Province of Saxony
The Province of Saxony (german: link=no, Provinz Sachsen), also known as Prussian Saxony () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg.
It was formed by the merge ...
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Belgium) was a Catholic
Bishop of Paderborn
The Archdiocese of Paderborn is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany; its seat is Paderborn.Gymnasium at Heiligenstadt. He studied theology and Oriental languages for two years at Munich under
Ignaz von Döllinger
Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger (; 28 February 179914 January 1890), also Doellinger in English, was a German theologian, Catholic priest and church historian who rejected the dogma of papal infallibility. Among his writings which proved con ...
and
Joseph Franz von Allioli Joseph Franz von Allioli (10 August, 1793 at Sulzbach, Germany – 22 May, 1873 at Augsburg, Germany), was a Roman Catholic theologian and orientalist.
Allioli studied theology at Landshut and was ordained at Ratisbon in 1816. From 1818 t ...
, then went to Halle where the famous Gesenius taught, and thence to
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 ...
, where he passed the ''examen rigorosum'' for the degree of ''Doctor Theologiæ''. But he was compelled to leave Würzburg, and undergo the same examination 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 distr ...
,
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 ...
, because the Prussian ministry forbade studying at South German universities and did not recognize their degrees.Schlager, Patricius. "Konrad Martin." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 30 Sept. 2015
In 1835 he obtained in Münster the degree of D.D. Feeling an inclination towards academic teaching which the diocese of Paderborn was unable to satisfy, he entered the
archdiocese of Cologne
The Archdiocese of Cologne ( la, Archidioecesis Coloniensis; german: Erzbistum Köln) is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.
History
The Electorate of Cologn ...
, and as a student of the theological seminary was ordained priest in 1836. Immediately after this he was appointed rector of the "pro-gymnasium" at
Wipperfürth
310px, Map of the city
250px, Town hall
Wipperfürth () is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, about 40 km north-east of Cologne, and the oldest town in the Bergischen Land.
History
The eldest d ...
, and published, in Mainz, 1839, under the pseudonym Dr. Fridericus Lange, a sharp and forceful pamphlet against
Hermesianism
Georg Hermes (22 April 1775, Hörstel, Dreierwalde – 26 May 1831, Bonn) was a German Roman Catholic theology, theologian who advocated a rational approach to theology. During his lifetime, his theology was greatly in vogue in Germany, but declin ...
, written in classical Latin. The pamphlet created a sensation and caused Geissel, coadjutor of Cologne, to appoint him teacher of religion at the Marzellengymnasium at Cologne in the year 1840. In order to elevate the teaching of religion in the higher schools, he wrote a textbook of the Catholic religion, which appeared at
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
in 1843 in two volumes and went through fifteen editions. It was used as a textbook in all Prussian gymnasia and translated into Hungarian and French, but later on, 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 ...
'', it was suppressed by order of the Prussian minister of education.
Before the end of the same year he was invited by Bishop Dammers of Paderborn to become professor of dogmatic theology in the faculty of his home diocese, but Geissel requested him to remain in Cologne and made him extraordinary professor of theology 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 ...
, inspector of the local seminaries, and, with
Dieringer Dieringer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Alex Dieringer (born 1993), American wrestler
*Darel Dieringer (1926–1989), American stock car racing driver
*Franz Xaver Dieringer
Franz Xaver Dieringer was a Catholic theologian ...
, university preacher. In 1848 he became ordinary professor of moral theology and published, in 1850, the ''Lehrbuch der katholischen Moral'' which as early as 1865 had gone through five editions.
In 1856 he was elected Bishop of Paderborn, and consecrated by Cardinal Geissel on 17 August. He became one of the most illustrious bishops of Germany. It was his first care to train effective priests. He combined his annual confirmation journeys with detailed investigations. He founded, in 1857, at Heiligenstadt a second seminary for boys and introduced the general examination for priests. In connection with ideas he formed in 1860 during the provincial council at Cologne, he founded with his own money a theological school at
Paderborn
Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and ''Born'', an old German term for t ...
.
