Events in Religion and Philosophy
in German, Austrian and Swiss History
August
© 2000 by Paul A. Schons
August 1, 1890
Birth of Walther Eichrodt in Gernsbach, Germany. Eichrodt was a professor of theology at the University of Basel, Switzerland. Eichrodt did much to demonstrate the necessity of an understanding of the Old Testament for the understanding of the theology of the New Testament.
Der deutsche Gelehrte Walther Eichrodt wurde am 1. August 1890 in Gernsbach geboren und starb am 20. Mai 1978 in Basel. Er zeigte die Wichtigkeit des Verstaendnisses der Theologie des Alten Testaments fuer biblische Studien. Nachdem Eichrodt Theologie in Bethel, Greifswald, Heidelberg und Erlangen studierte, lehrte er in Ethel und Erlangen und wurde Professor des Alten Testaments an der Universitaet Basel. Sein Hauptwerk “Theologie des Alten Testaments” kennzeichnete die neue Epoche in Studien des Alten Testaments. Weitere Werke sind “Die Quellen der Genesis”, “Die Hoffnung des ewigen Friedens im alten Israel” und “Das Menschenverstaendnis des Alten Testaments”.
August 1, 1896
Elizabeth Nietzsche moves the Nietzsche archive from Naumburg to Weimar.
August 3, 1902
Birth of Martin Noth in Dresden, Germany. A biblical scholar, Noth was an expert in the early history of the Jews. Noth was a professor of theology at the University of Bonn from 1945-1965.
Der deutsche Bibelgelehrte Martin Noth wurde am 3. August 1902 in Dresden geboren und starb am 30. Mai 1968 in Horvot Shivta, Israel. In seinem Buch “Das System der zwoelf Staemme Israels”, das er mit 28 schrieb, befuerwortete er die Theorie, dass die Einheit, Israel genannt, vor der Vertragsversammlung in Shechem in Canaan (Joshua 24) nicht existierte. Die Staemme, bis dahin nur lose durch Braeuche und Traditionen verbunden waren, akzeptierten die Verehrung und den Vertrag von Yahweh, erstellt von Joshua. Noth arbeitete als Professor der Theologie an der Bonner Universitaet und fuehrte seine Studien im Ruhestand weiter.
August 3, 1905
Birth of Franz König (1905 - ) König was a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church and Archbischo Emeritus of vienna, Austria. He was born on August 3, 1905 in Rabenstein, Austria. He eared a doctoral degree in 1930. He was ordained a priest in 1933. He became a leading expert in the ancient Persian religion. He was named a Cardinal by Pope John XXIII in 1958. He retired in 1985.
Kardinal Dr. Franz König war der Erzbischof von Wien. Er wurde am 3. Auugst 1905 in Rabenstein (Niederösterreich) geboren. 1930 wurde er zum Dr. phil promoviert. Er ist einer der besten Kenner der Ideenwelt der altiranischen Religion des Zarathustra. Er wurde 1933 zum Priester geweiht. 1956 wurde er von Papst Papst Pius XII zum Erzbischof von Wien ernannt. Der Papst Johannes XXIII hat ihn 1958 in das Kardinalskollegium aufgenommen. Nach seinem 80. Geburtstag trat er 1985 als Erzbischof von Wien in den Ruhestand.
August 3, 1941
In Germany Bishop Clemens von Galen (Münster) denounces the Nazi euthanasia program directed against the mentally infirm. (Von Galen was the Bishop of Münster during the period of Nazi domination. From the beginning he publicly criticized the party and on occasion complained directly to Hitler. In the early years he had some successes with his protests. On one occasion he even ignited a public demonstration. Documents found after the war indicate that the party was about to have him done away with, but wanted to wait until their victory in the war. Of course, the Nazi victory was never achieved and at the end of the war, in 1946, von Galen was made a cardinal. Cardinal Galen died on March 22, 1946.)
August 4, 1944
The Nazis arrest Anne Frank who was 15 years old. Anne Frank became world famous for her diary which she kept while hiding from the Gestapo in Amsterdam. She had been born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1929 to a Jewish family. When Hitler came to power the family moved to Amsterdam. After the German conquest of Holland, faced with deportation, the family went into hiding in a hidden back room. There the family lived for two years. Food and basic necessities wire secretly brought to them by Gentile friends. In 1944 they were discovered by the Gestapo and transported to the concentration camp at Auschwitz. Anne was later transferred to the camp at Bergen-Belsen where she died of typhus in 1945.
