Joseph Turmel

Joseph Turmel (born December 13, 1859 in Rennes , † February 5, 1943 ibid) was a French modernist and historian of dogmatics .

Study and ordination

From 1876 to 1880 he studied philosophy and theology at the Grand Séminair of the Archdiocese of Rennes , after which he continued his studies at the theological faculty of the University of Angers (today: Université Catholique de l'Ouest ) until 1882 . He was ordained a priest on June 3, 1882 and in the same year took over a teaching position as a professor of dogmatics at the Grand Séminair in Rennes .

suspension

His liberal views on Old Testament exegesis led to the suspension , he was then assigned the position of house chaplain in a sister convent (Rennes) in 1893, which he held until 1930. In these years, in which he lived in seclusion, he worked scientifically as a dogmatic historian and developed into a specialist in patristics .

Modernist and excommunication

In the times of modernism , Turmel was one of the most remarkable people. He said he had lost the Catholic faith as early as 1886, but he wanted to stay in the Catholic Church . He began to write and publish articles, partly under his own name but also under an anonymous name (e.g. Henri Delafosse). Two articles written by him against the Trinitarian and Marian dogmas ( Le dogme de la Trinité dans les trois premiers siècles and La Sainte Vierge dans l'histoire ) were tried to be assigned to him, but failed. In 1910 he took the anti-modernist oath. The investigation was re-initiated in 1928 and finally led to excommunication on November 6, 1930 .

Works (selection)

As a well-known companion and friend, he was by his side until shortly before his excommunication, Alfred Loisy , in his magazines Revue d'histoire et de littérature religieuses and Revue de l'histoire des religions , Turmel worked for many years as a collaborator and publicist. In his works and writings, which he published with 14 pseudonyms, he took an extremely critical point of view.

• Histoire du dogme et du péché originel, Paris 1900; Histoire de la théologie positive, 2 vols., Paris 1904-06;
• Le dogme de la Trinité dans les trois premiers siècles, Paris 1907 (published under the Ps. Antoine Dupin);
• La Sainte Vierge dans l'histoire, Paris 1908 (published under the Ps. Guillaume Herzog);
• Histoire du dogme de la papauté, Paris 1908;
• Les écrits de Saint-Paul… avec introduction et notes par Henri Delafosse, 4 vols., Paris 1926–1928;
• Histoire du diable, Paris 1931; Histoire des dogmes, 6 vols., Paris 1931-1936;
• Comment j'ai donné congé aux dogmes, Herblay 1935 (1st part of his autobiography);
• Comment l'Église romaine m'a donné congé, Herblay 1937 (2nd part of his autobiography).

Web links

• The letter to the Romans, Henri Delafosse