Joseph Langen (3 June 1837 – 13 July 1901) 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 ...

and

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 ...

, who was instrumental for the German

Old Catholic The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches or Old Catholic movement designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the undivide ...

movement. Langen was born at

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, studied at

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

, and was ordained priest for the Roman Catholic Church in 1859. He was nominated professor extraordinary at the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine U ...

in 1864, and a professor in ordinary of the

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...

of the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

in 1867—an office which he held till his death. He was one of the band of professors who in 1870 supported

Döllinger Dollinger and Döllinger are surnames of German origin. They may refer to: * Günther Dollinger (born 1960), German physicist and professor * Ignaz Döllinger (1770–1841), German physician and university professor * Ignaz von Döllinger (1799–1 ...

in his resistance to the Vatican decrees, and was excommunicated along with Döllinger, Johann Nepomuk Huber, Johann Friedrich,

Franz Heinrich Reusch Franz Heinrich Reusch (4 December 1825 – 3 March 1900) was an Old Catholic theologian. He was born at Brilon, in Westphalia, studied general literature at Paderborn, and theology at Bonn, Tübingen and Munich. The friend and pupil of Döl ...

Joseph Hubert Reinkens Joseph Hubert Reinkens (March 1, 1821 – January 4, 1896) was the first Germany, German Old Catholic Church, Old Catholic bishop. Biography He was born at Burtscheid (now part of Aachen) in the Rhine Province, the son of a gardener. In 1836, on ...

and others, for refusing to accept them. In 1878, in consequence of the permission given to priests to marry, Langen ceased to identify himself with the

movement, but was not reconciled with the Roman Catholic Church. His first work was an inquiry into the authorship of the ''Commentary on St Paul's Epistles and the Treatise on Biblical Questions'', ascribed to Saint Ambrose and

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...

respectively. In 1868 he published an ''Introduction to the New Testament''. He also published works on the ''Last Days of the Life of Jesus'', on ''Judaism in the Time of Christ'', on ''John of Damascus'' (1879) and an ''Examination of the Vatican Dogma in the Light of Patristic Exegesis of the New Testament''. But he is chiefly famous for his ''Geschichte der Römischen Kirche'' (''History of the Church of Rome to the Pontificate of Innocent III'') (4 vols, 1881–1893), a work of sound scholarship, based directly upon the authorities, the most important sources being woven carefully into the text. He also contributed largely to the ''internationale theologische Zeitschrift'', a review started in 1893 by the Old Catholics to promote the union of several National Churches on the basis of the councils of the Undivided Church, and admitting articles in German, French and English. Among other subjects, he wrote on the School of Hierotheus, on ''Romish falsifications of the Greek Fathers'', on

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 ...

, on Liberal

Ultramontanism Ultramontanism is a clerical political conception within the Catholic Church that places strong emphasis on the prerogatives and powers of the Pope. It contrasts with Gallicanism, the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by th ...

, on the ''Papal Teaching in regard to Morals'', on

Vincent of Lerins Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

and he carried on a controversy with Professor Willibald Beyschlag, of the German

Evangelical Church Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...

, on the respective merits of

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 ...

and

Old Catholicism The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches or Old Catholic movement designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the undivide ...

regarded as a basis for teaching the Christian faith. An attack of

apoplexy Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...

put an end to his teaching career and hastened his death. He died in Bonn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Langen, Joseph 1837 births 1901 deaths Clergy from Cologne German Old Catholic theologians 19th-century German theologians People excommunicated by the Catholic Church University of Bonn alumni Academic staff of the University of Bonn German male non-fiction writers 19th-century German writers 19th-century German male writers 20th-century German theologians 20th-century German writers