Wilhelm Hohoff

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Wilhelm Hohoff (born February 9, 1848 in Medebach , † February 10, 1923 in Paderborn ) was a German Catholic priest and Marx expert.

Live and act

Wilhelm Hohoff was the son of a court clerk and attended the Petrinum grammar school in Brilon. From 1866 on he studied theology and philosophy in Münster, where he attended the KDSt.V. Sauerlandia Münster joined. After a year he moved to the Universities of Bonn and Marburg for one semester. He studied the last four semesters at the theological institute in Paderborn, after the compulsory alumni year in the seminary he was ordained a priest in 1871. Between 1871 and 1885 he was chaplain at Hüffe Castle ( Lübbecke district ), then vicar in the small diaspora community of Petershagen near Minden , before he had to give up active pastoral care in 1905 due to permanent illness.

Along with Franz Wärme, Hohoff was one of the first Catholics in Westphalia to seriously study the writings of Karl Marx . After a thorough study of capital, he came to the opinion that some of the basic theses of Marx agreed with the Christian labor theory of Thomas Aquinas , which says that human labor is the source of all economic value. From this, Hohoff concluded that the dispute (“ class struggle ”) about the fair distribution of socially generated wealth in favor of the value factor work was morally justified. Hohoff had a public controversy with August Bebel in 1874, which was published under the title " Christianity and Socialism ". With his well-known sentence: “ Christianity and socialism stand opposite each other like fire and water ”, Bebel initially clearly rejected Hohoff's hopes for a merger. Hohoff, on the other hand, tried to convince Bebel of the opposite through his entire scientific work, namely, "that not Christianity and socialism, but capitalism and Christianity face each other like water and fire". In a letter from 1909, August Bebel confirmed: “That we would both approach each other once in a lifetime, as if we were half like-minded, none of us would have believed.” In the 1990s, Hohoff had a long correspondence with Karl Kautsky , a mutual one Correspondence in value theory confirmed. The contacts to Eduard Bernstein and Wilhelm Liebknecht remain rather marginal. An encounter with Friedrich Engels on his last trip to Germany in Minden in 1893 is likely, but not proven, because it had to remain incognito. The contact with Lenin in his Swiss exile has only been passed on orally and there is no evidence of sources.

Wilhelm Hohoff was the first and only Catholic theologian who publicly defended parts of Marx's theses and advocated an understanding between Christianity and socialism . Because of this, Hohoff became known in the public debate as the “Red Pastor”. When it became known in the early 1920s that many Catholics had joined the SPD and the free trade unions, referring to Hohoff's writings, Hohoff was asked to take a public position against it at the request of the Paderborn vicar general. He did not comply with this request, but gave the following statement: “I hereby declare that I am a socialist and a democrat. But I'm not a member of the Social Democratic Party. In particular, I don't want to know anything about unbelief and atheism. I am a devout Catholic priest. ”According to Hohoff, a Catholic has the right to be a social democrat. Only if there is a threat to faith is it "undoubtedly morally impermissible to join such circles". Hohoff was reprimanded in the church gazette on August 8, 1922, against which he protested.

If Hohoff's work was initially forgotten, his ideas were particularly taken up in Theodor Steinbüchel's work . Hohoff's writings also had a lasting effect on the research and work of Walter Dirks . The group of the “Catholic Socialists” around the “Rote Blatt”, which was published by Heinrich Mertens and Ernst Michel , also referred to Hohoff. The generation of the “ sixty-eight ” around the journal Kritischer Katholizismus , especially its editor Klaus Kreppel , dealt with Wilhelm Hohoff's reception of socialism. Klaus Kreppel wrote the dissertation mentioned in the bibliography with Iring Fetscher in Frankfurt.

Fonts

  • Protestantism and Socialism. Historical-political studies. Paderborn 1881.
  • Value of goods and capital profit. An introduction to the study of political economy. Paderborn 1902.
  • The meaning of Marx's critique of capital. An apology for Christianity from the standpoint of economics and law. Paderborn 1908 ( Paderborn University Library )
  • To the honorable editors of the “People's State” in Leipzig. In: August Bebel: Christianity and Socialism. A religious polemic between Kaplan Hohoff in Hüffe and A. Bebel. Berlin 1912, pp. 3–5.
  • On the history of the word and term “capital”. In: Vierteljahrschrift für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte 14 (1917) 554–574, and 15 (1918) pp. 281–310.
  • The scientific achievement of Karl Marx. In: Münchener Katholiken- und Kirchenzeitung No. 47 of November 22, 1919, pp. 475–478.
  • Karl Marx and materialism. In: Münchener Katholiken- und Kirchenzeitung No. 51 of December 20, 1919, 525-528, and No. 52 of December 27, 1919, pp. 538-541.
  • Answer to Prof. Götz Briefs. In: Deutsche Arbeit 5 (1920) No. 8, pp. 300-312.
  • From capitalism and socialism. In: Deutsche Arbeit 5 (1920) No. 2, pp. 49-54.
  • An ethical justification of the class struggle. In: Die Neue Zeit 40 (1922) Vol. 1, No. 17 of January 20, 1922, pp. 398-401.

