Folio 437

Gregory XVI, 1831–1846

printed p. 405 · pdf p. 437

truth must be sought outside of the Catholic Church in which truth itself is found far from even the slightest defilement of error, and which therefore, is called and is “the pillar and ground of the truth” [I Tim. 3:15]. But you well understand, Venerable Brothers, that We are here speaking in open disapproval of that false system of philosophy, not so long ago introduced, by which, because of an extended and unbridled desire of novelty, truth is not sought where it truly resides, and, with a disregard for the holy and apostolic traditions, other vain, futile, uncertain doctrines, not approved by the Church are accepted as true, on which very vain men mistakenly think that truth itself is supported and sustained.

Condemnation of the Works of George Hermes 1

[From the Brief “Dum acerbissimas,” Sept. 26, 1835]

1618. To increase the anxieties by which we are overwhelmed day and night because of this (namely, persecutions of the Church), the following calamitous and highly lamentable circumstance is added: Among those who strive in behalf of religion by published works some dare to intrude themselves insincerely, who likewise wish to seem and who show that they are fighting on behalf of the same religion, in order that, though retaining the appearance of religion yet despising the truth, they can the more easily seduce and pervert the incautious “by philosophy” or by their false philosophic treatises “and vain deceit” [Col. 2:8], and hence deceive the people and extend helping hands more confidently to the enemies who openly rage against it (religion). Therefore, when the impious and insidious labors of any one of these writers have become known to us, we have not delayed by means of our encyclicals and other Apostolic letters to denounce their cunning and depraved plans, and to condemn their errors, and, at the same time, to expose the deadly deceits by which they very cunningly endeavor to overthrow completely the divine constitution of the Church and ecclesiastical discipline, nay, even the whole public order itself. Indeed, it has been proved by a very sad

  1. RSkRP IV 150 ff.; A Col 227 ff.—George Hermes, born April 22, 1775, in the village of Dreierwalde on the Rhine in Westphalia, was professor of theology at Münster in 1807, at Bonn in 1820, where on May 26, 1831, he died.—In this Brief are condemned Part 1 (philosophical) and Part 2 (theological) of the “Introduction in Theologiam Christiano-Catholicam” [Philosophic Introduction to Christian-Catholic Theology, Münster, 1819, and Positive Introduction to Christian-Catholic Theology, ibid. 1829]; Part I of “Dogmatics” (Christian-Catholic Dogmatics, Münster, 1834), is condemned in the decree of the Sacred Congregation of the Index, Sept. 26, 1835 (Analecta Iuris Pont. II 1442 f.). The Supreme Pontiff, Jan. 7, 1836, ordered that Parts 2 and 3, also of the “Dogmatics” (Münster 1835) be declared to be comprehended by the aforesaid decree. PIUS XI on July 25, 1847, confirmed both decrees. ↩