Goswin Nickel (1582 - 31 July 1664) was a German Jesuit priest and the tenth

Superior-General of the Society of Jesus The superior general of the Society of Jesus is the leader of the Society of Jesus, the Catholic religious order also known as the Jesuits. He is generally addressed as Father General. The position sometimes carries the nickname of the Black Po ...

Goswin was born in Koslar, North-Westphalia (Germany). He studied in Paderborn and

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 ...

(1611–1615), where he was promoted priest on 28 October 1614. He was elected Superior-General less than a week after the death of his predecessor

Aloysius Gottifredi Aloysius (Alessandro Luigi) Gottifredi (3 May 1595 – 12 March 1652) was an Italian Jesuit, elected the ninth Superior-General of the Society of Jesus. His term of less than two months is the shortest of anyone to hold the office. Father Gottif ...

, on 17 March 1652. During these years the quarrels with the Jansenist theologians were growing more and more acrimonious, especially in France where

Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal ( , , ; ; 19 June 1623 – 19 August 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic Church, Catholic writer. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. Pa ...

, French scientist, philosopher and Jansenist sympathizer was leading the attack on the Jesuits. The great controversy on the Chinese Rites (1645) continued. Owing to his great age, Father Nickel obtained from the 11th General Congregation the election of

Gian Paolo Oliva Giovanni Paolo Oliva (4 October 1600 – 26 November 1681) was the eleventh Superior General of the Society of Jesus. Biography Oliva was born at Genoa in 1600, and in 1616 he entered the Society of Jesus. A famous pulpit orator, he was an Apos ...

as vicar-general with right of succession (on 7 June 1661). This was approved by

Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII ( it, Alessandro VII; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, an ...

. The

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

novelist

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...

mentions Nickel in his famous book ''

The Magic Mountain ''The Magic Mountain'' (german: Der Zauberberg, links=no, ) is a novel by Thomas Mann, first published in German in November 1924. It is widely considered to be one of the most influential works of twentieth-century German literature. Mann st ...

'', bringing up a relatively forgotten quote by the Superior-General about love for one's fatherland, which Nickel called "a plague with the most certain death of

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

love". This notion of Nickel's has already been touched on in the Finnish philosopher Edward Westermark's book '' The Origin and Development of Moral Ideas'', back in 1917. Nickel died in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Nickel 1582 births 1664 deaths 16th-century German people 17th-century German Jesuits 17th-century German theologians People from Jülich Superiors General of the Society of Jesus 17th-century German writers 17th-century German male writers