Hubert Jedin
Encyclopedia
Hubert Jedin was a Catholic Church historian
from Germany
, whose publications specialized on the history of ecumenical councils in general and the Council of Trent
in particular, on which he published a 2400 page history over the years 1951-1975 .
as one of ten children and studied theology in Breslau, Munich
and Freiburg
. He was ordained in 1924. In 1927 he went to Rome where he completed a biography of Girolamo Seripando
. He returned to Germany in 1930, to teach Church History at the Catholic faculty of the University of Breslau. Because of his Jewish mother, he was defined half-Jewish by the National Socialists. They stripped him of all academic titles and prohibited him from working in public institutions in Germany. Jedin returned to Rome and worked there for the Görres Society. From 1936 until 1939, he worked for his diocese in Breslau. He returned to Rome after narrowly escaping deportation to the Concentration Camp at Buchenwald.
and was thus under the protection of Pope Pius XII
during the German occupation. He worked on a history of the Council of Trent
, which he published in the years 1951-1976. Jedin created the most comprehensive description of the Council in his History of the Council of Trent (Geschichte des Konzils von Trient with about 2400 pages in four volumes:
in 1948. Pope John XXIII
nominated him to assist in the preparation of the Second Vatican Council
in 1960. He continued to work for the council until it ended in 1965.
as a method. As a theologian, he was an enlightened conservative, critical of some of the implementations of Vatican Two.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
from 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...
, whose publications specialized on the history of ecumenical councils in general and the Council of Trent
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...
in particular, on which he published a 2400 page history over the years 1951-1975 .
Early years
He was born in SilesiaSilesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
as one of ten children and studied theology in Breslau, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and 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...
. He was ordained in 1924. In 1927 he went to Rome where he completed a biography of Girolamo Seripando
Girolamo Seripando
Girolamo Seripando was an Augustinian friar, Italian theologian and cardinal.- Life :He was of noble birth, and intended by his parents for the legal profession...
. He returned to Germany in 1930, to teach Church History at the Catholic faculty of the University of Breslau. Because of his Jewish mother, he was defined half-Jewish by the National Socialists. They stripped him of all academic titles and prohibited him from working in public institutions in Germany. Jedin returned to Rome and worked there for the Görres Society. From 1936 until 1939, he worked for his diocese in Breslau. He returned to Rome after narrowly escaping deportation to the Concentration Camp at Buchenwald.
History of the Council of Trent
In Rome, he lived at the Campo Santo in the VaticanVatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
and was thus under the protection of Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
during the German occupation. He worked on a history of the Council of Trent
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...
, which he published in the years 1951-1976. Jedin created the most comprehensive description of the Council in his History of the Council of Trent (Geschichte des Konzils von Trient with about 2400 pages in four volumes:
- The History of the Council of Trent: The Fight for a Council
- The History of the Council of Trent: The First Sessions in Trent 1545-1547
- The History of the Council of Trent: Sessions in Bologna 1547-1548 and Trent 1551-1552
- The History of the Council of Trent: Third Period and Conclusion
Vatican Two
After the war he was rehabilitated in Germany and accepted a professorship at the University of BonnUniversity of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
in 1948. Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
nominated him to assist in the preparation of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
in 1960. He continued to work for the council until it ended in 1965.
Publications
His work includes over seven-hundred titles, including forty books and 250 articles in journals. Jedin issued numerous publications on the council of Trent, which, in his view, determined the relation of Catholics and Protestants for centuries. He addressed issues of controversy, trying to give interpretations of ecumenical perspectives at that time. In addition, he oversaw the publication of a seven-volume Church History (1963-1979), an Atlas of Church History (1979), and the fundamental Lexikon Für Theologie und Kirche (1957-1975, Encyclopedia for Theology and the Church). As a historian, he leaned on historicismHistoricism
Historicism is a mode of thinking that assigns a central and basic significance to a specific context, such as historical period, geographical place and local culture. As such it is in contrast to individualist theories of knowledges such as empiricism and rationalism, which neglect the role of...
as a method. As a theologian, he was an enlightened conservative, critical of some of the implementations of Vatican Two.
About Hubert Jedin
- Lebensbericht. Mit einem Dokumentenanhang, hrsg. Konrad Repgen (= Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Zeitgeschichte, Mainz 1984, ISBN 3-7867-1086-4
- Heribert Smolinsky (Hrsg.): Die Erforschung der Kirchengeschichte. Leben, Werk und Bedeutung von Hubert Jedin (1900-1980) (= Katholisches Leben und Kirchenreform im Zeitalter der Glaubensspaltung, Bd. 61), Aschendorff, Münster 2001, ISBN 3-402-02982-0
Literature
- Hubert Jedin, Kleine Konziliengeschichte, Herder Freiburg, 1960
- Hubert Jedin, in Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon Band 3 (Jedin–Kleinschmidt), Herzberg 1992, ISBN 3-88309-035-2