The Rev. John Augustine Zahm (
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
H. J. Mozans),
CSC CSC, Csc or CSc may refer to:
Awards
* Conspicuous Service Cross (disambiguation)
** Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia)
** Conspicuous Service Cross (New York)
** Conspicuous Service Cross (United Kingdom)
Science and industry
* Cancer ...
(June 14, 1851 – November 10, 1921) was a
Holy Cross priest, author, scientist, and explorer of South America. He was born at
New Lexington, Ohio
New Lexington is a village in and the county seat of Perry County, Ohio, United States, southwest of Zanesville and miles southeast of Columbus. The population was 4,731 at the 2010 census.
In 2020, New Lexington’s historical Main Street un ...
, and died in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, Germany.
Education and career
Zahm attended the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
in 1867 and graduated with honors in 1871 as a Novice of the
Congregation of Holy Cross
, image = Congregation of Holy Cross.svg
, image_size = 150px
, abbreviation = CSC
, formation =
, founder = Blessed Fr. Basile-Antoine Marie Moreau, C.S.C.
, founding_location = ...
. He finished his theological studies and was ordained in 1875.
Zahm was hired by the University of Notre Dame as a science teacher although he had interest in literature. His brother
Albert
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
attended Notre Dame as a student while John was on the faculty.
[
During his time teaching he wrote the text ''Sound and Music'' in 1892.][History of the Zahm Dante Collection, A biography of John A. Zahm, C.S.C.](_blank)
, italnet.nd.edu; accessed July 5, 2017. He was appointed the Vice President of Notre Dame at 25 years of age and held the position for nine years. In 1895, he was recognized as Doctor of 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 ...
by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
. Fr. John Zahm championed the view of Notre Dame becoming a research university dedicated to scholarship, which was at odds with Fr. Andrew Morrissey
The Rev. Andrew Morrissey, C.S.C. (November 16, 1860 – May 27, 1921) was an Irish-American priest and President of the University of Notre Dame from 1893 to 1905, after having served previously as director of studies. He was born in 1860 ...
, who hoped to keep the institution a smaller boarding school.
Writing
Father Zahm is the author of many scholarly texts and published works against the Darwin movement. He also wrote Catholic scientific essays published in '' American Catholic Quarterly'' and ''Catholic World
''The Catholic World'' was a periodical founded by Paulist Father Isaac Thomas Hecker in April 1865. It was published by the Paulist Fathers for over a century. According to Paulist Press, Hecker "wanted to create an intellectual journal for a g ...
'', among others.
Father Zahm fought through writing and used his detailed background in science to defend the ability of God and Catholic faith to remain in the scientific sphere. Focusing on Catholic men of science in the past, Zahm founded a magazine, '' Catholic Science and Catholic Scientists''. Between 1891-96, he published multiple books and articles on the topic, culminating with '' Evolution and Dogma'' in 1896.
In this text, as in his others, Zahm argued that Roman Catholicism could fully accept an evolutionary view of biological systems, as long as this view was not centered around Darwin's theory of natural selection
Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Charle ...
. After the Vatican decided to censure the book in 1898, Zahm fully accepted this rebuttal and pulled away from any writing concerning the relationship of theology and science.
Fr. Zahm's pseudonym was derived from the way he signed his name as a youth: Jno. S. (Stanislaus, an abandoned middle name) Zahm. His works have been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, and have been published and read North and South America, as well as in Europe. These include: ''Woman in Science'' and ''Great Inspirers''. ''The Quest for El Dorado'', and the general title of his trilogy was "Following the Conquistadores", and the titles of books called ''Up the Orinoco and Down the Magdalena'' (1910), ''Along the Andes and Down the Amazon'' (1912) and ''In South America's Southland'' (1916), all drew from his travels throughout South America. He was an enthusiastic Dante
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
student and assembled at Notre Dame one of the three largest of the Dante libraries in the U.S.
Zahm befriended 26th President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
, who also loved and read Dante in Italian. It was Father Zahm who talked President Roosevelt into participating in what came to be known as the Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition to South America, and which would also include Theodore's son, Kermit, and Colonel Da Silva Candido Rondon
Candido is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
* Candido Amantini (1914–1992), Italian Roman Catholic priest
* Candido Camero known simply as "Candido" (1921-2020), Cuban percussionist
* Candido Jacu ...
, to go up the ''Rio da Dúvida'' (River of Doubt, now the Roosevelt River
The Roosevelt River (Rio Roosevelt, sometimes Rio Teodoro) is a Brazilian river, a tributary of the Aripuanã River about in length.
Course
The Roosevelt River begins in the state of Rondônia and flows north through tropical rainforest. It is ...
).
Death and legacy
Fr. Zahm planned a book on historical and archaeological study of the Holy Land, but died of bronchial pneumonia in a Munich hospital en route to the Middle East. The manuscripts of his working book ''From Berlin to Baghdad and Babylon'' was found and published posthumously.
Works authored
Zahn used a number of pseudonyms, mainly H. J. Mozans, but also A. H. Johns, Manso, and A. H. Solis.
Books
*
*
Full Text
*
Full Text
*
Full Text
. Introduction by Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
.
*
Full Text
*
Full Text
Articles (selection)
*J. A. Zahm as "A. H. Johns".
Woman's Work in Bible Study and Translation
, in ''The Catholic World
''The Catholic World'' was a periodical founded by Paulist Father Isaac Thomas Hecker in April 1865. It was published by the Paulist Fathers for over a century. According to Paulist Press, Hecker "wanted to create an intellectual journal for a g ...
'', New York, Vol. 95/June 1912
See also
*Zahm Hall
Zahm Hall, also known as Zahm House, is a University of Notre Dame residence hall. The building was constructed in 1937 and is located directly east of St. Edward's Hall and is directly west of North Quad. Starting with the 2021-2022 school yea ...
, a men's residence hall at Notre Dame named after Fr. Zahm
*List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
Sources
* ''(1922 Supplement I)''
* ''The River of Doubt'' by Candice Millard (Doubleday 2005)
Further reading
*Appleby, R. Scott. (1987). ''Between Americanism and Modernism: John Zahm and Theistic Evolution''. ''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 ...
''. Vol. 56, No. 4. pp. 474–490.
*Sloan, Philip R. (2009). ''Bringing Evolution to Notre Dame: Father John Zahm, C.S.C. and Theistic Evolutionism''. ''American Midland Naturalist
''The American Midland Naturalist'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering natural history. It was established in 1909 by Julius Nieuwland and is published by the University of Notre Dame. According to the ''Journal Citation Repo ...
''. Vol. 161, No. 2. pp. 189–205.
*The Catholic Historical Review
''The Catholic Historical Review'' (CHR) is the official organ of the American Catholic Historical Association. It was established at The Catholic University of America in 1915 by Thomas Joseph Shahan and Peter Guilday and is published quarterly b ...
wrote about John Augustine Zahm: "Dr. John H. Zahm, C. S. C.", ''The Catholic Historical Review'', Vol. 7, No. 4 (Jan., 1922), p. 480, Published by: Catholic University of America Press
*Weber, Ralph E. ''Notre Dame's John Zahm: Catholic Apologist and Educator.'' (Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1961)
External links
Biography of John A. Zahm, C.S.C.
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahm, John Augustine
1851 births
1921 deaths
American explorers
American Roman Catholic priests
Catholic clergy scientists
American science writers
People from New Lexington, Ohio
Roman Catholic writers
Congregation of Holy Cross
University of Notre Dame faculty
University of Notre Dame alumni
Explorers of Amazonia
Theistic evolutionists
Catholics from Ohio
University of Notre Dame Trustees
Writers from Ohio