Augustine Reding (born at Lichtensteig, Switzerland, 10 August 1625; died at

Einsiedeln Einsiedeln () is a municipality and district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. History Early history There was no permanent settlement in the area p ...

, 13 March 1692) was a Swiss

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

, the Prince-Abbot of Einsiedeln, and theological writer.

Life

After completing the classics at the Benedictine College of Einsiedeln, Reding joined the Order of St. Benedict, December 26, 1641. He went on to teach philosophy at the early age of twenty-four. Reding was ordained priest and appointed master of novices in 1649, and obtained the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy and Theology at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau in 1654. He was professor of theology at the

Benedictine University of Salzburg The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Ordo Sancti Benedicti, abbreviated as OSB), are a Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), religious order of the Catholic Church following the Rule of Saint Benedic ...

from 1648 to 1654. He became dean (prior) at Einsiedeln in 1658, and was finally elected Prince-Abbot of Einsiedeln on July 17, 1670. At Einsiedeln he built the still existing choir, the confession-church, and St. Magdalene's chapel (1674–84). In 1675 his monastery took charge of the college at

Bellinzona Bellinzona ( , , Ticinese ; french: Bellinzone ; german: Bellenz ; rm, Blizuna )is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebell ...

, which was conducted by the monks of Einsiedeln until its suppression in 1852. He watched carefully over discipline, and insisted on a thorough intellectual training of his monks. During his time the conventuals of Einsiedeln increased from 53 to 100, many of whom gained renown as professors at various institutions of learning.

Works

His numerous theological writings are learned, but his style is dry and at times obscure. His chief work is ''Theologia scholastica universa'' (13 vols., Einsiedeln, 1687), based on the ''Summa'' of

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...

. Other works are: *''Veritas inextincta concilii Tridentini'' (5 vols., ib., 1677–84), a defence of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trento, Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italian Peninsula, Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation ...

against

Johann Heinrich Heidegger Johann Heinrich Heidegger (July 1, 1633 – July 18, 1698), Swiss theologian, was born at Bäretswil, in the Canton of Zürich. He studied at Marburg and at Heidelberg, where he became the friend of J. L. Fabricius, and was appointed professor ex ...

; *''Vindex veritatis centuriæ primæ annalium ecclesiasticorum Baronii'' (ib., 1680), a justification of the first century of the '' Annales Ecclesiastici'' of Baronius; *''Œcumenicæ cathedræ apostolicæ authoritas'' (ib., 1669), a defence of

papal supremacy Papal supremacy is the doctrine of the Catholic Church that the Pope, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, the visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful, and as pastor of the ...

against the

Gallican Liberties Gallicanism is the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by the monarch's or the state's authority—over the Catholic Church is comparable to that of the Pope. Gallicanism is a rejection of ultramontanism; it has som ...

; and some works of less importance.

References

;Attribution * The entry cites: **Morel, ''Augustin Reding, Fürstabt von Einsiedeln, als Gelehrter u. Schulmann'' (Einsiedeln, 1861); ** Hugo von Hurter, ''Nomenclator'', IV (Innsbruck, 1910), 332-5 {{DEFAULTSORT:Reding, Augustine 1625 births 1692 deaths Academic staff of the University of Salzburg Swiss Benedictines Swiss abbots 17th-century Swiss Roman Catholic theologians