp. 106–116.
  6. ^ Heinz Gollwitzer: A statesman of the Vormärz: Karl von Abel 1788-1859. Göttingen 1993, p. 576 f.
  7. ↑ Typical Sepp. Accompanying volume for the special exhibition of the historical association in the Bad Tölz City Museum, Bad Tölz 2009, pp. 147–153.
  8. ↑ Sepp's speech in the Chamber of Deputies on December 10, 1849.
  9. ^ So Thomas Sauer: Anton Ruland (1809–1874). A contribution to the history of the Catholic restoration in Bavaria. Munich 1995, p. 194, based on Ruland and Sepp.
  10. ↑ The example of a speech Sepp in Dusseldorf in 1869 with Peter herd: The Holy See and Bavaria between revenue parliament and Empire (1867 / 68-1871). In: Journal for Bavarian State History 45 (1982), pp. 589-662, here: p. 627 ( digitized version ).
  11. ^ So Peter Herde: The Holy See and Bavaria between Customs Parliament and the founding of an empire (1867 / 68–1871). In: Journal for Bavarian State History 45 (1982), pp. 589-662, here: p. 624 ( digitized version ).
  12. ^ Johann Nepomuk Sepp: Memorandum on the matter of my queries. A picture from the moral and legal conditions of the present. Munich 1868 ( digitized ).
  13. ↑ The process was presented in detail by Claudius Stein: The "case" of the historian Johann Nepomuk Sepp (1867). Struggle for principles between liberalism and ultramontanism at the University of Munich? In: Journal for Bavarian State History 71 (2008), pp. 175–229 ( digitized version ).
  14. ^ Friedrich Hartmannsgruber: Die Bayerische Patriotenpartei 1868-1887 , Munich 1986, p. 46 and p. 102 f.
  15. ↑ Friedrich Hartmannsgruber: Die Bayerische Patriotenpartei 1868–1887 , Munich 1986, pp. 362–364.
  16. ↑ Sepp's speech in the Chamber of Deputies on July 19, 1870.
  17. ^ Discussed by Thomas Sauer: Anton Ruland (1809–1874). A contribution to the history of the Catholic restoration in Bavaria. Munich 1995, pp. 235-237.
  18. ^ Friedrich Hartmannsgruber: Die Bayerische Patriotenpartei 1868-1887 , Munich 1986, p. 313, p. 350 and p. 372.
  19. ^ So Dieter Albrecht: King Ludwig II of Bavaria and Bismarck. In: Historische Zeitschrift 270 (2000), pp. 39–64, quote: p. 39.
  20. ↑ Quoted from Peter Herde: The Holy See and Bavaria between the Customs Parliament and the founding of an empire (1867 / 68–1871). In: Zeitschrift für Bayerische Landesgeschichte 45 (1982), pp. 589–662, here: p. 625 with annotation 150 ( digitized version ).
  21. ↑ Typical Sepp. Accompanying volume for the special exhibition of the historical association in the Bad Tölz City Museum, Bad Tölz 2009, pp. 167–171.
  22. ↑ Typical Sepp. Accompanying volume to the special exhibition of the historical association in the city museum Bad Tölz, Bad Tölz 2009, p. 43.
  23. ^ So Peter Herde: The Holy See and Bavaria between Customs Parliament and the founding of an empire (1867 / 68–1871). In: Journal for Bavarian State History 45 (1982), pp. 589-662, here: p. 624 ( digitized version ).
  24. ↑ Quoted from Claudius Stein: The "Fall" of the historian Johann Nepomuk Sepp (1867). Struggle for principles between liberalism and ultramontanism at the University of Munich? In: Journal for Bavarian State History 71 (2008), pp. 175–229, here: p. 200 ( digitized version ).
  25. ↑ Wolf Schmid: How Johann Sepp saved the monastery. In: Weilheimer Tagblatt dated February 9, 2012, local page 6
  26. ↑ Georg Dehio (first), Ernst Götz u. a. (Ed.): Handbook of German Art Monuments , Bavaria IV: Munich and Upper Bavaria. 3rd edition 2006. Deutscher Kunstverlag , Munich and Berlin, p. 1380. ISBN 978-3-422-03115-9 .
  27. ↑ Wessobrunn: Wessobrunn prayer.
  28. ↑ On Sepp's activities in the area of ​​remembrance culture in detail: Typisch Sepp. Accompanying volume for the special exhibition of the historical association in the Bad Tölz City Museum, Bad Tölz 2009, pp. 23–86.
  29. ↑ Typical Sepp. Accompanying volume to the special exhibition of the historical association in the city museum Bad Tölz, Bad Tölz 2009, p. 197.
personal data
SURNAME Sepp, Johann Nepomuk
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Amort, Eusebius the Younger (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German historian and university professor
DATE OF BIRTH August 7, 1816
PLACE OF BIRTH Bad Tölz
DATE OF DEATH June 5, 1909
Place of death Munich