literature

  • Eduard Dietz : Wilhelm Hohoff and the Association of Catholic Socialists. (Writings of the religious socialists 6), Karlsruhe undated [1928].
  • Walter Dirks : Walter Dirks on Wilhelm Hohoff. A priest and a socialist. In: Kritischer Katholizismus 4 (1971) No. 6, pp. 5-7.
  • Documentation Wilhelm Hohoff. In: question mark. Educational Policy Journal , ed. from the Paderborn working group of the German Institute for Education and Knowledge 6 (1972/73) No. 5/6.
  • Max Fischer : Wilhelm Hohoff's life's work. In: Deutsche Arbeit 6 (1921) No. 8, pp. 304-310.
  • Stefan Gerber: “By far the greatest and most brilliant of all time.” Wilhelm Hohoff's reception of Marx and German social Catholicism between the German Empire and the Federal Republic. In: Matthias Steinbach, Michael Ploenus (eds.): Touchstone Marx. On the edition and reception of a classic. Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-86331-118-6 .
  • Peter Wilhelm Haurand: Wilhelm Hohoff. In: Frankfurter Hefte 3 (1948) pp. 161–165.
  • Theodor Herr: The “red pastor” Wilhelm Hohoff (1848–1923) applies for an appointment at Paderborn University. In: Theologie und Glaube 79 (1989) pp. 446–459.
  • Klaus Kreppel : Bourgeois Anti-Capitalism? Newer literature on "Religious Socialism". In: Kritischer Katholizismus 5 (1972) No. 5, pp. 8-9.
  • Klaus Kreppel: Decision for Socialism. The political biography of Pastor Wilhelm Hohoff 1848-1923. With a foreword by Walter Dirks (= series of publications of the research institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 114), Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1974, ISBN 3-87831-182-6 .
  • Klaus Kreppel: Wilhelm Hohoff - the "red pastor" and the Catholic socialists. In: Günter Ewald (Ed.): Religious Socialism. Stuttgart-Berlin-Cologne-Mainz 1977, ISBN 3-17-004366-8 , pp. 79-90.
  • Klaus Kreppel: Wilhelm Hohoff - priest and socialist. In: Dorothee Sölle, Klaus Schmidt (Ed.): Christianity and Socialism. From dialogue to alliance. Stuttgart-Berlin-Cologne-Mainz 1977, ISBN 3-17-002288-1 , pp. 88-93.
  • Klaus Kreppel: Wilhelm Hohoff - Christian and socialist. In: Mitteilungen des Mindener Geschichtsverein, year 45 (1973), pp. 81–88.
  • Klaus Kreppel: The red pastor Wilhelm Hohoff. Final remarks on a hundred-year dispute. In: Kritischer Katholizismus , Cologne, 6th year, No. 4 April 1973.
  • Klaus Kreppel: Wilhelm Hohoff - 1848-1923. On the 60th anniversary of the death of the priest and socialist. In: Christian and Socialist. Sheets of the Federation of Religious Socialists of Germany eV 2 / II. Quarter of 1983.
  • Klaus Kreppel: On the 60th anniversary of the death of the priest and socialist. In: Kuratorium Wilhelm Hohoff (Hrsg.): Memorial ceremony for Wilhelm Hohoff. Hüffe 1983.
  • Klaus Kreppel: Between Thomas Aquinas and Karl Marx. The synthesis of socialism and Catholicism by Wilhelm Hohoff. In: Christian and Socialist. Sheets of the League of Religious Socialists. New series 14th year Düsseldorf. May 1990 (2/90).
  • Heinz Kühn, et al .: Christian and socialist: Pastor Wilhelm Hohoff. Essen 1973, ISBN 3-87497-108-2 .
  • Andreas Lienkamp : Theodor Steinbüchel's reception of socialism. A Christian-Social-Ethical Relecture. Schöningh, Paderborn-Munich-Vienna-Zurich 2000, esp. Pp. 275-297 ( digitized version ).
  • Johannes Meßner: Art. Hohoff. In: LThK1 5, 112-113.
  • Johannes Meßner: Art. Hohoff. In: StL5 2, 1324-1326.
  • Johannes Messner: Wilhelm Hohoff's Marxism. Studies on the epistemology of economic theory. Unpublished Diss., Munich 1925.
  • Heribert Raab: New sources on the life and work of Wilhelm Hohoff. In: JCSW 25 (1984) pp. 137-184.
  • Heribert Raab: Wilhelm Hohoff and Johannes Janssen. Unknown letters from the “red pastor” to an “ultramontane” historian. In: JCSW 22 (1981) pp. 249-278.