Augutst 4, 1977
Death of the Marxist philosopher, Ernst Bloch, in Stuttgart. Bloch had been born in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Bloch was at the University of Leipzig when Hitler came to power. He fled to Switzerland in 1933 and then to the United States. In America he wrote the first two books of his three volume, "Das Prinzip Hoffnung". He returned to Leipzig in 1948. He proved to be too critical for the East German authorities, fell into disfavor, was prohibited from publication and finally defected to the West in 1961. In West Germany he became a professor at the University of Tuebingen.
August 5, 1895
Death of Friedrich Engels in London (born in Barmen, Germany). Engels was the son of a wealthy industrialist who owned a textile factory in Barmen and was a partner in the firm of Ermen and Engels in Manchester. Friedrich Engels worked in his father's business as a young man but developed radical ideas early on. He was strongly influenced by the "Young Hegelians". He began writing radical essays under the name of Friedrich Oswald. He had met Karl Marx in Cologne and their friendship continued through Marx's years in Paris and London. He worked closely with Marx on "Das Manifest der kommunistischen Partei" (1848), and on the "Neue Rheinische Zeitung". Engels completed "Das Kapital" from the incomplete manuscript and notes after Marx's death. When Marx went to London, Engles took a position with Ermen and Engels in Manchester from which earnings he contributed to Marx's income. By the time of Marx's death he was giving him 350 pounds a year and incidentals. In addition to the materials he wrote with Marx, Engels wrote a great deal under his own name and that of Friedrich Oswald.
August 5, 1946
Death of Wilhelm Marx in Bonn, Germany. Marx, a member of the Catholic Centrist Party, was chancellor of the Weimar Republic on two occasions. He was the founder and first president of the Catholic Schools Organization.
August 6
Fest der Verklärung Christi (Transfiguration)
August 6, 1806
The last Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire resigns his title and the Empire ends finally after 1,006 years. (The essentially German empire which came to be called the Holy Roman Empire was founded in 800 by Karl der Grosse (Charlemagne) and refounded in 950 by Otto I.)
August 7, 304 (?)
August 7 is the feast day of St. Afra of Augsburg (? - ca. 304)
Afra was canonized by local custom in 1064. Her origins are lost in history, though it is likely that she came from the Mediterranean, probably Cyprus. The circumstances of her movement to Augusburg are uncertain, but it is clear that by 304 she was established in Augusburg and had become a devout Christian. There is firm documentation that she was martyred for her faith during the persecution of the emperor Diocletian. Her feast day in the church is August 7.
August 7, 936
Otto I is elected German king at Aachen. In 962 he will be proclaimed the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope John XII in Rome. (The empire forged by Karl der Grosse [Charlemagne] had by this time broken into increasingly smaller components. Otto reconstructed the empire.)
Otto der Grosse wurde am 23. November 912 geboren und starb am 7. Mai 973 in Memleben. Er war Herzog von Sachsen, deutscher Koenig und Heiliger Roemischer Kaiser. Otto konsolidierte das Deutsche Reich bei Unterdrueckung rebellischer Untertanen und seinem entscheidenden Sieg ueber Ungarn. Er benutzte die Kirche als stabilisierenden Einfluss und errichtete somit ein sicheres Reich und stimulierte eine kulturelle Renaissance. 962 wurde Otto zum Kaiser gekroent und spaeter ein Vertrag, bekannt als "Privilegium Ottonianum", erstellt, der die Beziehungen zwischen Kaiser und Papst regulierte sowie die Macht des Papsttums ausbaute.
August 7, 1106
Heinrich IV, the Holy Roman Emperor, dies in Liege, Lorraine (born in Saxony). Heinrich became the German King in 1054 (at age 4) and the Holy Roman Emperor in 1084. His reign was marked by a heated struggle with Pope Gregory VII on the question of lay investiture. Heinrich was at one point excommunicated and forced to do penance at Canossa (1077).
Heinrich IV, Herzog von Bayern, deutscher Koenig und Heiliger Roemischer Kaiser wurde am 11. November 1050 in Goslar geboren und starb am 7. August 1106 in Liege, Lorraine. Er war in einen langen Streit mit Papst Gregory VII um die Amtseinsetzung verwickelt. Als Ausgang des Streites verbannte sich Heinrich IV selbst von der Gemeinschaft und tat Busse in Canossa woraufhin er wieder zur Kirche zugelassen wurde. Indem Heinrich Busse ablegte stimmte er der Legalitaet der Massnahmen des Papstes zu und veraenderte somit die Beziehung zwischen Staat und Kirche fuer immer. Seine letzten Jahre verbrachte er damit, den Rebellionen seiner Soehne Konrad und Heinrich entgegenzuwirken.
