Joseph Nirschl

Theologian and writer, b. at Durchfurth, Lower Bavaria, 24 February, 1823; d. at Würzburg, 17 January, 1904. He was ordained in 1851 and graduated as doctor of theology in 1854 at Munich. He was appointed teacher of Christian doctrine at Passau in 1855 and in 1862 professor of churoh history and patrology. In 1879 he became professor of church history at Würzburg, and was appointed dean of the cathedral in 1892. Of his numerous works, mostly on patristics, the most important are: "Lehrbuch der Patrologie und Patristik" (3 vols., Mainz, 1881-5); "Ursprung und Wesen des Bosen nach der Lehre des hl. Augustinus" (Ratisbon, 1854); "Das Dogma der unbefleckten Empfangnis Maria" (Ratisbon, 1855); "Todesjahr des hl. Ignatius von Antiochien" (Passau, 1869); "Die Theologie des hl. Ignatius von Antiochien" (Passau, 1869, and Mainz, 1880); Das Haus und Grab der hl. Jungfrau Maria (Mainz, 1900). He translated into German the letters and the martyrium of St. Ignatius of Antioch (Kempten, 1870) and the Catecheses of St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Kempten, 1871). He defended the genuineness of pseudo-Dionysius and of the apocryphal letter of King Abgar of Edessa to Jesus.