University of Freiburg Faculty of Theology
Encyclopedia
The University of Freiburg Faculty of Theology is one of the constituent faculties of the University of Freiburg
located in Freiburg
, Baden-Württemberg
in Germany
. The Faculty of Theology was one of the four founding faculties of the university in 1457. A Roman-Catholic faculty, approximately 700 students are enrolled as candidates for priesthood, as graduate theologists for service in the church, or in order to achieve graduate teaching qualifications. The Faculty of Theology has been home to influential theologians such as Thomas Murner
, Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg
, the critic of Protestant Reformation
Johann Eck
. The most famous personality of the faculty is undoubtedly Desiderius Erasmus
, who was a member of the faculty from 1529 on, although he did not engage in teaching.
, the faculty remained Catholic during the Protestant Reformation.
Starting in 1620, the Society of Jesus
dominated life at the Faculty of Theology. The Jesuits provided most faculty and staff and built up their college and the University Church (Universitätskirche), which still stand today. The suppression of the Jesuit order in 1773 and the reforms introduced by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria
and her Son Joseph II
led to an extensive modernization and reorganization of the faculty.
Further changes were implement, when the Breisgau
was transferred from Further Austria to the newly founded Grand Duchy of Baden
, which were characterized by times of financial uncertainty until Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden
secured the continuous operation of the University of Freiburg with an annual contribution. With the founding of the Archdiocese of Freiburg
, the academic education of priests was performed by the Faculty of Theology. Following this, an expansion of the faculty with further differentiation of studies was undertaken. In the following years, various additional chairs were created at the faculty, including a chair for Christian archaeology
and art history
as well as chair for church law. The Faculty of Theology attracted renowned theologians throughout this time such as Johann Leonhard Hug
and Franz Xaver Kraus
.
During the Third Reich, three professors were forced to lay down their teaching privileges and retire and the faculty was briefly closed with the start of World War II
in 1939. In the decades after World War II, a number of influential thinkers such as Bernhard Welte, Alfons Deissler, and Anton Vögtle worked and taught in Freiburg, helping to further cement the faculty's stellar reputation. Due to its long history and rich tradition, the University of Freiburg Faculty of Theology is one of Germany's leading Roman-Catholic faculties today.
Members of the Faculty teach and engage in theological research in the various fields. Particular fields of interest at the Faculty of Theology include Christian archaeology and art
history, study of medieval theological sources, as well as Caritas Science and Christian social work.
, Daniel Ciobotea, Josef Frings, Georg Gänswein
, Romano Guardini
, Karl Lehmann, Franz Anton Staudenmaier
, and Robert Zollitsch
.
For a more complete list of notable alumni and faculty, see People associated with the University of Freiburg.
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
located in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
, Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The Faculty of Theology was one of the four founding faculties of the university in 1457. A Roman-Catholic faculty, approximately 700 students are enrolled as candidates for priesthood, as graduate theologists for service in the church, or in order to achieve graduate teaching qualifications. The Faculty of Theology has been home to influential theologians such as Thomas Murner
Thomas Murner
Thomas Murner was a German satirist, poet and translator.He was born at Oberehnheim near Strasbourg. In 1490 he entered the Franciscan order, and in 1495 began travelling, studying and then teaching and preaching in Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Paris, Kraków and Strasbourg itself...
, Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg
Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg
Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg , was a Swiss-born preacher, considered one of the greatest of the popular preachers of the 15th century.-Biography:...
, the critic of Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
Johann Eck
Johann Eck
Dr. Johann Maier von Eck was a German Scholastic theologian and defender of Catholicism during the Protestant Reformation. It was Eck who argued that the beliefs of Martin Luther and Jan Hus were similar.-Life:...
. The most famous personality of the faculty is undoubtedly Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
, who was a member of the faculty from 1529 on, although he did not engage in teaching.
History
The Faculty of Theology has existed since the founding of the University of Freiburg in 1457. As a university of Further AustriaFurther Austria
Further Austria or Anterior Austria was the collective name for the old possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, including territories in the Alsace region west of the Rhine and in Vorarlberg, after the focus of the Habsburgs had moved to the...
, the faculty remained Catholic during the Protestant Reformation.
