Gottfried Lumper

Gottfried Lumper

Benedictine patristic writer, born 6 Feb., 1747, at Füssen in Bavaria; died 8 March, 1800 (Hefele says 1801), at the Abbey of St. George at Billingen in the Black Forest. At an early age he commenced his education at the abbey school, received in the course of time the habit of the order, made his solemn profession in 1764, and was ordained priest in 1771. After this he never left the monastery except for occasional assistance in the sacred ministry. He was appointed director of the gymnasium, and professor of church history and dogmatic theology. Later he was made prior of his monastery. He was a man of irreproachable character, whom nothing could move from the path of duty, and at the same time possessed profound learning and untiring diligence. All his spare time he employed in the study of early Christian literature, and Catholic Germany owes him grateful remembrance especially for his great work, "Historia theologico-critica de vita, scriptis atque doctrina SS. Patrum aliorumque scriptorum eccl. trium priorum sæculorum", which be published in thirteen volumes at Augsburg between 1783 and 1789. Of less importance are his smaller works: A translation of "Historia religionis in usum prælectionum catholicarum" of Matthew Schröckh, of which two editions appeared at Augsburg in 1788 and 1790; also the two works in German, "Die römisch-kath. hl. Messe in deutscher Sprache", with various additional prayers (Ulm, 1784), and "Der Christ in der Fasten, d. i. die Fasten-Evangelia nach dem Buchstaben und sittlichen Sinne" (Ulm, 1786). He also gave valuable assistance in the publication of the periodical "Nova Bibliotheca Eccl. Friburgensis".

KLÜPFEL, Necrolog. sodal. et amic. lit. (Freiburg, 1809), p. 250; Allgem. deut. Biog., XIX, 635; HEFELE in Kirchenlex., s. v.; HURTER, Nomenclator, III (Innsbruck, 1895), 341.

FRANCIS MERSHMAN.