Friedrich von Hügel
Encyclopedia
Friedrich von Hügel was an influential Austria
n Roman Catholic layman, religious writer, Modernist
theologian and Christian apologist.
, who was serving as Austrian ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
, and a Scottish mother, Elizabeth Farquharson, who was a convert to Roman Catholicism. Friedrich was educated privately, and moved with his family to England
in 1867 when he was fifteen, where he remained for the rest of his life.
In 1873 he married Lady Mary Catherine Herbert (1849–1935), daughter of the statesman Sidney Herbert, first Baron Herbert of Lea, by Elizabeth Ash à Court-Repington, an ardent convert
to Catholicism and philanthropist. Mary, like von Hügel's mother and her own, was also a convert. The couple had three daughters: Gertrude (1877–1915), Hildegarde (1879–1926), and Thekla (1886–1970) (who became a Carmelite nun). He remained an Austrian citizen until he found himself to be a "hostile alien" after England declared war with Austria in August 1914. He applied for naturalization and received it in December of the same year.
He was a Baron of the Holy Roman Empire (an inherited title), and a frequent visitor to Rome. A self-taught biblical scholar, a linguist with a fluency in French, German and Italian as well as his adopted English, and a master of many subjects, he never held office in the Catholic Church, or an academic post, nor did he ever earn a university degree. However, he is often mentioned alongside John Henry Newman as one of the most influential Catholic thinkers of his day. The scope of his learning was impressive and the list of his correspondents reads like a "who's who" of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century European religious leadership (for example: Alfred Loisy
, Maurice Blondel
, George Tyrrell
, Evelyn Underhill
and Maude Petre
). Von Hügel did much to bring the work of the philosophers Ernst Troeltsch
and Rudolf Christoph Eucken
to the attention of the English-speaking public, despite the hostility during and after the First World War to all things German.
When the University of Oxford
granted him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1920, it was the first time since the Reformation that a Roman Catholic had been so honored by that university. (The University of St. Andrews, where the von Hügel archives are now located, awarded him an honorary degree in 1914.)
Baron von Hügel was deeply engaged in theological discussions with a wide group of scholars associated with the turn-of-the-century Modernist
controversy. His scholarly concerns included the relationship of Christianity to history, ecumenism
, mysticism
, the philosophy of religion
, and the rejection of much of the immanentism in nineteenth-century theology. Under Pope Pius X, prompted by conservatives such as Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, there was a backlash against many of the Modernist thinkers, and von Hügel attempted to negotiate a middle way of restraint, while remaining true to the principles intellectual rigour and free enquiry.
observed, "All life, according to [von Hügel] consists in a patient struggle with irreconcilables—a progressive unifying of parts that will never fit perfectly."
Hügel's The Mystical Element of Religion is a critical but largely appreciative philosophy of mysticism
. Yet, in many ways throughout this work Hügel counsels the reader of mysticism’s potential dangers. The mystical impulse is but one of the three elements that together with the other two constitutes the rich complexity of existence. Hügel cautions:
William Butler Yeats
addressed von Hügel in the last stanza of "Vacillation":
Von Hügel died in 1925. His tombstone in an English country churchyard bears the simple inscription: "Whom have I in heaven but Thee?"
of 1924-1925 and 1925-1926 at Edinburgh University, and Religion and Agnosticism, a study of the religious opinions and writings of Sir Alfred Comyn Lyall
which was begun in 1912 and laid aside in 1915 (though retouched here and there later).
The Von Hügel Institute, a research center for the study of Christianity and society at St. Edmund's College
, The University of Cambridge, was founded in 1987, and is named in honor of Friedrich's brother, Anatole von Hügel
, the first director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Roman Catholic layman, religious writer, Modernist
Modernism (Roman Catholicism)
Modernism refers to theological opinions expressed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but with influence reaching into the 21st century, which are characterized by a break with the past. Catholic modernists form an amorphous group. The term "modernist" appears in Pope Pius X's 1907...
theologian and Christian apologist.
Life and work
Friedrich von Hügel was born in Florence, Italy, in 1852, to Charles von HügelCharles von Hügel
Charles von Hügel was an Austrian army officer, diplomat, botanist and explorer, now primarily remembered for his travels in northern India during the 1830s...
, who was serving as Austrian ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a central Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence...
, and a Scottish mother, Elizabeth Farquharson, who was a convert to Roman Catholicism. Friedrich was educated privately, and moved with his family to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1867 when he was fifteen, where he remained for the rest of his life.
In 1873 he married Lady Mary Catherine Herbert (1849–1935), daughter of the statesman Sidney Herbert, first Baron Herbert of Lea, by Elizabeth Ash à Court-Repington, an ardent convert
Convert
The convert or try, in American football known as "point after", and Canadian football "Point after touchdown", is a one-scrimmage down played immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score an extra one point by kicking the ball through the uprights , or...
to Catholicism and philanthropist. Mary, like von Hügel's mother and her own, was also a convert. The couple had three daughters: Gertrude (1877–1915), Hildegarde (1879–1926), and Thekla (1886–1970) (who became a Carmelite nun). He remained an Austrian citizen until he found himself to be a "hostile alien" after England declared war with Austria in August 1914. He applied for naturalization and received it in December of the same year.