Starting in 1620, the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
dominated life at the Faculty of Theology. The Jesuits provided most faculty and staff and built up their college and the University Church (Universitätskirche), which still stand today. The suppression of the Jesuit order in 1773 and the reforms introduced by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
and her Son Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
led to an extensive modernization and reorganization of the faculty.
Further changes were implement, when the Breisgau
Breisgau
Breisgau is the name of an area in southwest Germany, placed between the river Rhine and the foothills of the Black Forest around Freiburg im Breisgau in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, which partly consists of the Breisgau, is named after that area...
was transferred from Further Austria to the newly founded Grand Duchy of Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
, which were characterized by times of financial uncertainty until Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden
Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden
Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden became Grand Duke on December 8, 1818.He was the uncle of his predecessor Karl Ludwig Friedrich, and when he died the Zähringen line of the Baden house came to an end...
secured the continuous operation of the University of Freiburg with an annual contribution. With the founding of the Archdiocese of Freiburg
Archdiocese of Freiburg
The Archdiocese of Freiburg im Breisgau is a Roman Catholic diocese in Baden-Württemberg comprising the former states of Baden and Hohenzollern...
, the academic education of priests was performed by the Faculty of Theology. Following this, an expansion of the faculty with further differentiation of studies was undertaken. In the following years, various additional chairs were created at the faculty, including a chair for Christian archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
as well as chair for church law. The Faculty of Theology attracted renowned theologians throughout this time such as Johann Leonhard Hug
Johann Leonhard Hug
Johann Leonhard Hug , was a German Roman Catholic theologian.-Life:In 1783 he entered the University of Freiburg, where he became a pupil in the seminary for the training of priests, and soon distinguished himself in classical and Oriental philology as well as in biblical exegesis and criticism...
and Franz Xaver Kraus
Franz Xaver Kraus
Franz Xaver Kraus was a German Catholic priest, and ecclesiastical and art historian.-Early life:Franz Xaver Kraus was born in Trier in 1840...
.
During the Third Reich, three professors were forced to lay down their teaching privileges and retire and the faculty was briefly closed with the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939. In the decades after World War II, a number of influential thinkers such as Bernhard Welte, Alfons Deissler, and Anton Vögtle worked and taught in Freiburg, helping to further cement the faculty's stellar reputation. Due to its long history and rich tradition, the University of Freiburg Faculty of Theology is one of Germany's leading Roman-Catholic faculties today.
Organization
The faculty is subdivided into- the Institute of Biblical and Historical Theology
- the Institute of Systematic Theology
- the Institute of Practical Theology.
Members of the Faculty teach and engage in theological research in the various fields. Particular fields of interest at the Faculty of Theology include Christian archaeology and art
history, study of medieval theological sources, as well as Caritas Science and Christian social work.
Degree programs
Degree programs offered at the University of Freiburg Faculty of Theology include among others Caritas science and Christian social science, Christian archaeology and art history, and Catholic theology. The faculty also operates a new graduate school Theology and Religious Studies under the roof of the University of Freiburg's International Graduate Academy.Famous alumni and faculty
The Faculty of Theology has a long list of renowned alumni, among them Desiderius ErasmusDesiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
, Daniel Ciobotea, Josef Frings, Georg Gänswein
Georg Gänswein
Georg Gänswein is a German Priest of the Roman Catholic Church, and the personal secretary of Pope Benedict XVI...
, Romano Guardini
Romano Guardini
Romano Guardini was a Catholic priest, author, and academic. He was one of the most important figures in Catholic intellectual life in 20th-century.- Life and work:...
, Karl Lehmann, Franz Anton Staudenmaier
Franz Anton Staudenmaier
Franz Anton Staudenmaier was a Catholic theologian.Born at Donzdorf, Württemberg, he was a pupil at the Latin school of Gmünd between 1815 and 1818 and at the Gymnasium at Ellwangen from 1818 to 1822...
, and Robert Zollitsch
Robert Zollitsch
Robert Zollitsch is a German prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau and Chairman of the German Episcopal Conference.-Life and work:...
.
For a more complete list of notable alumni and faculty, see People associated with the University of Freiburg.