August 9, 1048
Death of Pope Damasus II, the third German pope. Originally named Poppo, he was born in Bavaria. He was the Bishop of Brixen in Tyrol when Heinrich III nominated him as pope. He was enthroned as pope on July 17, 1048 but soon after arival in Rome contracted malaria and died after 23 days as pope.
August 9, 1828
Death of the philosopher, Friedrich Bouterwek in Goettingen, Germany. Bouterwek was a follower of Immanuel Kant in his earlier years, but drew away from Kant's philosophy later. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Goettingen. Influential works by Bouterwek include, "Geschichte der neueren Poesie und Beredsamkeit " (12 vols. 1801-1819), "Lehrbuch der philosophischen Wissenschaften" (1813), and "Religion und Vernunft" (1824).
August 9*, 1942
Murder of Edith Stein in Auschwitz. Stein converted from Judaism to Catholicism (1904) and became a Carmelite nun. She earned her doctorate at the University of Goettingen in philosophy. She subsequently taught at Goettingen. She became a teacher at the Institute for Pedagogy in Muenster in 1932, but had to resign shortly thereafter due to growing antisemitism in Germany. She entered the Carmelite convent in Cologne in 1934 taking the name, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. In 1938 due to increasing Nazi pressure she moved to the convent in Echt, Holland. There she was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz where she was murdered in a gas chamber. She was beatified in 1987. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1999. Works by Stein include "Endliches und ewiges Sein", and "Studie ueber Jonnes a Cruce: Kreuzeswissenschaft".
* There is some uncertainty as to the time of her death. She may have died on the 10th.
August 10, 1827
Birth of Adalbert Falk in Metschkau, Prussia. He was in charge of the "Kurlturkampf" against the Roman Catholic Church. His title was, Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs and Education.
August 11, 1086
Birth of Heinrich V, King of the Germans and Holy Roman Emperor. He was the son of Heinrich IV and like his father led the investiture battle with the popes. He came to power by arresting his father and forcing him to abdicate. He won in the investiture battle too by arresting the Pope and demanding the right of investiture of bishops.
Heinrich V wurde am 11. August 1086 geboren und starb am 23. Mai 1125 in Utrecht. Er war deutscher Koenig und Heiliger roemischer Kaiser sowie letzter der Salian-Dynastie. Heinrich V stellte den Frieden im Kaiserreich wieder her und war generell erfolgreich in Kriegen mit Flandern, Boehmen, Ungarn und Polen. Als Sohn Heinrich IV fuehrte er dessen Amtseinfuehrungskontroverse mit dem Papsttum weiter. Sein Bruder Konrad, deutscher Koenig, rebellierte ohne Erfolg gegen seinen Vater und wurde von Heinrich V 1099 ersetzt. Er nahm seinen Vater gefangen und zwang diesen zur Abdankung. 1111 wurde er zum Kaiser gekroent.
August 11, 1464
Death of Nikolaus von Kues. Nikolaus von Kues (Lat. Cusanus) was born in 1401 in Kues (near Trier), Germany. He was one of those scholars of the renaissance who worked in many areas from mathematics and natural science to theology and philosophy. His father was a wealthy Mosel River shipper and had risen to a position of extensive influence in the electorate (Kurfürstentum) of Trier. He studied at the Universities of Heidelberg, Padua and Cologne. He was ordained a priest in about 1440. He first rose to international note at the Council of Basel. In the context of that council he wrote “De concordantia catholica” in 1433 in which he espoused the supremacy of general church councils over the authority of the papacy. He later became a legate and tireless supporter of Pope Eugenius IV. He rose to the rank of bishop and cardinal.
Nikolaus died in 1464. In his will he created a foundation in Kues, the city of his birth, which built and supported a hospital, chapel, and cloister. He donated his manuscript library, scientific instruments and altar service to the hospital. The complex is still standing today and continues to house the Cusanus library. The hospital continues to serve as a care facility and continuing education center for the elderly.
August 11, 1519
Death of Johann Tetzel in Leipzig (seller of indulgences at the time of Martin Luther). Tetzel's marketing skills led Luther to the posting of the 95 Theses.
Johann Tetzel wurde 1465 in Pirna geboren und starb am 11. August 1519 in Leipzig. Der Dominikanermoench predigte fuer Nachgiebigkeit, was von vielen seiner Zeitgenossen als Missbrauch des Sakraments der Busse angesehen wurde und gleichzeitig der Ausloeser fuer Martin Luthers Revolte war. Tetzel war Inquisitor fuer Polen und Sachsen sowie spter bischoeflicher Kommissar, ernannt von Albert, Erzbischof von Mainz. Dieser erhielt die Erlaubnis von Papst Leo X, einen Ablasshandel durchzufuehren. Somit wurde Tetzel ein Verkufer, was einen Skandal und die groesste Krise, die Reformation, in der Geschichte der westlichen Kirche hervorrief.
