Joseph Conrad Pfahler

Joseph Conrad Pfahler, around 1870

Joseph Conrad Pfahler (also: Pfaller; born March 9, 1826 in Spalt , Middle Franconia ; † December 9, 1887 in Munich ) was a Catholic theologian and university professor, Bavarian politician, member of the Reichstag and newspaper founder.

Life

Born in Spalt in Middle Franconia , part of the Eichstätt diocese , he had 16 siblings. From 1840 he attended the grammar school in Eichstätt to become a priest and was therefore a pupil of the local bishop's college for boys. After graduating from high school, he studied philosophy and theology at the Episcopal Lyceum Eichstätt from 1847 to 1852 and was ordained a priest here in 1852. After some pastoral care, he was a lecturer in philology from 1852/53 and from 1853 to 1860 professor of philology and general history at the Lyceum Eichstätt, at times also for archeology . In 1855 he was promoted to Dr. phil. PhD at the University of Würzburg . From 1860 to 1862 he was professor of canon law and from 1860 to 1863 of church history at the Lyzeum Eichstätt; in overlap, he served as professor of the Hebrew language at the Lyceum Eichstätt from 1862 to 1867 and at the same time from 1863 to 1867 as professor of biblical sciences .

In 1867 he gave up his teaching activity, left the diocese of Eichstätt and became city pastor in Deggendorf in Lower Bavaria . As the city pastor, he was also the inspector of the Royal Preparatory School. In 1869/70 he undertook agitation trips for the Bavarian Patriotic Farmers Association Deggendorf and was a member of the Patriotic Party in the Bavarian state parliament from 1869 to 1887 . There he held the chairmanship of the railway committee from 1876 to 1887 and earned services for the construction of the Bavarian Forest Railway from Plattling to Eisenstein . He was aware of the importance of the media and therefore founded the Deggendorfer Donauboten during the Kulturkampf in 1871 . A year later Deggendorf made him an honorary citizen . From 1876 to 1887 he was dean of the Deggendorf chapter of priests . In 1884 he bought the baroque high altar of the Eichstätter Dom , which had to give way to a new Gothic revival, for the parish church in Deggendorf. In 1885 he in turn sold the baroque altar of the Deggendorf Geiersberg Church to Disentis in Graubünden . From 1881 to 1884 he was a member of the Reichstag for the Center Party for the constituency V Lower Bavaria. Died in Munich, he was buried on December 13, 1887 in Deggendorf. On a memorial plaque in the Deggendorf parish church, he is honored as a “restorer and benefactor of all the churches in Deggendorf”.

Works (selection)

• About the knowledge of God, man and soul (studies by Alphonse Gratry ), translated and annotated (together with Joseph Weizenhofer and Michael Lefflad ), 6 volumes (1858/59)
• Several leading articles in the "Deggendorfer Donauboten" from 1871
• Also a word about the Bayern clubs (anonymous), 4 editions 1872
• Everything for Jesus or the Christian in his walk before God. A text and prayer book. edit again and increasingly by Dr. Joseph Pfahler, (10th edition 1883; 20th edition 1888)

Bibliographies

• Franz Sales Romstöck: Personnel Statistics and Bibliography of the Bishop. Lyceums in Eichstätt. 1894, p. 137
• Werner Schrüfer: Josef Conrad Pfahler (1826–1887), professor, pastor, politician. Ebner, Deggendorf 1987, pp. 11-13

literature

• Benedikt Braunmüller : Funeral speech at the grave of the revered, high born Dr. Joseph Conrad Pfahler ([†] December 9, 1887), dean and pastor in Deggendorf, long-term member of the state parliament, honorary citizen of the city of Deggendorf, etc., spoken by Fr Benedikt Braunmüller. Deggendorf 1887
• Franz Sales Romstöck: Personnel Statistics and Bibliography of the Bishop. Lyceums in Eichstätt. Ingolstadt 1894, p. 136f.
• Werner Schrüfer: Josef Conrad Pfahler (1826–1887), professor, pastor, politician (= Deggendorfer Geschichtsblätter, Volume 8, 1987) Ebner, Deggendorf 1987 (also as a special edition)
• Pfahler, Josef Konrad . In: Veritati et Vitae. Volume II, Eichstätt 1993, p. 370
• Pfahler, Joseph Conrad, Prof. Dr. phil. In: Siegfried Schieweck-Mauk: "... unforgettable years". Swiss students in Eichstätt (Bavaria) (1848–1912). SH-Verlag, Cologne 2007, pp. 353f.

Web links

• About Pfahler (PDF file; 8.02 MB)
• Joseph Conrad Pfahler in the database of members of the Reichstag