Johannes Quasten (3 May 1900 in Homberg – 10 March 1987 in Freiburg im Breisgau) was a Roman Catholic

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 ...

and scholar of patristics.

Life

Johannes Quasten (3 May 1900 in Homberg – 10 March 1987 in Freiburg im Breisgau) was a Roman Catholic theologian and scholar of patristics. He studied Roman Catholic theology at the Westfälische Wilhelms University ( Wilhelm's University of

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

) in

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an 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 state di ...

. In 1926 he was ordained priest. In 1927 he earned his graduate Degree with F.J. Dölger in Münster with a thesis on "Music and singing in the cults of the ancient pagan and early Christian times". Further studies followed in the years 1927-1929 in Rome at the Pontificio Istituto di Archeologia Cristiana. At the same time, he served as chaplain at the Campo Santo Teutonico or

Teutonic Cemetery The Teutonic Cemetery ( it, Cimitero Teutonico, "Camposanto of the Teutons and the Flemish") is a burial site adjacent to St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Burial is reserved for members of the Confraternity of Our Lady of the German Cemeter ...

. He received a grant from the Association of German Science in the German Archaeological Institute in Rome and took part with the Gorres-Gesellschaft in international excavations. In 1931 he qualified as a professor in Münster. After confrontations with the Nazi regime, he moved to Rome. Through the mediation of

Clemens August Graf von Galen Clemens Augustinus Emmanuel Joseph Pius Anthonius Hubertus Marie Graf von Galen (16 March 1878 – 22 March 1946), better known as ''Clemens August Graf von Galen'', was a German count, Bishop of Münster, and cardinal of the Catholic Church ...

, and through the intercession of the Cardinal Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII.), he moved to the United States of America in 1938, joined the Catholic University of America in 1938 and progressed through its ranks until he retired in 1970. With his retirement in 1970, he was appointed Honorary Professor of Catholic Theology at the Faculty of the University of Freiburg in Breisgau.

Johannes Quasten Award

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

, Washington D.C. offers a Johannes Quasten Award.

Awards and honours

* 1948 Visiting lecturer at the Abt-Herwegen Institute for Historical Liturgical Research (

Maria Laach Abbey Maria Laach Abbey (in German: ''Abtei Maria Laach'', in Latin: ''Abbatia Maria Lacensis'' or ''Abbatia Maria ad Lacum'') is a Benedictine abbey situated on the southwestern shore of the Laacher See (Lake Laach), near Andernach, in the Eifel ...

) * 1951 Member of the steering committee for the Patristic Conference at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

* 1960 Cardinal Spellman Award of the Catholic Theological Association of America for his ''Verdienste auf dem Gebiet der Theologie'' * 1960 Papers and participation in the pontifical commission regarding sacred liturgy in preparation for the

second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

invited by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

* 1960 Member of the Oxford Historical Society * 1964 Ernennung zum ''Consultor Consilii ad exsequendam Constitutionem de sacra Liturgia'' by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

External links

* * 20th-century German Catholic theologians Clergy from North Rhine-Westphalia Patristic scholars 1900 births 1987 deaths Catholic University of America faculty German male non-fiction writers Academic staff of the University of Münster {{Germany-academic-bio-stub