August 12, 1805
Birth of Johann Jakob Herzog in Basel, Switzerland. A Protestant theologian at the Universities of Halle and Erlangen, he edited the standard work on Protestant theology, "Real-Encyklopaedie fuer protestantische Theologie und Kirche".
Johann Jakob Herzog wurde am 12. August 1805 in Basel geboren und starb am 30. September 1882 in Erlangen. Er war Theologe und Professor fuer Kirchengeschichte und Autoritaetsperson an der Husseiten-Waldensian Kirche. Herzog uebersetzte ein Standardreferenzwerke der Theologie "Real-Encyklopaedie fuer protestantische Theologie und Kirche" und veroeffentlichte es.
August 12, 1905 Birth of Hans Urs von Balthasar
Hans Urs von Balthasar was born in Lucerne, Switzerland on August 12, 1905. He studied philosophy and German literature at the universities of Zurich, Vienna and Berlin. He became a Jesuit in 1929. He completed his theological studies with Henri de Lubac. He left the Jesuit order due to conflicts in views in 1950. Over time his work gained the admiration of such leaders in theology as Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Henri de Lubac and Bishop Karl Lehmann. In 1988 he was named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II but died two days before the ceremony (June 26, 1988). Important works by Balthasar include, Herrlichkeit (1961-1969), Cordula (1966), Theodramatik (1973-1983), Die antirömische Affekt (1974) and Theologik (1985).
August 13 Feast Day of St. Wigbert (ca. 675 - ca. 746)
St. Wigbert was an associate of St. Boniface. He was born in England. He came to Germany as a missionary in about 734. St. Boniface appointed him the abbot of the monastery of Hersfeld (Hessia), Germany. In about 737 he was made the abbot of the monastery of Ohrdruf (Thuringia), Germany. He is venerated in the dioceses of Mainz, Fulda and Paderborn. His designation as a saint precedes the practice of canonization by the Pope.
August 13, 1943 Execution of Bl. Jakob Gapp (1897 - 1943)
Jakob Gapp was born in Wattens, Austria in 1897. He was a soldier in World War I. He joined the Marianist order in 1921 and was ordained a priest in 1930. He was the director of religious education in the Marianist schools. As the Nazi party came to power, Fr. Gapp saw a conflict between Nazi ideology and Christianity and spoke out loudly against the party. In 1933 the Gestapo ordered him to cease teaching religion. Gapp, however, continued to speak out against the Nazi party. Under increasing pressure, he fled to Spain. The Gestapo arrested him on a visit into France in 1942. On August 13, 1943 he was guillotined. He was beatified in 1996 by Pope John Paul II.
August 13, 1999
Death of Ignatz Bubis in Frankfurt. Bubis had been the Chairman of the Central Jewish Committee in Germany since 1992. As specified in his will, he was flown to Israel and buried there.
Eine Sondermaschine der Lufthansa ist mit dem Leichnam von Ignatz Bubis in Tel Aviv gelandet. Der am Freitag verstorbene Praesident des Zentralrats der Juden wurde auf den Friedhof Kiriyat Shaul in Tel Aviv ueberfuehrt und dort am spaeten Nachmittag neben fuenf israelischen Sportlern beigesetzt, die 1972 beim Anschlag auf die israelische Olympiamannschaft in Muenchen getoetet wurden. Bubis hat in seinem Testament verfuegt, dass er in Israel begraben werden moechte. Er fuerchtete, sein Grab in Deutschland koennte geschaendet werden. Deutschland wird bei der Trauerfeier durch Bundespraesident Rau, Bundesratspraesident Koch und Bundesinnenminister Schily vertreten. Bundespraesident Rau wuerdigte Bubis als Mann der Versoehnung und des Ausgleichs. Rau wertete die von Bubis geaeusserte Befuerchtung, dass sein Grab in Deutschland geschaendet werden koennte, als Mahnung dafuer zu sorgen, dass sich nicht noch einmal jemand zu einem solche Satz gezwungen sehe. Daraus aber die Einschaetzung abzuleiten, man koenne als Jude nicht in Deutschland leben, halte er fuer falsch, sagte Rau. Vielmehr haben Bubis durch seinen Lebensweg das klarste Gegenbeispiel fuer diese These geliefert.
--Denews am 15.8.98
August 14, 1248
Construction is begun on the gothic cathedral in Cologne. It would not be completed for 600 years. (See August 14, 1880 below.)
