A history of the Catholic Church after the French Revolution through the story of the 'Döllinger affair'. Ignaz von Döllinger (1799-1890), was a leading critic of Pope Pius IX and in particular the doctrine of Papal Infallibility defined during the First Vatican Council.
The Pope and the Professor tells the captivating story of the German Catholic theologian and historian Ignaz von Dollinger (1799-1890), who fiercely opposed the teaching of Papal Infallibility at the time of the First Vatican Council (1869-70), convened by Pope Pius IX (r. 1846-1878), among the most controversial popes in the history of the papacy. Dollinger's thought, his opposition to the Council, his high-profile excommunication in 1871, and the international sensation that this action caused offer a fascinating window into the intellectual and religious history of the nineteenth century. Thomas Albert Howard examines Dollinger's post-conciliar activities, including pioneering work in ecumenism and inspiring the "Old Catholic" movement in Central Europe. Set against the backdrop of Italian and German national unification, and the rise of anticlericalism and ultramontanism after the French Revolution, The Pope and the Professor is at once an endeavor of historical and theological inquiry. It provides nuanced historical contextualization of the events, topics, and personalities, while also raising abiding questions about the often fraught relationship between individual conscience and scholarly credentials, on the one hand, and church authority and tradition, on the other.
In this compelling and beautifully-written book, Howard traces the life and work of the great church historian Ignaz von Döllinger against the backdrop of European history. It is far more than a simple biography of one of the leading opponents of the First Vatican Council: it is also a brilliant account of the interaction of politics, church, and theology in a period of unprecedented change. Howard has drawn on a wide range of sources to produce a masterly introduction to nineteenth-century Catholicism.
