Robert Bellarmine

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Portrait of Bellarmine (anonymous)
Cardinal coat of arms of Bellarmine

Roberto Francesco Romolo Bellarmino (born October 4, 1542 in Montepulciano , † September 17, 1621 in Rome ) was a Jesuit , theologian and cardinal . He was a major advocate of Roman Catholicism and papal supremacy (supremacy) in the 16th century.

Life

Bellarmino was born into the impoverished patrician house of the Bellarmini in Montepulciano. His mother was Cynthia Cervini, a sister of Pope Marcellus II. At an early age, she tried to place her son in the newly founded Jesuit order, of which she was a follower. He was brought up to be pious, humble, and moral. He attended the College of the Jesuits in Montepulciano, at the age of 18 he joined the Jesuit order.

After his philosophical studies in Rome, he studied first in Florence (u. A. Astronomy ), then in Monreale and later in Padua theology . He finished his theological training in Leuven , where he was ordained a priest in 1570 and appeared against Michael Bajus . Due to his strong charisma, he acquired an excellent reputation as a theologian throughout Europe, which in 1576 led to Pope Gregory XIII. appointed him to the papal university in Rome.

There he took over the chair of apologetics at the Collegium Romanum and set up a course in controversial theology . In Rome he was also appointed "teacher in spiritual life" and served as spiritual father for the college students, including Aloisius von Gonzaga . Relative statements by him on the Pope's power over worldly goods were indexed in 1590 when he was on a diplomatic mission on behalf of Pope Sixtus V in France. The background, however, was more likely a fundamental conflict between the Jesuit order and the Pope, who came from the Franciscan order. For his protection Bellarmine was transferred to Naples and appointed head of the local order province.

When Clement VIII became Pope in 1592, Bellarmine could be rehabilitated and returned to Rome. After the publication of the third volume of his Disputationes de controversiis christianae fidei adversus hujus temporis haereticos (1593) he was again transferred to Naples in 1594 and headed this religious province until 1597. Then he returned to Rome and wrote his catechism Christianae doctrinae explicatio .

In 1599 he was accepted into the College of Cardinals by Clement VIII against his will and then ordained bishop . He received as titular church Santa Maria in Via . In the meantime he had taken on the role of Grand Inquisitor in the heresy trial against Giordano Bruno . He was sentenced to death by burning. In the dispute between the Jesuits and Dominicans over the pelagianizing writings of the Spanish Jesuit Luis de Molina , he championed Molinism in accordance with the interests of his order , fell again from grace and was sent to Capua as Archbishop in 1602 . There he headed the archdiocese until 1605 , when he was led by Leo XI. was called back to Rome as a theological advisor. Leo died in 1605; Bellarmine almost emerged from the conclave as Pope instead of Paul V.

In Rome, Bellarmin met Galileo Galilei , whom he appreciated as a scientist but also as a devout Christian. When the Carmelite Paolo Antonio Foscarini published a book in 1615 that was supposed to prove that the Copernican astronomy formulated in De revolutionibus orbium coelestium did not contradict the Holy Scriptures, the Roman Congregation opened an investigation into the Index of Forbidden Books. At the end of this process there was a ban on Foscarini's work in 1616, the "suspension" of Nicolaus Copernicus ' De revolutionibus and the clear statement that Copernican astronomy was "wrong and contrary to the Holy Scriptures". Bellarmine had a leading role as advisor to the Pope in preparing this process and was also the one who made the position of the Vatican clear to Galileo.

In 1620 he changed the titular church and became a cardinal priest of Santa Prassede . He stayed in Rome until his death on September 17, 1621, where he was buried in the church of Sant'Ignazio next to the tomb of St. Aloisius de Gonzaga.

His main work Disputationes de controversiis christianae fidei adversus hujus temporis haereticos (Rome 1581) was for a long time the most noble defensive text of Roman Catholicism. Many Protestant writers therefore used scripture to justify the Protestant faith. The disputations not only aroused opposition in theology , but also the philosopher Thomas Hobbes deals in chapters XLII (42) to XLIV (44) of his main work Leviathan almost exclusively with the rejection of Bellarmine, which he more often than any other author in it Work cited.