August 14, 1841
Death of the philosopher, Johann Friedrich Herbart, in Goettingen, Germany. Herbart is one of the founders of the modern science of pedagogy. He studied under Fichte at the University of Jena and while working in Interlaken, Switzerland became a friend of Pestalozzi. In 1808 he was appointed to a chair of philosophy at the University of Koenigsberg as Kant's successor. In philosophy he was interested in the philosophy of the mind. He developed a perception of the mind as a collection of a series of sensory units he called "Vorstellungen". His two primary works on education are Pestalozzis Idee eines A B C der Anschauung (1802) and Allgemeine Puadogogik (1806). In the latter he developed a 5 step approach to learning.
August 14, 1880
The Cologne Cathedral is declared completed. Construction had started 600 years earlier.
August 14, 1941
Death of Saint Maksymilian Kolbe. Kolbe was a Polish Franciscan priest who was active in the anti-Nazi Polish underground. He was arrested and sent to Auschwitz where he offered to be killed in the place of one of the prisoners. He was the first victim of the death camps to be beatified by the Roman Catholic Church. He was declared a Saint and martyr in 1982.
August 15
Fest Maria Himmelfahrt (Assumption)
August 15, 1666
Death of Adam Schall von Bell in Peking, China (born in Cologne, Germany). Bell was a Jesuit missionary who traveled to China and became an advisor to the Chinese emperor.
August 18, 330 Death of St. Helena.
St. Helena was the mother of the Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great. She was born in the eastern part of the Roman Empire, but moved to Trier (modern day Germany) when her son became emperor of the West and ruled from Trier. She became a Christian early on and doubtless had influence on Constantine's favorable disposition to Christianity. She made a pilgrimage to the Holy land late in life and is credited with finding many relics of the life of Christ which now reside in Churches in Germany. The Robe of Christ in Trier, the relics of three wise men in Cologne and the loin cloth in Aachen are all attributed to her activities. Her designation as a saint precedes the practice of canonization by the Pope. The present day cathedral of Trier was a donation by Helena. The origins of the building were as her residence during the time she lived in Trier.
August 19, Feast Day of St. Sebaldus von Nürnberg (? 10/11 century)
St. Sebaldus was a hermit who resided near Nürnberg, Germany. Sebaldus is one of those early religious figures of whom legend tells of many wondrous acts and conversions. Little, though, of documented fact is known about him. He was entombed in the church of St. Peter in 1070. The church of St. Sebaldus was erected over his tomb by 1372. Sebaldus was canonized in 1424 by Pope Martin V. His feast day is August 19.
August 19, 1892
Death of Richard Adelbert Lipsius in Gera, Germany. Lipsius was a Protestant theologian who identified the authorship of early Christian literature. He also worked with the history of the early papacy.
August 20, 1854
Death of Friedrich Schelling in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland. Schelling was a philosopher. In his formative years he was highly impressed with the ideas of Kant, Fichte and Spinoza. In 1798 he was appointed to a professorship at the University of Jena. Not long after his marriage to one of the leading intellectual women of the age, Caroline Schlegel, he accepted a professorship at the University of Wuerzburg. It was at about this time that his relationship with Friedrich Hegel, which had been close, began to deteriorate and grow into antagonism. In 1841 he was appointed to a professorship at the University of Berlin. While at Berlin he had contact with and began to influence the thinking of Friedrich Engels, Soren Kierkegaard and Jakob Burckhardt. Among Schelling's important books are Ueber die Moeglichkeit einer Form der Philosophie (1795), System des transzendentalen Idealismus (1800), and Philosophische Untersuchungen ueber das Wesen der menschlichen Freiheit (1809).
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling wurde am 27. Januar 1775 in Leonberg geboren und starb am 20. August 1854 in Bad Ragaz, in der Schweiz. Der deutsche Philosoph und Lehrer war eine Hauptfigur des deutschen Idealismus in der Entwicklung der deutschen Philosophie nach Kant. Schelling wurde von den Gedanken Kants inspiriert und von den idealistischen Systemen Johann Fichtes sowie dem Pantheismus' Spinozas beeinflusst. Sein erstes Werk “Ueber die Moeglichkeit einer Form der Philosophie ueberhaupt” schrieb von Schelling schon mit 19 Jahren. Seine Zeit in Leipzig stellte einen entscheidenden Wendepunkt in seinen Gedanken dar, als er die Naturwissenschaften mit in seine philosophischen Ueberlegungen einbezog und die Philosophie der Natur entwickelte. Unter seinen Werken befinden sich unter anderem “Philosophische Untersuchungen ueber das Wesen der menschlichen Freiheit” und “System des transzendentalen Idealismus”.
