Protest and schism in nineteenth-century German Catholicism: the Ronge–Czerski movement, 1844–5

Wayne Detzler

doi:10.1017/S0424208400005945

Protest and schism in nineteenth-century German Catholicism: the Ronge–Czerski movement, 1844–5

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 March 2016

Wayne Detzler

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Wayne Detzler*: Affiliation:
Moorlands Bible College

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From the seclusion of Upper Silesia a suspended priest published his protest against the powerful bishop Wilhelm Arnoldi of Trier. The peasants’ poverty was compounded by exploitation. Virgins were robbed of their purity. The superstitions of the common folk were fanned into flames of fanaticism. Guilty alone for this massive oppression was bishop Wilhelm Arnoldi of Trier. As defender of the oppressed, the priest Johannes Ronge emerged, who had been exiled to the Silesian mining hamlet of Laurahuette a scant six months before.

The occasion of Ronge’s open letter was the display of Christ’s seamless robe at Trier in the autumn of 1844. Thrice previously the sacred garment had been shown for the edification of the faithful. In 1585 it was put on display to prompt giving toward the restoration of the churches of Trier. After the Thirty Years War, in 1651, the robe was again presented to the public eye. Having been returned to Trier from the safety of Augsburg following the Napoleonic threat, the tattered relic was again exposed to the view of Catholics in 1810.

Type: Research Article
Information: Studies in Church History , Volume 9: Schism, Heresy and Religious Protest , 1972 , pp. 341 - 349

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0424208400005945 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Ecclesiastical History Society 1972

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^{page no 341 note 1} Ronge, Johannes, Offenes Sendschreiben an den Herm Wilhelm Arnoldi, Bischof zu Trier (Laurahuette 1844)Google Scholar. Within two months 12,000 copies of Ronge’s letter had been circulated, and 50,000 copies were printed in all.

^{page no 341 note 2} Schmid, [Heinrich], Geschichte der Katholischen Kirche [Deutschlands von der Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts bis in die Gegenwart] (Muenchen 1874) p 611 Google Scholar.

^{page no 341 note 3} The Hermesian party in the Roman Catholic Church of Germany was named after professor Georg Hermes of Muenster who attempted to reconcile catholic theology with Kant. Some of Hermes’s writings were placed on the Index by pope Gregory XVI in 1835. The ultramontanists sought to defend the Church of Rome against the two– headed monster of Hermesianism and nationalism.

^{page no 342 note 1} Schmid, Geschichte der Katholischen Kirche, p 610.

^{page no 342 note 2} Ibid p 628.

^{page no 342 note 3} Brueck, Heinrich, Geschichte der Katholischen Kirche in Deutschland im neunzehnten Jahrhundert (Mainz 1889) II, p 516 Google Scholar.

^{page no 342 note 4} Schmid, Geschichte der Katholischen Kirche, p 612.

^{page no 342 note 5} Ibid p 614.

^{page no 342 note 6} Ibid p 615.

^{page no 343 note 1} Ronge, Johannes, The Autobiography and Justification of Johannes Ronge (the German Reformer), translated from the 5th edition by Lord, John (London 1846) p 4 Google Scholar.

^{page no 343 note 2} Ibid pp 27-32.

^{page no 343 note 3} Ibid pp 28-9.

^{page no 343 note 4} Ibid p 55.

^{page no 344 note 1} Ronge, Johannes, An Meine Glaugensgenossen und Mitbuerger (Altenburg 1845) pp 4, 6-9Google Scholar.

^{page no 344 note 2} Die Wunder zu Trier oder Arnoldi und Ronge, ein Wort der Belehrung und Warnung fuer das deutsche Volk (Dortmund 1845) p II.

^{page no 344 note 3} Schuselka, Franz, Ronge in Weimar den 14., 15. und 16. November 1845 (Weimar 1845) p ix Google Scholar.

^{page no 344 note 4} Heinrich Schmid, Geschichte der Katholischen Kirche, p 627.