Bishop Martin was a supporter of
Pauline Mallinckrodt
Pauline Von Mallinckrodt (3 June 1817 - 30 April 1881) was a German Roman Catholic professed religious and the foundress of the Sisters of Christian Charity. Mallinckrodt was born into an aristocratic household as the daughter of a Lutheran fath ...
and instrumental in helping the
Sisters of Christian Charity
The Sisters of Christian Charity (S.C.C.), officially called Sisters of Christian Charity, Daughters of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception, is a Roman Catholic papal congregation of consecrated Religious Sisters. They were founded ...
Maria Theresia Bonzel
Maria Theresia Bonzel (17 September 1830 – 6 February 1905), born ''Regina Christine Wilhelmine Bonzel'', was a German religious sister. She was the founder of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Perpetual Adoration. By the time of her death, the co ...
to form a congregation to work with the poor. The Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in Olpe were approved by the Church on 20 July 1863.
Martin had the satisfaction of holding a
diocesan synod
In the Anglican Communion, the model of government is the 'Bishop in Synod', meaning that a diocese is governed by a bishop acting with the advice and consent of representatives of the clergy and laity of the diocese. In much of the Communion the b ...
at Paderborn in 1867, the first for two centuries; at this synod the resolutions passed at the Council of Cologne were adopted, although in slightly changed form. He established and enlarged the Bonifatius-Verein, of which he was president from 1859 until 1875, and through the assistance of which he was able to found about fifty new missionary posts in neglected districts. He addressed to the Protestants of Germany three friendly brochures entitled: "An episcopal message to the Protestants of Germany, especially to those of my own Diocese, regarding the points of controversy between us" (Paderborn, 1866); "Second Episcopal Message to the Protestants of Germany" (same year); and "Why is there still this gulf between the Churches? An open message to Germany's Catholics and Protestants" (Paderborn, 1869).
At the
First Vatican Council
The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This, the twentieth ecu ...
he was from the beginning a defendant of the infallibility of the papal office; with him originated the wording of the most important chapter of the final decision.
In 1874, because of his opposition to the
Falk Laws
The Falk Laws or May Laws (German: ''Maigesetze'') of 1873–1875 were legislative bills enacted in the German Kingdom of Prussia during the Kulturkampf conflict with the Catholic Church. They were named after Adalbert Falk, the Prussian Minist ...
, he was sentenced to imprisonment; in the following year he was relieved of his office, by order of the Minister of Worship, and incarcerated in the fortress of
Wesel
Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.
Geography
Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine.
Division of the city
Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...
. A few months later, however, he succeeded in escaping to the
Netherlands
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, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, but was expelled on the demand of the Prussian government. He found a refuge with the
Sisters of Christian Charity
The Sisters of Christian Charity (S.C.C.), officially called Sisters of Christian Charity, Daughters of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception, is a Roman Catholic papal congregation of consecrated Religious Sisters. They were founded ...
, who had been banished from Paderborn and who had settled in Mont St. Guibert. From there, as a centre, he governed his diocese through secret emissaries, laboured as pastor and teacher of religion, and wrote several works such as "Drei Jahre aus meinen Leben: 1874-1877" (Paderborn, 1877). Other writings were found among his papers after his death and published by his private secretary, Stamm, in seven volumes, 1882–1890.
He died in exile in Belgium on 16 July 1879. Upon his death, Mother Pauline had his body secretly moved across the border and accompanied it to Paderborn, where the bishop was buried with full solemn honors.
Along with another Catholic theologian, Sebastian Brunner, Martin authored an anti-Jewish tract entitled ''Blicke in's talmudische Judenthum'' (1848), which argued that Jews were a source of danger to Christian life. This work went on to have great influence in the antisemitic political agitation of the 1870s, during which Joseph Rebbert published a second edition of it: ''Blicke in’s talmudische Judenthum, nach den Forschungen von Dr. Konrad Martin'' (Paderborn: Bonifacius, 1876), which was employed for the purposes of political antisemitic propaganda.
References
Sources
*Stamm, ''Dr. Conrad Martin, ein bibliographischer Versuch'' (1892)
*____, ''Urkundensammlung zur Biographie'' (1892)
*____, ''Aus der Briefmappe Martins'' (Paderborn, 1902)