Huber, Johann Nepomuk

Huber, Johann Nepomuk a Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher of Germany, was born August 18, 1830, at Mufuch, where he also studied theology and philosophy. In 1859 he was appointed professor in extraordinary and in 1864 ordinary professor of philosophy and psdagogics. His first important theological work, Philosophie der Kirchenvdter (Munich, 1859), was placed on the Index, and as he did not recant, and occasionally spoke for. the right of free investigation, the ultramontane party prevented his influence among the students of theology. He now betook himself to speak and to write against ultramontanism. The famous work against infallibility, Janus, der Papst und der Concil (Leipsic, 1869), Engl. transl. Janus, the Pope and the Council (Boston, 1869), is as much his work as that of Doi.inger. Under the name of Quirinus, he published, from 1869, in the Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, bis Romische Briefe vom Concil. Against Hergenrother's Antijanus, he wrote Das Papstthum und der Staat. The most important work of this period is his Darstellung des Jesuite nordens nach sein er erfssung und Doctrin, Wilrksankeit u. Geschichte (Berlin, 1873). He also defended the principles of Christianity against materialism and the destructive tendencies related to it. Thus he wrote in 1870 a criticism on Darwin's theory, and in 1875 against Hickel, in his Zur Kritik nmoderner Schopfungslehren. The Alte und Neue Glube of Strauss found in him a severe philosophical critic in 1873, as did Hartmann the philosopher, Des Unbewussten, against whom he wrote Die religiose Frage (1875), and Der Pessimsismus (1876). Huber died March 19, 1879, at Munich, to the great sorrow of the Old Catholics, whose most gifted leader he'was. Besides the writings already mentioned, he published, Die cartesischesn Beweise voin Dasein Gottes (Augsburg, 1854): — Johannes Scotus Erigena (Munich, 1861). See Zuchold, Bibl. Theol. 1:590: Lichtenberger, Enscyclop. des Sciences Religienses, s.v.; Zierngiebl, Johannes Huber (Gotha, 1881). (B.P.)