Karl Johann Greith

Carl Johann Greith (also Karl John) ( born May 25, 1807 in Rapperswil, † May 17, 1882 in St. Gallen) was a Catholic priest, philosophy professor, theology and church historian and bishop of St. Gallen.

Life

Greith studied Catholic theology, philosophy and history of science at the secondary school in Lucerne and then in Munich. There he completed his acquaintance with Joseph Gorres. In 1829 he went to Paris, especially to learn librarianship. There, however, he decided to pursue the priestly career and entered the Seminary of St. Sulpice.

After his ordination in 1831, he worked in St. Gallen as Bibliotheksadjunkt, then as chancellor of the seminary. Greith ibid. was also a professor of church history, but was deposed in 1834 by the government to be an ardent defender of Catholic positions and then conducted research commissioned by the British government for three years in Rome, where he sighted mainly documents to British history. In 1837 he took a pastorate in Mörschwil on, two years later in St. Gallen, where he was in 1847 Domdekan and episcopal prosecuted ex officio. From 1837 to 1853 was Greith Member of the Grand Council, and again a leader of the conservative Catholic movement in the culture war. In 1849 he became Professor of Philosophy. In 1862 he was elected bishop of St. Gallen, 1863 then a bishop. On the first Vatican 's friend Ignaz von Dollinger Greith 1871 argued contrary, be given the dogma of infallibility under the present conditions. However, he accepted the dogma Dollinger and also tried to convince them, although it only in 1873 this dogma proclaimed in his diocese.

Work

Greith is known for its church political commitment, but also for its churches and theological studies as well as its relative historical rejection of the scholastic tradition against modern philosophers such as Descartes or Leibniz.

Among his writings:

• Spicilegium Vatican. Contributions to the knowledge of the Vatican library approach for German poetry of the Middle Ages, Frauenfeld 1838.
• Catholic Apologetics in sermons about Catholic truths of faith against the heresies ancient and modern times for priests and lay people, 3 volumes, Schaffhausen 1847-52.
• With Georg Ulber OSB: Handbook of Philosophy for school and life, Freiburg / Breisgau 1853-57.
• The German mysticism in the Order of Preachers (from 1250 to 1350 ) according to their basic teachings, songs, and images of life from manuscript sources, Freiburg / Breisgau, 1861. Digitized in the Google Book Search, digitized in the Google Book Search, digitized in the Google Book Search.
• The Gallus Ye Saints, St. Gallen, 1864.
• The holy Glauensboten Columban and Gall, St. Gallen, 1865.
• History of the Old Irish Church and its connection with Rome, Gaul, and Alemannia, 430-630, as an introduction to the history of the Foundation of St. Gallen. After handwritten and printed source texts, Freiburg / Breisgau in 1867.