Bernhard Josef Hilgers (20 August 1803 – 7 February 1874) was a German Catholic
church historian
Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception.
Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of th ...
born in
Dreiborn in der Eifel.
Biography
Hilgers studied at the
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...
, and in 1827 was ordained as a priest in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
. He spent a year as an associate pastor in
Münstereifel, followed by five years service as a chaplain at the mental asylum in
Siegburg
Siegburg (; i.e. ''fort on the Sieg (river), Sieg river''; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Sieburch'') is a city in the district of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the banks of the rivers Sieg (river), Sieg ...
. In 1834 he received his doctorate of
theology
Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
at
Münster
Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...
, and during the following year, obtained his
habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...
at the Catholic theological faculty in Bonn. From 1838 he served as pastor at the
Church of St Remigius, Bonn, then in 1846 became a full professor of church history at the university.
[ADB:Hilgers, Bernhard Josef]
In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 12, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1880, S. 412–414.
He was excommunicated in 1872, along with Bonn colleagues
Franz Peter Knoodt
Franz Peter Knoodt (6 November 1811 – 27 January 1889) was a German Catholic theologian who was a native of Boppard.
He studied theology in Bonn und Tübingen, and later worked as a chaplain and teacher in Trier. In 1841-43 he furthered hi ...
,
Joseph Langen
Joseph Langen (3 June 1837 – 13 July 1901) was a German theologian and priest, who was instrumental for the German Old Catholic movement.
Langen was born at Cologne, studied at Bonn, and was ordained priest for the Roman Catholic Church in ...
and
Franz Heinrich Reusch
Franz Heinrich Reusch (4 December 1825 – 3 March 1900) was a German Old Catholic theologian who was excommunicated for his refusal to adopt certain church dogma.
He was born at Brilon, in Westphalia, studied general literature at Paderbor ...
,
[ by ]Paul Melchers
Paul Melchers (6 January 1813 – 14 December 1895) was a Cardinal and Archbishop of Cologne. At the height of the ''Kulturkampf'' he took refuge in the Netherlands.
Life
Melchers was born in Münster. He studied law at Bonn (1830–33), an ...
, Archbishop of Cologne
The Archbishop of Cologne governs the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne in western North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, the archbishop was ''ex officio'' one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled the Electorate of Cologne ...
, in the debate over papal infallibility
Papal infallibility is a Dogma in the Catholic Church, dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Saint Peter, Peter, the Pope when he speaks is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "in ...
.
In 1841 he published "''Symbolische Theologie, oder die Lehrgegensätze des Katholicismus und Protestantismus''" ("Symbolic theology, or the teaching opposites of Catholicism and Protestantism").[
]
See also
* Josef Hilgers
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilgers, Bernhard Josef
1803 births
1874 deaths
People excommunicated by the Catholic Church
Academic staff of the University of Bonn
University of Bonn alumni
People from Euskirchen (district)
19th-century German historians
19th-century German male writers
German male non-fiction writers