^{page no 344 note 5} Heinrich, Joseph, Sendschreiben an Johannes Ronge zur Widerlegung (Breslau 1844) p 4 Google Scholar.

^{page no 344 note 6} Moritz, Mauritius, Die Verehrung heiliger Reliquien und Bilder, und das Wallfahrten nach der Lehre der Katholischen Kirche (2 ed, Aschaffenburg 1845) p 24 Google Scholar.

^{page no 345 note 1} Lucilius Lucianus, Christold, Nothwendige und gruendliche Verteidigung des Hochwuerdigen Bischofs Arnoldi zu Trier wegen der ihm zum Vorwurfe gemachten Ausstellung des heiligen Rockes (2 ed, Leipzig 1845)Google Scholar.

^{page no 345 note 2} Witte, Johann Heinrich Friedrich Karl, Der Heilige Rock, Ronge und Czerski (Breslau 1845) pp 18, 20-1 Google Scholar.

^{page no 345 note 3} Offenes Glaubensbekenntnis der christlich-katholischen Gemeinde zu Schneidemuehl, in ihren Unterscheidungslehren von der roemisch-katholischen Kirche, das heisst Hierarchie (Berlin 1845) pp 3, 7-17.

^{page no 346 note 1} Czerski, R. Johann, des Stifters der ersten christlich-katholischen Gemeinde zu Schneidemuehl, Leben und Wirken (Jena 1845) pp 5–8, 9, 11-13Google Scholar.

^{page no 346 note 2} Czerski, J., Religious Movement in Germany, and Extensive Secession from Popery. Justification of my Secession from the Roman State Church. A Public Letter to All who Can and Will Hear, See, and Examine (London 1845) p 21 Google Scholar.

^{page no 346 note 3} Johann, Czerski, Stifter der neuen Gemeinschaft, dargestellt nach seinem eigenen Bekenntnis (Magdeburg 1845) p 10 Google Scholar.

^{page no 347 note 1} Bertholdi, H., Das Schneidemuehler Glaubensbekenntnis und roemischer Gegner in Posen (Danzig 1845) pp 9–10 Google Scholar.

^{page no 347 note 2} Ronge und Czerski zur Kirchenversammlung in Leipzig (2 ed, Leipzig 1845) p 8.

^{page no 347 note 3} Die deutsch-katholischen Deputirten in Halle. Ein Gedenkblatt an die Feier vom 27. Maerz 1845, den zu Leipzig Concil entsandten deutsch-katholischen Deputirten zu Ehren in Halle veranstaltet und Adresse an Saemmtliche freie katholische Gemeinden und Katholiken Deutschlands (Halle 1845) pp 4-5.

^{page no 347 note 4} The Times, 19 December 1845.

^{page no 347 note 5} Die Verhandlungen ueber die Deutsch-Katholiken in der gegenwaertigen Standesversammlung Sachsens (Leipzig 1846) Appendix.

^{page no 348 note 1} Schmid, Geschichte der Katholischen Kirche, p 639 n.

^{page no 348 note 2} Ibid p 652.

^{page no 348 note 3} Cheetham, Samuel, A History of the Christian Church since the Reformation (London 1907) p 422 Google Scholar.

^{page no 348 note 4} d’Aubigne, J. H. Merle, Germany, England, and Scotland; or. Recollections of a Swiss Minister (London 1848) p 57 Google Scholar.

^{page no 348 note 5} Eiliges Sendschreiben an die geehrten Mitglieder der neukatholischen Kirche in Deutschland (Magdeburg 1846) p 9.

^{page no 349 note 1} Kampe, Friedrich Ferdinand, Das Wesen des Deutschkatholicismus mit besonderer Ruecksicht auf sein Verhaeltnis zur Politik (Tuebingen 1850) p 320 Google Scholar.

^{page no 349 note 2} Friedrich, Heyer, The Catholic Church from 1648 to 1870, translated by Shaw, D. W. D. (London 1969) pp 149-50Google Scholar.

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Protest and schism in nineteenth-century German Catholicism: the Ronge–Czerski movement, 1844–5

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