His catechism Christianae doctrinae explicatio , which has been published in 400 editions in 60 languages, is widespread and has been translated into all modern languages . Bellarmino wrote a self-biography (Ferrara 1761). Complete editions of his works were published in Venice in 1721 (5 vols.), In Cologne in 1619 (7 vols.), In Paris in 1874 (12 vols.). His life was described in Italian by the Jesuit Fuligatti (Rome 1624).

On May 13, 1923 he was appointed by Pope Pius XI. beatified - and canonized on June 29, 1930 . In 1931 he was promoted to doctor of the church .

Several churches bear his name. His ecclesiastical feast day is September 17th .

Selected works

Dottrina cristiana breve , 1752

German translations

  • Catechisms. Creed. Our Father. Translated and edited by Andreas Wollbold. Echter Verlag, Würzburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-429-03046-9 .
  • Polemics on the fighting points of the Christian faith. Translated by Viktor Philipp Gumposch, published in 12 volumes between 1842 and 1842. 1853 in Augsburg. Under the changed title Disputations on the Issues of Christian Faith , a new edition of Gumposch's translation, adapted to today's spelling and supplemented by extensive registers, has been published by the Kulmbach publishing house Sabat under the program title Library of Church Teachers (Vol. I 2012, ISBN 978) -3-943506-02-0 ; Vol. II 2012, ISBN 978-3-943506-03-7 ; Vol. III 2014, ISBN 978-3-943506-04-4 ; Vol. IV 2017, ISBN 978-3 -943506-05-1 ).
  • Detailed explanation of the Christian faith: Translated and prepared for today's use by Andreas Wollbold. Echter Verlag, Würzburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-429-03578-5 .
  • Thorough evidence of the truth of the Catholic, sole saving religion. With a picture of life according to the documents of the declaration on Doctor Ecclesiae. Translated by Johann Michael Sintzel (1804–1889), edited by Ferdinand Ehrenborg (1862–1941); Published as a reprint by the Kulmbacher publishing house Sabat in the program Library of Church Teachers , Kulmbach 2013, 2nd edition 2015, ISBN 978-3-943506-17-4 .
  • The art of dying well. Edited by Friedrich Frank (1832–1904); Published as a reprint by the Kulmbacher publishing house Sabat in the program Library of Church Teachers , Kulmbach 2013, 2nd edition 2016, ISBN 978-3-943506-18-1 .
  • Twelve homilies. Sabat publishing house, library of church teachers , Kulmbach 2015, ISBN 978-3-943506-31-0 .
  • The seven words of Christ on the cross. Sabat publishing house, library of church teachers , Kulmbach 2015, ISBN 978-3-943506-19-8 .
  • Small catechism or brief epitome of Christian teaching. With fifty engravings by old masters. Sabat publishing house, library of church teachers , Kulmbach 2015, ISBN 978-3-943506-29-7 .

literature

  • Opera Oratoria Postuma , edited by Sebastian Tromp , Rome 1942ff.
  • Franz Xaver Arnold : The doctrine of the state of Cardinal Bellarmine: A contribution to the legal and state philosophy of the confessional age , Munich 1934
  • Ludwig Sedelaar: The doctrine of the mediation of Christ according to St. Bellarmine , Würzburg 1937
  • Manfred Biersack: Initia Bellarminiana: the doctrine of predestination with Robert Bellarmin up to his Löwener lectures 1570–1576 , Wiesbaden 1989
  • Thomas Dietrich: The theology of the church with Robert Bellarmin (1542-1621): Systematic requirements of the controversial theologians , Paderborn 1999
  • Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  Robert Bellarmin. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 473-474.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )

Web links

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personal data
SURNAME Bellarmine, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian scholar, theologian and Jesuit, saint
DATE OF BIRTH October 4, 1542
PLACE OF BIRTH Montepulciano
DATE OF DEATH 17th September 1621
Place of death Rome