Gerhoh of Reichersberg
Encyclopedia
Gerhoh of Reichersberg was one of the most distinguished theologians of Germany in the twelfth century. He was provost
of Reichersberg and Canon Regular.
He studied at Freising
, Mosburg, and Hildesheim
. In 1119, Bishop Hermann of Augsburg called him as "scholasticus" to the cathedral school of that city; shortly afterwards, though still a deacon, he made him a canon of the cathedral. Gradually Gerhoh adopted a stricter ecclesiastical attitude, and eventually withdrew (1121) from the simoniacal
Bishop Hermann, and took refuge in the monastery of Raitenbuch
in the Diocese of Freising. After the Concordat of Worms
(1122) Bishop Hermann was reconciled with the legitimate pope, Callistus II, whereupon Gerhoh accompanied the bishop to the Lateran Council
of 1123. On his return from Rome
Gerhoh resigned his canonicate, and with his father and two half-brothers joined the Austin canons at Raitenbuch (1124).
Bishop Kuno of Ratisbon ordained him a priest in 1126, and gave him the parish of Cham
, which he later resigned under threats from Hohenstaufen
followers whom he had offended at the Synod of Würzburg in 1127. He returned to Ratisbon, and in 1132 Archbishop Conrad I of Salzburg appointed him provost of Reichersberg, to the spiritual and material advantage of that monastery. Archbishop Conrad sent him several times on special missions to Rome; in 1143 he also accompanied, together with Arnold of Brescia
, Cardinal Guido of Santa Maria in Porticu on his embassy to Bohemia
and Moravia
.
Eugene III (1145–53) held Gerhoh in high esteem; his relations with the successors of that pope were less pleasant. On the occasion of the disputed papal election in 1159
(Alexander III
and Victor IV) Gerhoh sided with Alexander III, but only after long hesitation; for this action the imperial party looked on him with hatred. For refusing to support the antipope, Archbishop Conrad was condemned to banishment in 1166, and the monastery of Reichersberg was repeatedly attacked; Gerhoh himself was forced to take refuge in flight, and died soon after his return to Reichersberg.
Gerhoh was a reformer in the spirit of the Gregorian
ideas. He aimed particularly, perhaps with excessive zeal, at the reform of the clergy; it seemed to him that this object could not be attained unless the community life were generally adopted.
His brother Arno of Reichersberg also made a reputation.
Furthermore,
His principal work he left unfinished, Commentarius in Psalmos (P.L., CXCIII, 619-1814; CXCIV, 1-1066); it offers much interesting material for contemporaneous history. This is particularly true of his commentary on Ps. lxiv, that appeared separately as Liber de corrupto Ecclesiæ statu ad Eugenium III Papam (P.L., CXCIV, 9-120); Sackur, 439-92).
There are also a number of polemical works and letters against the Christological errors of Abelard, Gilbert de la Porrée
, and Bishop Eberhard of Bamberg; others deal with the errors of Folmar, Provost of Triefenstein
, on the subject of the Holy Eucharist.
The genuineness of the Vitæ beatorum abbatum Formbacensium Berengeri et Wirntonis, O.S.B., generally ascribed to Gerhoh, is denied by Wattenbach. The Migne edition of Gerhoh's works is faulty and incomplete. Those of his writings which are of importance for the study of the history of that period were edited by Sackur in the Monumenta Germaniæ Historica: Libelli de lite imperatorum et pontificum, III (Hanover, 1897), 131-525; also by Scheibelberger, Gerhohi Opera adhuc inedita (Linz, 1875).
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
of Reichersberg and Canon Regular.
He studied at Freising
Freising
Freising is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district Freising. Total population 48,500.The city is located north of Munich at the Isar river, near the Munich International Airport...
, Mosburg, and Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
. In 1119, Bishop Hermann of Augsburg called him as "scholasticus" to the cathedral school of that city; shortly afterwards, though still a deacon, he made him a canon of the cathedral. Gradually Gerhoh adopted a stricter ecclesiastical attitude, and eventually withdrew (1121) from the simoniacal
Simony
Simony is the act of paying for sacraments and consequently for holy offices or for positions in the hierarchy of a church, named after Simon Magus , who appears in the Acts of the Apostles 8:9-24...
Bishop Hermann, and took refuge in the monastery of Raitenbuch
Raitenbuch
Raitenbuch is a municipality in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany....
in the Diocese of Freising. After the Concordat of Worms
Concordat of Worms
The Concordat of Worms, sometimes called the Pactum Calixtinum by papal historians, was an agreement between Pope Calixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V on September 23, 1122 near the city of Worms...
(1122) Bishop Hermann was reconciled with the legitimate pope, Callistus II, whereupon Gerhoh accompanied the bishop to the Lateran Council
First Council of the Lateran
The Council of 1123 is reckoned in the series of Ecumenical councils by the Catholic Church. It was convoked by Pope Calixtus II in December, 1122, immediately after the Concordat of Worms...
of 1123. On his return from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
Gerhoh resigned his canonicate, and with his father and two half-brothers joined the Austin canons at Raitenbuch (1124).
