Wilhelm Geerlings

Wilhelm Geerlings (born November 28, 1941 in Oberhausen ; † October 24, 2008 in Bochum ) was a Roman Catholic priest , theologian and church historian .

Vita

Wilhelm Geerlings was born on November 28, 1941 in Oberhausen. After graduating from high school in 1962, Geerlings studied theology and classical philology in Bonn and Munich. He was ordained a priest of the Aachen diocese in 1973 . He later continued his studies in Tübingen, where he received his doctorate in 1977 and qualified as a professor in 1980. Even before completing his habilitation, he was invited to a trial lecture in Bochum, where in 1981 he took over the chair for ancient church history, patrology and Christian archeology at the Ruhr University in Bochum , which he held until his retirement in 2008. Geerlings died unexpectedly on October 24, 2008 at the age of 66.

Focus of work

During his time in Bochum he developed a broad scientific work. With the edition of the Fontes Christiani , published in both languages ​​- in the original text and in the German translation - Christian source texts from antiquity and the Middle Ages are made accessible. Pope Benedict XVI has praised this series several times.

One of Wilhelm Geerlings' scientific priorities was Augustine research. He had already devoted his dissertation to the ecclesiastical pioneer. In addition to his own publications, he also initiated a work edition. One of the standard works that Geerlings has published is the Lexicon for Ancient Christian Literature. Several editions of the German edition as well as a number of translations show that this work has not only found recognition in the German academic landscape.

Fonts

• Augustine . Freiburg i.Br .: Herder, 1999. ISBN 3451047659 .
• as editor: Aurelius Augustinus: Opera. = Works. F. Schöningh, Paderborn et al. 2002– *
• Augustine - Life and Work. A bibliographical introduction. F. Schöningh, Paderborn et al. 2002, ISBN 3-506-71020-6 (introductory volume to: Aurelius Augustinus: Opera. F. Schöningh, Paderborn et al. 2002– *).
• as editor with Christian Schulze: The commentary in antiquity and the Middle Ages. 2 volumes. Brill, Leiden et al. 2002-2004;
  • Volume 1: Contributions to his research (= Clavis Commentariorum Antiquitatis et Medii Aevi. Vol. 2). 2002, ISBN 90-04-12528-0 ;
  • Volume 2: New contributions to his research (= Clavis Commentariorum Antiquitatis et Medii Aevi. Vol. 3). 2004, ISBN 90-04-13562-6 .
• as editor: The calendar. Aspects of a story. F. Schöningh, Paderborn et al. 2002, ISBN 3-506-73112-2 .
• as editor: Theologians of Christian antiquity. An introduction. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2002, ISBN 3-534-14736-7 .
• as editor with Andreas Mügge: Das Herz. Organ and metaphor F. Schöningh, Paderborn et al. 2006, ISBN 3-506-71364-7 .
• Research personalities from the Ruhr University Bochum. Klartext, Essen 2008, ISBN 978-3-8375-0058-5 .

Web links

• Literature by and about Wilhelm Geerlings in the catalog of the German National Library
• Mourning for Prof. Wilhelm Geerlings. University of Bochum, October 27, 2008.