Franz Hettinger - Works

Works

He was a distinguished scholar and writer of wide culture. His Apologie des Christenthums, was published in 2 vols. in 5 parts (Freiburg im Br., 1863–67; 2nd ed., 1815–67; 3rd ed., 1867–69; 4th ed., 1871–73; 5th ed., 1875–80; 6th ed., 1885–87). After the death of Hettinger, his pupil, Professor Eugen Müller, of Strasburg, prepared the further editions in 5 vols.; 7th ed., 1895–98; 8th ed., 1899–1900; 9th ed., 1906-8. It was translated into French, English, Portuguese, and Spanish. This work was not intended for theologians alone, but also for circulation among people of culture generally. It is an important production of apologetic literature.

This was followed by the more strictly scientific "Lehrbuch der Fundamental-Theologie oder Apologetik" (2 parts, Freiburg, 1879; 2nd ed. in 1 vol., 1888). If we except the "Apologie des Christenthums", the work "Aus Welt und Kirche; Bilder und Skizzen" had the widest circulation of any of Hettinger's writings (2 vols., Freiburg, 1885; 2nd ed., 1887; 3rd ed., 1893; 4th ed., 1897; 5th ed., 1902). It was the fruit of time in Italy, and particularly Rome, and of his other vacation trips through various parts of Germany, Austria (especially Tyrol), Switzerland, and France. Some of the sketches of travel from which this work was compiled appeared first in various issues of the "Historisch-politische Blätter" (1874–84).

His study of Dante inspired the following productions:

• "Grundidee und Charakter der göttlichen Komödie von Dante Alighieri" (Bonn, 1876);
• "Die Theologie der göttlichen Komödie des Dante Alighieri in ihren Grundzügen dargestellt" (Cologne, 1879);
• "Die göttliche Komödie des Dante Alighieri nach ihrem wesentlichen Inhalt und Charakter dargestellt. Ein Beitrag zu deren Würdigung und Verständniss" (Freiburg, 1880; 2nd ed., 1889, tr. by Father Sebastian Bowden as "Dante's Divina Commedia, Its Scope and Value", London, 1887);
• "De theologiæ speculativæ ac mysticæ connubio in Dantis præsertim trilogiâ" (Würzburg, 1882);
• "Dante und Beatrice" (Frankfort, 1883);
• "Dantes Geistesgang" (Cologne, 1888).

To the domain of practical theology belong:

• "Aphorismen über Predigt und Prediger" (Freiburg, 1888; 2nd ed., edited by P. Hüls, 1907)
• "Timotheus. Briefe an einen jungen Theologen" (Freiburg, 1890; the following editions prepared by Albert Ehrhard: 2nd ed., 1897; 3rd ed., 1909; also tr. into Spanish and English, Freiburg, 1901 and 1902).

Lesser writings:

• "Das Priesterthum der katholischen Kirche. Primizpredigten" (Ratisbon, 1851; 2nd ed. edited by Eugen Müller, 1897);
• "Die kirchlichen und socialen Zustände von Paris" (Mainz, 1852);
• "Die Idee der geistlichen Uebungen nach dem Plane des hl. Ignatius von Loyola" (Ratisbon, 1853; 2nd ed. prepared by Rudolf Handmann, S.J., 1908);
• "Herr, den du liebst, der ist krank. Ein Kranken- und Trostbuch" (Würzburg, 1855, 3rd ed., 1878; 5th ed., 1904);
• "Die Liturgie der Kirche und die lateinische Sprache" (Würzburg, 1856);
• "Der Organismus der Universitätswissenschaften und die Stellung der Theologie in demselben" (rectoral discourse, Würzburg, 1862);
• "Die Kunst im Christenthum" (rectoral discourse, Würzburg, 1867);
• "Die kirchliche Vollgewalt des apostolischen Stuhles" (Freiburg, 1873; 2nd ed., 1887);
• "Der kleine Kempis, Brosamen aus den meist unbekannten Schriften des Thomas von Kempis" (Freiburg, 1874; 2nd ed., 1900);
• "David Friedrich Strauss. Ein Lebens- und Literaturbild" (Freiburg, 1875);
• "Thomas von Aquin und die europäische Civilisation" (Frankfort, 1880);
• "Die 'Krisis des Christenthums', Protestantismus und katholische Kirche" (Freiburg, 1881);
• "Dreifaches Lehramt. Gedächtnissrede auf Denzinger" (Freiburg, 1883).

Numerous treatises and some longer essays, which were partly preparations for his great works, were published by Hettinger in various reviews: "Katholische Wochenschrift" (Würzburg, 1853–56); "Katholik" (1860–62); "Chilianeum" (Würzburg, 1862–69); "Oesterreichische Vierteljahresschrift für katholische Theologie" (1865); "Historisch-politische Blätter" (1874–90); "Theologisch-praktische Quartalschrift" (Linz, 1881–87, 1889–90). "Gutachten der theologischen Facultät der k. Julius-Maximilians-Universität in Würzburg über fünf ihr vorgelegte Fragen das bevorstehende ökumenische Concil in Rom betreffend" (printed in "Chilianeum", New Series, Vol. II, 1869, pp. 258–307; and separately, Würzburg, 1870) was written jointly by Hettinger and Hergenröther, the former being the author of the parts concerning dogma, and the latter, of the historico-canonical matter.