Bishop Kuno of Ratisbon ordained him a priest in 1126, and gave him the parish of Cham
Cham, Germany
Cham is the capital of the district of Cham in the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria in Germany.-Location:Cham lies within the Cham-Further lowland, which is bordered on the south by the Bavarian Forest and on the north by the Oberpfälzer Wald...
, which he later resigned under threats from Hohenstaufen
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
followers whom he had offended at the Synod of Würzburg in 1127. He returned to Ratisbon, and in 1132 Archbishop Conrad I of Salzburg appointed him provost of Reichersberg, to the spiritual and material advantage of that monastery. Archbishop Conrad sent him several times on special missions to Rome; in 1143 he also accompanied, together with Arnold of Brescia
Arnold of Brescia
Arnold of Brescia , also known as Arnaldus , was an Italian monk from Lombardy who called on the Church to renounce ownership of property and participated in the failed Commune of Rome. Eventually arrested, he was hanged by the Church, burned posthumously, and then had his ashes thrown into the...
, Cardinal Guido of Santa Maria in Porticu on his embassy to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
.
Eugene III (1145–53) held Gerhoh in high esteem; his relations with the successors of that pope were less pleasant. On the occasion of the disputed papal election in 1159
Papal election, 1159
The Papal election of 4–7 September 1159 followed the death of Pope Adrian IV. It resulted in a double election. A majority of the cardinals elected Cardinal Rolando of Siena as Pope Alexander III, but a minority refused to recognize him and elected their own candidate Ottaviano de Monticelli, who...
(Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
and Victor IV) Gerhoh sided with Alexander III, but only after long hesitation; for this action the imperial party looked on him with hatred. For refusing to support the antipope, Archbishop Conrad was condemned to banishment in 1166, and the monastery of Reichersberg was repeatedly attacked; Gerhoh himself was forced to take refuge in flight, and died soon after his return to Reichersberg.
Gerhoh was a reformer in the spirit of the Gregorian
Gregorian Reform
The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, circa 1050–80, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy...
ideas. He aimed particularly, perhaps with excessive zeal, at the reform of the clergy; it seemed to him that this object could not be attained unless the community life were generally adopted.
His brother Arno of Reichersberg also made a reputation.
Works
His reformist views, and his ecclesiastical policy are set forth in the following works:- De ædificio Dei seu de studio et cura disciplinæ ecclesiasticæ (P.L., CXCIV, 1187–1336; Ernst Sackur, 136-202)
- Tractatus adversus Simoniacos (P.L., 1335-1372; Sackur, 239-272; see also Jaksch in Mittheilungen des Instituts für österreichische Geschichtsforschung, VI [1885], 254-69)
- Liber epistolaris ad Innocentium II. Pont. Max. de eo quis distet inter clericos sæculares et regulares (P.L., CXCIV, 1375–1420; Sackur, 202-239)
- De novitatibus hujus sæculi ad Adrianum IV Papam (selections in Grisar and in Sackur, 288-304).
Furthermore,
- the important work written in 1162, De investigatione Anti-Christi libri III [selections in P.L., CXCIV, 1443–1480; see also Stülz in Archiv für österreichische Geschichte, XXII (1858), 127-188; selections in Scheibelberger, see below; book I complete in Sackur, 304-395]
- De schismate ad cardinales [Mühlbacher in Archiv für österreichische Geschichte, XLVII (1871), 355-382; Sackur, 399-411]
- his last work is the De quarta vigilia noctis [Oesterreichische Vierteljahresschrift für kath. Theologie X (1871), 565-606; Sackur, 503-525].
His principal work he left unfinished, Commentarius in Psalmos (P.L., CXCIII, 619-1814; CXCIV, 1-1066); it offers much interesting material for contemporaneous history. This is particularly true of his commentary on Ps. lxiv, that appeared separately as Liber de corrupto Ecclesiæ statu ad Eugenium III Papam (P.L., CXCIV, 9-120); Sackur, 439-92).
There are also a number of polemical works and letters against the Christological errors of Abelard, Gilbert de la Porrée
Gilbert de la Porrée
Gilbert de la Porrée , also known as Gilbert of Poitiers, Gilbertus Porretanus or Pictaviensis, was a scholastic logician and theologian.-Life:...
, and Bishop Eberhard of Bamberg; others deal with the errors of Folmar, Provost of Triefenstein
Triefenstein
Triefenstein is a market community in the Main-Spessart district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :Triefenstein lies in the Würzburg Region....
, on the subject of the Holy Eucharist.
The genuineness of the Vitæ beatorum abbatum Formbacensium Berengeri et Wirntonis, O.S.B., generally ascribed to Gerhoh, is denied by Wattenbach. The Migne edition of Gerhoh's works is faulty and incomplete. Those of his writings which are of importance for the study of the history of that period were edited by Sackur in the Monumenta Germaniæ Historica: Libelli de lite imperatorum et pontificum, III (Hanover, 1897), 131-525; also by Scheibelberger, Gerhohi Opera adhuc inedita (Linz, 1875).