Louis Duchesne

Louis Marie Olivier Duchesne (* September 13, 1843 in Saint- Servan in Saint- Malo ( Ille -et -Vilaine, Brittany ), † April 21, 1922 in Rome) was a French Catholic church historian.

Life

Duchesne came from a family of Breton fishermen and orphaned early. He first attended the Collège Saint -Brieuc, then entered the local seminary and was for a period of study in Rome (1863-1865) ordained a priest on 21 December 1867. Since 1871, he attended the École des Carmes in Paris, where she earned a licentiate in 1872. In parallel, he studied at the École pratique des hautes études Classics and Ancient Studies. 1874 to 1876 he was one of the first members of the École française de Rome, where he became interested in archeology and, among other trips to Mount Athos and Asia Minor took. He received his doctorate in 1877 at the University of Paris with a thesis on the Liber Pontificalis. Since 1877, he taught church history at the École des Carmes, which was renamed in 1880 in the Institut Catholique. In 1883 he moved there from the theological to the philosophical faculty, as results of his research were attacked by the Catholic side. Since 1885 he taught at the same time church history at the École pratique des hautes études and was working at a church as at a state university. From 1895 to 1922 he reached the pinnacle of his academic activity as director of the École française in Rome.

Scientific work

Duchesne primarily explored the history of the Church of the first centuries, and the origins of the Papal States. Of crucial importance is his first critical edition of the Liber Pontificalis, the early Papstviten. He turned the historical- critical method consistently for the Church 's history. To disseminate his method, he founded in 1880, the Bulletin de littérature critique d' histoire et de théologie.

In parts of the Catholic Church, his account of the early history of the Gallic and Roman Church was less pleased, also near he was accused of modernism, and his Histoire ancienne de l' so Église in 1911 was banned for use in church schools and indexed in 1912. Leading Protestant church historians such as Adolf von Harnack appreciate his work very much.

Honors

Duchesne received high honors and was a member of numerous scientific institutions. In 1888 he became a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres. Since 1891 he was a member as a corresponding member of the Philosophical- historical class of the Society of Sciences in Göttingen, since 1893 the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences, since 1901 as a full member of the Pontificia Accademia Romana di Archeological Museum. 1903 Louis Duchesne was appointed Commander of the Legion of Honour. He was also an honorary member of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies and member of the Academy of Turin.

In 1910 he received the highest academic distinction that has to forgive France, he was elected to the Académie française. To the election to the office of Cardinal François- Désiré Mathieu there was in 1909 a jump between Duchesne and the Bishop of Montpellier Anatole de cabrières whose only literary merit was a collection of pastoral letters. It ended in a draw and de cabrières was allegedly made ​​a cardinal by the Pope consolation. When re- ballot 1910 Duchesne then sat against another competitor, the Catholic historian and rector of the Institut Catholique Alfred Baudrillart through.

Writings (selection )

  • With Charles Bayet: Mémoire sur une mission au Mont Athos. Thorin, Paris 1876 ( full text ).
  • Les Sources du martyrologe hiéronymien. In: Mélanges d' histoire d' archéologie et 5, 1885, pp. 120-160 (full text).
  • With Giovanni Battista de Rossi: Martyrology Hieronymianum. ( = Acta Sanctorum Novembris. Tomi II pars prior), Société des Bollandistes, Brussels 1894.
  • Le Liber Pontificalis. Texts, introduction et commentaire. ( = Bibliothèque des Écoles Françaises d' Athènes et de Rome. Sér. 2, T. 3, 1-2). 2 vols. Thorin, Paris 1886-1892 (Full Text Vol 1), ( full text Vol. 2 ) ( emphasis de Boccard, Paris 1955). Vol 3: Le Liber Pontificalis. Additions et corrections de Mgr L. Duchesne, ed. Cyrille Vogel, de Boccard, Paris 1957.

Complete List of Publications in: Scripta minora. École française de Rome, Rome 1973, p IX -L.

Saint-Malo Saint-Brieuc Institut Catholique de Paris Fauteuil Integrated Authority File
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