- Georg Hermes
Georg Hermes (
22 April 1775 -26 May 1831 ), GermanRoman Catholic theologian, was born at Dreyerwalde, inWestphalia , and was educated at the gymnasium anduniversity of Münster , in both of which institutions he afterwards taught.In 1820 he was appointed professor of theology at Bonn, where he died. Hermes had a devoted band of adherents, of whom the most notable was
Peter Josef Elvenich (1796-1886), who became professor at Breslau in 1829, and in 1870 threw in his lot with theOld Catholic movement .His works were "Untersuchungen über die innere Wahrheit des Christenthums" (Münster, 1805), and "Einleitung in die christkatholische Theologie", of which the first part, a philosophical introduction, was published in 1810, the second part, on positive theology, in,1829. The Einleitung was never completed. His "Christkatholische Dogmatik" was published, from his lectures, after his death, by two of his students,
Johann Heinrich Achterfeldt andJoseph Braun (5 vols, 1831-1834).The "Einleitung" had a major and controversial effect upon Catholic theology in Germany. Hermes himself was very largely under the influence of the Kantian and Fichtean ideas, and though in the philosophical portion of his "Einleitung" he criticizes both these thinkers severely, rejects their doctrine of the moral law as the sole guarantee for the existence of
God , and condemns their restricted view of the possibility and nature of revelation, enough remained of purely speculative material to render his system obnoxious to his church.After his death, the contests between his followers and their opponents grew so bitter that the dispute was referred to the papal see. The judgment was adverse, and on
25 September 1835 apapal bull condemned both parts of the "Einleitung" and the first volume of the "Dogmatik". Two months later the remaining volumes of the "Dogmatik" were likewise condemned. The controversy did not cease, and in 1845 a systematic attempt was made anonymously by FX Werner to examine and refute the Hermesian doctrines, as contrasted with the orthodox Catholic faith ("Der Hermesianismus", 1845). In 1847 the condemnation of 1835 was confirmed by Pius IX.References
*
K. Werner , "Geschichte den katholischen Theologie" (1866), pp. 4~05 sqq.
*1911
*CathEncy|title=George Hermes|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07276c.htm
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