August 20, 1867
Death of Richard Rothe in Heidelberg, Germany . A student of Friedrich Hegel Rothe, became a professor at the University of Heidelberg in theology. An idealist, he proposed the view that the state would continue a process of perfection until such time that church and state would merge into one and the Christian state would replace the traditional church.
August 20, 1884
Birth of Rudolf Karl Bultmann in Wiefelstede, Germany. Bultmann was a New Testament scholar who sought to demythologize the New Testament. He was a professor at the University of Marburg. From 1922-1928 the philosopher, Martin Heidegger, was also at Marburg and had considerable influence on Bultmann's thought.
Rudolf Bultmann wurde am 20. August 1884 in Wiefelstede geboren und starb am 30. Juli 1976 in Marburg. Er war ein fuehrender Gelehrter des Neuen Testaments, bekannt fuer sein Programm, das Neue Testament von Mythologie zu befreien, d.h. mythologische Begriffe zu interpretieren. Bultmann studierte Theologie in Tuebingen und hielt Vortraege an der Universitaet Marburg, Breslau und Giessen. 1921 veroeffentlichte er “Geschichte der synoptischen Tradition”, eine Analyse traditionell genutzten Materials. Er entwickelte seinen eigenen theologischen Standpunkt, naemlich dass christlicher Glaube nicht am historischen Jesu orientiert sein sollte, sondern am ueberweltlichen Christen.
August 20, 1886
Birth of Paul Tillich in Starzeddel, Germany. Tillich was a Protestant theologian who sought to integrate traditional Christianity and modern life. He was an early opponent to the Nazis. He was the first non-Jew to be barred from academic appointments in Germany. He immigrated to the U. S. and taught first in New York and then at the University of Chicago.
Paul Tillich wurde am 20. August 1886 in Starzeddel geboren und starb am 22. Oktober 1965 in Chicago. Die Diskussionen des Theologen und Philosophen ueber Gott und Glauben verbanden das traditionelle Christentum mit der modernen Kultur. Einige seiner Buecher, z.B. “The Courage to Be” und “Dynamics of Faith” erreichten einen grossen oeffentlichen Leserkreis, der gewoehnlich nicht mit religioesen Angelegenheiten beschaeftigt war. In diesen Werken erklaert er, dass die tiefsten Sorgen des Menschen zu einer Konfrontation mit der Wirklichkeit, die seine eigene begrenzte Existenz ueberschreitet, fuehren. “Systematic Theology” wird als Hoehepunkt seiner Untersuchungen des Glaubens angesehen.
August 21, 1849
On August 21, 1849 Pauline Mallinckrodt founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity. Pauline Mallinckrodt was born in Minden, Germany on June 3, 1817. She directed the institution for the blind in Paderborn, Germany. She founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity on August 21, 1849. That order took charge of the school for the blind and established 20 additional houses in Germany. In 1873 sisters of the order came to the United States. Sr. Mallinckrodt came to the United States in 1873 and organized a Mother House in Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania. She died in 1881 in Paderborn, Germany. She was beatified in 1985.
August 22
Fest des unbefleckten Herzens der allerselsten Jungfrau Maria (Immaculate Heart of Mary)
August 22, 1874
Birth of the philosopher, Max Scheler in Munich, Germany. Scheler was interested in social and ethical philosophy. He is noted for phenomenological philosophy. He served as professor of philosophy and sociology at the University of Cologne.
Der deutsche Sozial- und Ethikphilosoph Max Scheler wurde am 22. August 1874 in Muenchen geboren und starb am 19. Mai 1928 in Frankfurt am Main. Er ist bekannt fuer seine phaenomenologische Herangehensweise gemaess der philosophischen Methode von Edmund Husserl, dem Gruender der Phaenomenologie. Scheler wurde Pazifist und trat zum katholischen Glauben ueber, wendete sich jedoch spaeter einer mehr pantheistischen Sichtweise ueber die Welt und den Menschen zu. Als Phaenomenologe versuchte er die Grundlagen mentaler Einstellungen aufzudecken. Seine Hauptwerke sind “Der Formalismus in der Ethik und die materiale Wertethik”, “Versuche einer Soziologie des Wissens” und “Die Stellung des Menschen im Kosmos”.
August 23, 1773
Birth of Jakob Friedrich Fries in Barby, Germany. Fries was a professor of philosophy at the Universities of Heidelberg and Jena. In "Neue oder anthropologische Kritik der Vernunft " he attempted to provide a foundation of psychological analysis to the critical theory of Kant.
