Peter Joseph Elvenich (29 January 1796 – 16 June 1886) was a German Catholic theologian 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 ...

born in Embken, a village that today is part of

Nideggen Nideggen () is a town in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the river Rur, in the Eifel hills, approx. 15 km south of Düren. Nideggen is known for its ruined, but partly restored cas ...

, North Rhine-Westphalia. He was a principal supporter and defender of Hermesianism, a theological belief system based on the teachings of

Georg Hermes Georg Hermes (22 April 1775, Dreierwalde – 26 May 1831, Bonn) was a German Roman Catholic theologian who advocated a rational approach to theology. During his lifetime, his theology was greatly in vogue in Germany, but declined after the posthu ...

(1775–1831). He studied theology and philosophy in Münster and Bonn, and in 1821 became a schoolteacher in

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

. During the following year he became a lecturer at the University of Bonn, where in 1826 he became an associate professor of philosophy. In 1829 he attained a full professorship at the University of Breslau, where in 1837 he took on additional duties as librarian. Following the papal decrees of 26 September 1835 and 7 January 1836, of which Pope Gregory XVI condemned writings issued by Georg Hermes, Elvenich, along with Johann Wilhelm Joseph Braun (1801–1863), traveled to Rome in order to the convince the Pope to revise the decrees of condemnation. Their efforts were in vain, and several years later the condemnation was reiterated by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

.A history of Christian doctrines, Volume 3
by Karl Rudolf Hagenbach In 1843 Elvenich was removed from his post in Breslau at the request of Johannes von Geissel, coadjutor to the

Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...

. After the Vatican Council of 1870, he became a member of the Old Catholic Church.

Selected publications

* ''Verteidigungsschrift in 2 Lieferungen'', (Breslau 1839) * ''Der Hermesianismus und Johannes Perrone, sein römischer Gegner'' (Hermesianism and Giovanni Perrone, etc.), (part 1 Breslau 1844) * ''Aktenstücke zur geheimen Geschichte des Hermesianismus'' (Documents on the secret history of Hermesianism), (Breslau 1845) * ''Pius IX..., die Hermesianer und der Erzbischof Johannes von Geissel'' (Pius IX... Hermesianism and Archbishop Johannes von Geissel (Breslau 1848) * ''Die Wesenheit des Geistes'' (The entity of the spirit), (Breslau 1857) * ''Drei gegen Einen in der Reinkensschen Angelegenheit unter dem Namen Sincerus Pacificus'', Breslau 1862) * ''Beiträge aus der Provinz in der Baltzerschen Angelegenheit unter dem Namen Mich. Schlichting'', (Breslau 1864) * ''Die Beweise für das Dasein Gottes nach Cartesius'' (The evidence for the existence of God after René Descartes), (Breslau 1868) * ''Der unfehlbare Papst'' and ''Der Papst und die Wissenschaft'' ("The infallible Pope", and "The Pope and science"), 1870

Notes

References

* Parts of this article are based on a translation of an equivalent article at the

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, including: Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz: ELVENICH, Peter Josef. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Band 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2., unveränderte Auflage Hamm 1990, , Sp. 1504. {{DEFAULTSORT:Elvenich, Peter Joseph 1796 births 1886 deaths People from Düren (district) 19th-century German Catholic theologians German philosophers German Old Catholics Former Roman Catholics University of Breslau faculty University of Bonn faculty 19th-century German male writers German male non-fiction writers