Goerres, Johann Josef von

GOERRES, gbr-r6s', JOHANN JOSEF VON: German Roman Catholic; b. in Coblenz Jan. 25, 1776; d. in Munich Jan. 27, 1848. As a youth he welcomed with great enthusiasm the revolutionary movement when it began to invade Germany from France, and advocated the same by word and pen. But when in Paris at the close of 1799 he found opportunity to observe the republic at close hand, he was so- bered and turned his back on political

Early Life. life. The years 1800-06 he spent Political quietly as a teacher at Coblenz, occu-

Activity. pied with studies in physical science,

after which he spent two years at Heidelberg, where he became interested in Old German literature, and published, as first fruits of his Germanic studies, Die deutschen Volksbücher (Heidelberg, 1807). The last fruit of his Germanic studies was the Altdeutsche Volks- and Meisterlieder aus den Handschriften der Heidelberger Bibliothek (1813). By these achievements Görres' name is honorably connected with the beginnings of Germanic specialization. His Mythengeschichte der asiatischen Welt (2 vols., Heidelberg, 1810) was a product of the effort of Romanticism to unite religion and poetry.

The wars of liberation led Görres back into political life. He created an organ for himself in his journal, the Rheinischer Merkur, and wielded a potent influence by reason of his vigorous language, the keenness of his political judgment, and his patriotic attitude against Napoleon. But when, after Napoleon's defeat, he also directed his criticism against the home government and courageously opposed the incipient reaction, he became objectionable; on the publication of his Deutschland und die Revolution (Coblenz, 1820; Eng. transl., Germany and the Revolution, London, 1820), a warrant of arrest was even issued against him, but he fled to Strasburg. He still issued political writings (1821 and 1822). But the center of gravity of his interests became shifted; he entertained a different philosophy in regard to affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church, and the political writer became a church writer. This transition found practical expression when he joined the staff of the review Der Katholik.

In 1827 Görres was called by King Louis I. of Bavaria to the University of Munich, and there at last he found the environment in which his individuality could fully unfold itself. An imposing group of notable personalities flourished in harmony at that time in Munich (Döllinger, Lasaulx, Ringseia,

Möhler, Phillips and others), connected Professor with the review Eos. Besides his suc- in Munich. cessful activity as teacher, Görres found time for thoroughgoing scientific works, the chief of which, Die christliche Mystik,

appeared in four volumes, from 1836 to 1842,

and fortunately escaped being placed on the Index; for at that time the Cologne controversy broke out (see Droste-Vischering), which straightway called Görres into the arena, and incited him to what was perhaps his most important, at any rate his most effectual, piece of writing, his Athanasius (Regensburg, 1837), wherein he brilliantly championed the archbishop of Cologne. As the Roman Catholic Church in Prussia emerged victorious from this conflict, Görres prompted the establishment of the still current Historischrpolitische Blotter. When Bishop Arnoldi of Treves aroused no small sensation by display of the seamless robe of Christ (see Holy Coat), and was sharply attacked in the matter, it was Görres, again, who undertook the literary vindication of that procedure. He was ennobled in 1829.

Görres proved himself a decided personality in very different situations, and made a name for himself through his versatile literary activity. He exhibited his principal talent as a political, writer; for strictly scientific research was not his province, and he was wanting in critical perception. It is significant in relation to his ecclesiastical position that both the later Ultramontane cause and the Old Catholic party appealed to his support, and could make that appeal consistently; since in his case there were points of contact with both these tendencies. He was neither an Ultramontane nor an Old Catholic, but an exponent of that moderate Catholicism which in conjunction with the after-effects of the rationalistic period had blunted the edge of earlier acerbities. Nor was it until after the Cologne dispute that the distinctively Roman phases of Görres manifested themselves the more conspicuously.

Carl Mirbt.

In honor of Görres, the Görres-Gesellschaft ("Görres Society") was founded on the centennial anniversary of his birth, 1876, to promote scholarship in Roman Catholic Germany. It has issued an annual Historisches Jahrbuch since 1880 and Philosophisches Jahrbuch since 1888, Quellen and Forschungen aus dem Gebiet der Geschichte (11 vols., 1892-1906), and a Staatslexicon (2d ed., 5 vols., 1900-04), besides occasional publications. Prizes are offered to encourage investigation. The headquarters are in Bonn. Consult H. Cardanus, Die Görres-Gesellschaft, 1876-1901 (Cologne, 1901).

Bibliography: The collected writings and letters were published by Marie Görres and F. Binder, 9 vols., Munich, 1854-74. Consult: J. Galland, Josef van Görres, Freiburg, 1878; ADB, ix. 378-389; J. Friedrich. Ignax con DbUinger, vol. i., Munich, 1899; P. von Hoenebroeeh, Das PapaMum in seiner soaiabkudturellen Wirkeamkei4 i. 235 sqq., Leipsic, 1901; H. Brück, Geschichte der deuteden katholischen Kirche im 19. Jahrhundert, vol. ii. Munich, 1903.