Jakob Friedrich Fries wurde am 23. August 1773 in Barby geboren und starb am 10. August 1843 in Jena. Er studierte in Leipzig sowie Jena und wurde Professor fuer Philosophie und grundlegende Mathematik in Heidelberg. Sein Werk “Neue oder anthropologische Kritik der Vernunft” versucht der kritischen Theorie von Immanuel Kant eine neue Grundlage psychologischer Analyse zu geben. Fries veroeffentlichte zahlreiche Werke, unter anderem “System der Metaphysik”, “Die Geschichte der Philosophie” und “System der Philosophie als evidente Wissenschaft”.
August 23, 1910
Alfons Maria Stickler was born on August 23, 1910 in Neukirchen, Austria. He was ordained a priest in 1937. He was appointed Archbishop in 1983 and elevated to Cardinal in 1985
Alfons Maria Stickler wurde am 23. August 1910 in Neukirchen Österreich geboren. Er wurde 1937 zum Priester geweiht. Er wurde 1983 zum Erzbischof ernannt und 1983 wurde er zum Kardinal erhoben.
August 24-27 410
Alarich, the leader of the Visigoths takes and plunders Rome. This was one of the final blows which would bring about the end of the Roman Empire.
The Visigoths were one of the east Germanic tribes. There were three Germanic groupings: north Germanic, west Germanic and east Germanic (Goths). Modern Germans descend from the west Germanic grouping. The Gothic language and culture did not survive into modern times. The gothic peoples were driven from their lands by the Huns. The Visigoths moved finally into the area which is now France and were assimilated there and the Ostrogoths into Italy where they were assimilated by the majority culture.
August 25, 1744
Birth of philosopher and critic, Johann Gottfried von Herder in Modrungen, Germany (now in Poland). His writings prepare for the Sturm und Drang movement as well as the Romantic movement in literature. He is perhaps, though, most remembered for his profound intellectual influence on the young Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Johann Gottfried von Herder wurde am 25. August 1744 in Mohrungen, im heutigen Polen geboren und starb am 18. Dezember 1803 in Weimar. Er war Kritiker, Theologe und Philosoph sowie die fuehrende Figur in der literarischen Epoche des Sturm und Drang. Von Herder war ein Neuerer in der Philosophie von Geschichte und Kultur. Sein Einfluss, der durch seinen Kontakt mit dem jungen Goethe noch vergroessert wurde, machte ihm zum Vorlaeufer der Romantikbewegung. 1802 wurde Herder geadelt. Sein lebenswerk enthaelt unter anderem ìZerstraeute Blaetterî, "Vom Erkennen und Empfinden der menschlichen Seele " und "Journal meiner Reise".
August 25, 1900
Death of the philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche.
Der Philosoph Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche wurde am 15.10.1844 geboren. Er studierte ein Jahr Theologie an der Universitaet Bonn und spaeter Philologie an der Universitaet Leipzig. Bereits vor seiner Promotion wurde ihm eine Professur an der Universitaet Basel angeboten. Seine Gesundheit war allerdings so schwach, dass er nur einige Jahre unterrichten konnte. Nachdem er die Universitaet verliess, wendete sich Nietzsche verstaerkt der Philosophie zu. Einige seiner wichtigsten philosophischen Schriften sind "Also Sprach Zarathustra", "Die Froehliche Wissenschaft", "Ecce Homo", und "Jenseits von Gut und Boese".
August 26, 1824
Karl Marx baptized as a Protestant in Trier, Germany. The family had been Jewish but converted to Christianity. Karl was 5 years old at the time of the baptism. Later in life he would turn from religion to a materialist, atheistic set of beliefs. The two most noted works by Marx are "The Communist Manifesto" and "Das Kapital".
Karl Marx wurde am 5. Mai 1818 in Trier geboren. Er war der Sohn eines zum Protestantismus uebergetretenen juedischen Rechtsanwalts. Er studierte an der Universitaet Berlin. Friedrich Hegel, welcher Philosophie an der Universitaet Berlin lehrte, hatte einen starken Einfluss auf seine Denkweise. Marx gilt als der Vater des wissenschaftlichen Sozialismus, einer von ihm in Zusammenarbeit mit Friedrich Engels entwickelten Gesellschaftstheorie. Wichtige Buecher von Marx sind "Das Manifest der kommunistischen Partei" und "Das Kapital".
August 26, 1921
Matthias Erzberger is fatally shot by right wing radicals. Erzberger, a member of the Catholic Center Party, worked toward the peace to end WWI and was a signatory of the Armistice in 1918. Later he was first berated by right extremist groups and in 1921 shot to death by right wing radicals while on vacation in the Black Forest.