  • Volker Rath, Wolfgang Battermann: Wilhelm Hohoff (1848-1923). To the reception of an uncomfortable Petershäger pastor. In: Mitteilungen des Mindener Geschichtsverein , year 56 (1984), pp. 141–146.
  • Wilhelm Schulte: Westphalian heads. Münster 1977, p. 122f. ISBN 3-402-05700-X .
  • Wilhelm Sobota: A Catholic-Socialist Priestly Life. On Wilhelm Hohoff's 100th birthday and 25th anniversary of his death. In: Geist und Tat 3 (1948) pp. 309-312.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Klaus Kreppel: Decision for Socialism. The political biography of Pastor Wilhelm Hohoff 1848–1923 (series of publications by the Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 114), Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1974, p. 33
  2. ↑ Klaus Kreppel: Decision for Socialism. The political biography of Pastor Wilhelm Hohoff 1848–1923 (series of publications by the Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 114), Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1974, p. 33 f.
  3. ^ Wilhelm Hohoff: The importance of Marx's capital criticism , Bonifacius-Druckerei, Paderborn 1908, p. 158.
  4. ^ Wilhelm Hohoff: The scientific and cultural-historical significance of Karl Marx's teachings. Braunschweig 1921, p. 14
  5. ^ August Bebel to Wilhelm Hohoff on January 21, 1909, quoted from Klaus Kreppel: Decision for Socialism. The political biography of Pastor Wilhelm Hohoff 1848–1923 (series of publications by the Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 114), Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1974, p. 93.
  6. ↑ Klaus Kreppel: Decision for Socialism. The political biography of Pastor Wilhelm Hohoff 1848–1923 (series of publications by the Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 114), Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1974, p. 73 ff.
  7. ↑ Klaus Kreppel: Decision for Socialism. The political biography of Pastor Wilhelm Hohoff 1848–1923 (series of publications by the Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 114), Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1974, pp. 80 and 74.
  8. ↑ Klaus Kreppel: Decision for Socialism. The political biography of Pastor Wilhelm Hohoff 1848–1923 (series of publications by the Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 114), Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1974, p. 74.
  9. ↑ Klaus Kreppel: Decision for Socialism. The political biography of Pastor Wilhelm Hohoff 1848–1923 (series of publications by the Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 114), Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1974, p. 43.
  10. ↑ Klaus Kreppel: Decision for Socialism. The political biography of Pastor Wilhelm Hohoff 1848–1923 (series of publications by the Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 114), Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1974, p. 116 ff.
  11. ↑ Klaus Kreppel: Decision for Socialism. The political biography of Pastor Wilhelm Hohoff 1848–1923 (series of publications by the Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 114), Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1974, p. 106 f.
  12. ^ Bruno Lowitsch: The circle around the Rhein-Mainische Volkszeitung. Steiner, 1980, p. 26.
  13. ^ Klaus Kreppel: Wilhelm Hohoff - the "Red Pastor" and the Catholic Socialists. In: Günter Ewald (Ed.): Religious Socialism. Berlin-Cologne-Mainz 1977, p. 79 ff.
  14. ^ Wilhelm Weber: Wilhelm Hohoff (1848-1923). Life and economic ideas of a socially committed Paderborn priest. In: Paul-Werner Scheele (Ed.): Paderbornensis Ecclesia. Contributions to the history of the Archdiocese of Paderborn. Festschrift for Lorenz Cardinal Jaeger on his 80th birthday. Paderborn 1972, p. 569.
personal data
SURNAME Hohoff, Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German pastor and socialist
DATE OF BIRTH February 9, 1848
PLACE OF BIRTH Medebach
DATE OF DEATH February 10, 1923
Place of death Paderborn