Caspar Erasmus (Erich) Schieler (July 14, 1851 – January 13, 1934) was a German

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, church historian and priest in the late 19th century and early 20th century. According to documents provided by

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and the Diocesan Seminary, Schieler studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at the Episcopal Seminary in Mainz (closed during the

Kulturkampf (, 'culture struggle') was the conflict that took place from 1872 to 1878 between the Catholic Church led by Pope Pius IX and the government of Prussia led by Otto von Bismarck. The main issues were clerical control of education and ecclesiastic ...

in 1878), receiving the

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

degree.Augustinerstraße 34. 175 years Episcopal Seminary Mainz. Eltville

980 Year 980 ( CMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Peace is concluded between Emperor Otto II (the Red) and King Lothair III (or Lothair IV) a ...

Schieler first served as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

at the age of twenty-five at Mainz, Cathedral ordained under

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler Baron Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler (25 December 181113 July 1877) was a German theologian and politician who served as Bishop of Mainz. His social teachings became influential during the papacy of Leo XIII and his encyclical ''Rerum novarum''. ...

in the year 1876. Due to the Kulturkampf, Schieler was interrogated by the German government and forced to pastor his parish in secret, to avoid further attention. While secretly pastoring in Weisskirchen, Schieler began working on his dissertation: ''Magister

Johannes Nider Johannes Nider (c. 1380 – 13 August 1438) was a German theologian. __NOTOC__ Life Nider was born in Swabia. He entered the Order of Preachers at Colmar and after profession was sent to Vienna for his philosophical studies, which he finished ...

'', for which he received the degree of

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

, Germany in the year 1886. Schieler then become the Professor of

Moral Theology Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy''"Ethics"/ref> A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life that is simply sati ...

at Diocesan Seminary of Mainz in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

. After breaking from the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and converting to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, Schieler continued writing books and became a pastor in the

German Evangelical Synod of North America The Evangelical Synod of North America, before 1927 German Evangelical Synod of North America, in German ''(Deutsche) Evangelische Synode von Nord-Amerika'', was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States existing from the mid-19th ...

, which later merged into the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...

, a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, with historical confessional roots in the

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

and

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

traditions. Schieler served as a Professor of theology and Latin American and German language and literature at the Mission House College, which later became

Lakeland University Lakeland University is a private university with its main campus in Plymouth, Wisconsin. Lakeland University is affiliated with the United Church of Christ. Lakeland also has seven evening, weekend, and online centers located throughout the st ...

. At the request of the Educational Department, Schieler later took up a teaching position at Redfield College, teaching theology in Redfield,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. Schieler was then called upon by the

, to teach and preach in communities in Hartsburg, Missouri, Hamel and Johannisburg, Illinois and

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mari ...

, Wisconsin.

Publications and legacy

Schieler is best known for his detailed guide in the administration of the

sacrament A sacrament is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments ...

penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of Repentance (theology), repentance for Christian views on sin, sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic Church, Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox s ...

as described in his book: ''Theory and Practice of the Confessional: A Guide in the Administration of the Sacrament of Penance (1905)'' This was among the first of his works to be translated into the English language and was distributed widely throughout the United States. Schieler was also well known for his regular contributions to ''The Theological Magazine'', ''The'' ''Messenger of Peace'', ''The Celebration'' and ''The Christian Children's Newspaper''. Schieler is maternal great-great grandfather of Travers Oliver.

Writings on church history

Schieler also wrote extensively on the subject of

church history __NOTOC__ 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 ...

, most notably on

, the German theologian who wrote the ''

Formicarius The ''Formicarius'', written 1436–1438 by Johannes Nider during the Council of Florence and first printed in 1475, is the second book ever printed to discuss witchcraft (the first book being Alphonso de Spina's ''Fortalitium Fidei''). Nider de ...

''. Schieler addressed the life and legacy of Nider, as well as his impact on 15th century German-Christian thought in his book: ''Magister Johannes Nider From The Order of the Preacher-Brother'' (Translated from German)Schieler, C. E. (1885). Magister Johannes Nider aus dem Orden der Prediger-Brüder: Ein Beitrag zur Kirchengeschichte des fünfzehnten Jahrhunderts. Mainz: F. Kirchheim.( 1885) Schieler also recorded the history of

Julius Rupp Julius Friedrich Leopold Rupp (13 August 1809 – 11 July 1884) was a Prussian Protestant theologian. He founded the first Free Protestant Congregation in Königsberg, which rejected all state or church control and believed in absolute freedom of ...

and the 19th century Christian church in his work: ''Dr. Julius Rupp: The Free Religious Movement in the Catholic and Protestant Churches in the 19th century: A Contribution to Church History in the 19th Century (Translated from German).'' Lastly, Schieler wrote about the Italian, Dominican

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...

and

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno (; ; la, Iordanus Brunus Nolanus; born Filippo Bruno, January or February 1548 – 17 February 1600) was an Italian philosopher, mathematician, poet, cosmological theorist, and Hermetic occultist. He is known for his cosmologic ...

in his book: ''Giordano Bruno, The Poet-Philosopher and Martyr of Freedom of Mind: His Life's Destiny and its Significance According to the Results of the Latest Research (1901)''(Translated from German)

Other writings

*''Ecclesiastical Liberalism and the Free Religious Communities'' (1911) *A rebuttal to the German

Assyriologist Assyriology (from Greek , ''Assyriā''; and , '' -logia'') is the archaeological, anthropological, and linguistic study of Assyria and the rest of ancient Mesopotamia (a region that encompassed what is now modern Iraq, northeastern Syria, southea ...

'',''

Friedrich Delitzsch Friedrich Delitzsch (; 3 September 1850 – 19 December 1922) was a German Assyriologist. He was the son of Lutheran theologian Franz Delitzsch (1813–1890). Born in Erlangen, he studied in Leipzig and Berlin, gaining his habilitation in 1874 as ...

in: ''Vortrags Uber Die Babel Und Bibelfrage'' (1903), *''Mein Austritt aus der katholischen Kirche : Worte zur Aufklärung u. Mahnung'' (1901). *"''St. Rochus-Büchlein zum Gebrauche bei öffentlichen und Privat-Andachten zu Ehren des hl. Rochus''" (1885).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schieler, Caspar Erich 1851 births 1934 deaths German theologians Historians of Christianity German historians of religion