August 27, 1730
Birth of Johann Georg Hamann in Koenigsberg, Prussia (now in Russia). Hamann was a friend of the philosopher, Immanuel Kant and had many discussions with him on the matter of philosophy and faith in God. He concluded from his attempts to reconcile philosophy and Christianity, that a childlike faith in God is the only solution to the problems of philosophy.
August 27, 1770
Birth of the philosopher, Friedrich Hegel, in Stuttgart, Germany. The monumental philosopher had taught at the Universities Jena and Heidelberg before his final appointment at the University of Berlin from 1818-1831. Hegel developed a theory of dialectic in which phases of history must of necessity follow upon one and other. From a thesis there develops an antagonistic antithesis. The necessary conflict between them results finally in synthesis. The most radical of his followers was Karl Marx who developed the system into an economic theory.
August 27, 1776
Birth of Barthold Georg Niebuhr in Copenhagen, Denmark. He became the Prussian state historiographer, member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and lecturer at the University of Berlin. In 1816 he became the Prussian ambassador to the Vatican. As a part of his studies of ancient history he developed a critical method of doing history, thus bringing it to a scientific level.
August 27, 1955
Death of Joachim Wach in Orselina, Switzerland. Wach was a sociologist of religion. He introduced the discipline of comparative study of religion. Wach was a professor of the history of religion at the University of Leipzig from 1929 to 1935. He then immigrated to the United States to teach at the University of Chicago from 1945 to 1955. He is one of the founders of the "Chicago School" of religious studies.
August 28, 1850
First performance of Richard Wagner's "Lohengrin" in Weimar--conducted by Franz Liszt.
August 29, 1523
Death of Ulrich von Hutten near Zuerich. Von Hutten was a staunch supporter of Martin Luther both with his pen as a satirist and with his sword as a knight. In 1522 when German knights rose up against the princes, von Hutten fought with the band of Franz von Sickingen. C. F. Meyer immortalized him in his novel Huttens letzte Tage (1871).
Ulrich von Hutten wurde am 21. April 1488 in der Naehe von Fulda geboren und starb am 29. August 1523 in Zuerich. Er war Ritter und Humanist, bekannt als deutscher Patriot, Satiriker und Befuerworter Luthers. Hutten fuehrte ein restloses abenteuerliches Leben, das die Reformationsperiode widerspiegelt. Es war gekennzeichnet von einer Vielzahl oeffentlicher und privater Streits, die sowohl auf dem Papier wie auch mit dem Schwert ausgetragen wurden. Er war rueckstaendig, wenn es um die Unterstuetzung des Ritterstandes ging, war jedoch ein fortschrittlicher Schriftsteller, der neue literarische Formen des Humanismus verwendete. Hutten trug wesentlich zur zweiten Ausgabe des “Epistolae obscurorum virorum” bei.
August 30, 1770 Birth of Friedrich Karl Forberg
Following upon the transendental idealism of Johann Fichte, Forberg published Über die Entwicklung des Begriffs Religion in 1789. The most noteable historic effect of that work was to lead to charges of atheism against Johann Fichte who had written a supportive preface to the work and ultimately bring Fichte's years as a professor at the University of Jena to an end.
August 31 Feast Day of St. Paulinus von Trier (ca. 300 - 358)
St. Paulinus, was ordained a priest by the Bishop of Trier, St. Maximin and ultimately succeeded him as bishop. He continued the strong stand against Arianism initiated by Maximin. The emperor Konstantinus, however, who tended toward Arianism, exiled Paulinus to Phrygia (Modern Turkey). Paulinus died in Phrygia but his remains were later returned to Trier. The Church of St. Paulinus in Trier is named for him. The designation as saint predates the formal practice of canonization by a pope. His feast day is August 31.
August 31, 1864
Death of Ferdinand Lasalle in Geneva, Switzerland (born in Breslau, Germany (now in Poland)). Lasalle was a follower of Karl Marx and one of the founders of the German labor movement. Unlike Marx, however, Lasalle promoted an evolution of workers rights rather than Marx's revolutionary approach. Lasalle studied at the University of Berlin where he was exposed to the ideas of Friedrich Hegel and Ludwig Feuerbach. During study-abroad in Paris he made the acquaintance of the poet Heinrich Heine. He was in Germany again by 1848 and participated in the revolution. He lived in Duesseldorf from 1848-1857. He then moved to Berlin where he worked as a political journalist. In 1863 he was involved in the founding of the "Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein" in Leipzig and was elected its president. Lassale was killed in duel with the fiancée of a young woman with whom he had fallen in love.