Dieringer, Franz Xavier

Dieringer, Franz Xavier a Roman Catholic theologian of Germany, was born at Rangendingen, in Hohenzollern, August 22, 1811. In 1835 he was ordained priest, in 1840 was made professor of dogmatics at Speyer, in 1843 at Bonn, and in 1853 became a member of the chapter at Cologne. In 1856 he was spoken of as a candidate for the Paderborn bishopric, in 1864 for the Treves and in 1866 for the Cologne bishoprics; but his name was always erased from the list by the government as a "persona minus grata." When, in 1869, the perplexities of the Vatican council commenced, he belonged to those who regarded the declaration of the papal infallibility as non-opportune. When, finally, the infallibility of the pope was adopted by the council, he retired from his office, and died September 8, 1876, at Veringendorf, in Hohenzollern, leaving, System der gottlichen Thaten des Christenthums (Mayence, 1842, 2 volumes, 2d ed. 1857): — Kanzelvortrage an gebildete Katholiken (1844): — Leben des heiligen Karl Borrondus (Cologne, 1846): — Lehrbuch der Katholischen Dogmatik (Mayence, 1845; 5th ed. 1866): — Das Epistelbuch der Katholischen Kirche, theologisch erklart (ibid. 1863, 3 volumes): — Laienkatechismus uber Religion, Offenbarung und Kirche (ibid. 1855). (B.P.)