He was a Baron of the Holy Roman Empire (an inherited title), and a frequent visitor to Rome. A self-taught biblical scholar, a linguist with a fluency in French, German and Italian as well as his adopted English, and a master of many subjects, he never held office in the Catholic Church, or an academic post, nor did he ever earn a university degree. However, he is often mentioned alongside John Henry Newman as one of the most influential Catholic thinkers of his day. The scope of his learning was impressive and the list of his correspondents reads like a "who's who" of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century European religious leadership (for example: Alfred Loisy
Alfred Loisy
Alfred Firmin Loisy was a French Roman Catholic priest, professor and theologian who became the intellectual standard bearer for Biblical Modernism in the Roman Catholic Church...
, Maurice Blondel
Maurice Blondel
Maurice Blondel was a French philosopher.Blondel developed a "philosophy of action” that integrated classical Neoplatonic thought with modern Pragmatism in the context of a Christian philosophy of religion...
, George Tyrrell
George Tyrrell
George Tyrrell was a Jesuit priest and a Modernist theologian and scholar. His attempts to evolve and adapt Catholic teaching in the context of modern ideas made him a key figure in the Modernist controversy within the Roman Catholic Church in the late 19th century.Tyrrell was born in Dublin,...
, Evelyn Underhill
Evelyn Underhill
Evelyn Underhill was an English Anglo-Catholic writer and pacifist known for her numerous works on religion and spiritual practice, in particular Christian mysticism....
and Maude Petre
Maude Petre
Maude Dominica Mary Petre was an English Roman Catholic nun, writer and critic involved in the Modernist controversy.-Life:...
). Von Hügel did much to bring the work of the philosophers Ernst Troeltsch
Ernst Troeltsch
Ernst Troeltsch was a German Protestant theologian and writer on philosophy of religion and philosophy of history, and an influential figure in German thought before 1914...
and Rudolf Christoph Eucken
Rudolf Christoph Eucken
Rudolf Christoph Eucken was a German philosopher, and the winner of the 1908 Nobel Prize for Literature.-Early life:...
to the attention of the English-speaking public, despite the hostility during and after the First World War to all things German.
When the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
granted him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1920, it was the first time since the Reformation that a Roman Catholic had been so honored by that university. (The University of St. Andrews, where the von Hügel archives are now located, awarded him an honorary degree in 1914.)
Baron von Hügel was deeply engaged in theological discussions with a wide group of scholars associated with the turn-of-the-century Modernist
Modernism (Roman Catholicism)
Modernism refers to theological opinions expressed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but with influence reaching into the 21st century, which are characterized by a break with the past. Catholic modernists form an amorphous group. The term "modernist" appears in Pope Pius X's 1907...
controversy. His scholarly concerns included the relationship of Christianity to history, ecumenism
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
, mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
, the philosophy of religion
Philosophy of religion
Philosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion, including the nature and existence of God, the examination of religious experience, analysis of religious language and texts, and the relationship of religion and science...
, and the rejection of much of the immanentism in nineteenth-century theology. Under Pope Pius X, prompted by conservatives such as Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, there was a backlash against many of the Modernist thinkers, and von Hügel attempted to negotiate a middle way of restraint, while remaining true to the principles intellectual rigour and free enquiry.
The Three Elements
Hügel's most enduring contribution to theological thinking is his "three elements". The human soul, the movements of western civilization, and the phenomena of religion itself he characterized by these three elements: the historical/institutional element, the scientific/intellectual element, and the mystical/experiential element. This typology provided for him an understanding of the balance, tension, and 'friction' that exists in religious thinking and in the complexity of reality and existence. While this typology occasionally digressed into a forced Trinitarianism, it is an organizing paradigm that remained central to his project. The effort to hold these sometimes disparate dimensions together is structurally and theologically dominant throughout his writing. His friend George TyrrellGeorge Tyrrell
George Tyrrell was a Jesuit priest and a Modernist theologian and scholar. His attempts to evolve and adapt Catholic teaching in the context of modern ideas made him a key figure in the Modernist controversy within the Roman Catholic Church in the late 19th century.Tyrrell was born in Dublin,...
observed, "All life, according to [von Hügel] consists in a patient struggle with irreconcilables—a progressive unifying of parts that will never fit perfectly."
Hügel's The Mystical Element of Religion is a critical but largely appreciative philosophy of mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
. Yet, in many ways throughout this work Hügel counsels the reader of mysticism’s potential dangers. The mystical impulse is but one of the three elements that together with the other two constitutes the rich complexity of existence. Hügel cautions:
- "...mysticism would never be the whole of religion; it would become a dangerous error the very moment it claimed to be this whole; but, at the same time, it would be an element essential to religion in the long run and upon the whole, although it would . . . possess its own dangers, its own besetting sins, as indeed also the primitive, naïve type of religion possesses its own different dangers and different besetting sins." (91)
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
addressed von Hügel in the last stanza of "Vacillation":
- "Must we part, Von Hügel, though much alike, for we / Accept the miracles of the saints and honour sanctity? / The body of Saint TeresaTeresa of ÁvilaSaint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer...
lies undecayed in tomb, / Bathed in miraculous oil, sweet odours from it come, / Healing from its lettered slab. Those self-same hands perchance / Eternalised the body of a modern saint that once had scooped out Pharaoh's mummy. I — though heart might find relief / Did I become a Christian man and choose for my belief / What seems most welcome in the tomb — play a predestined part. / Homer is my example and his unchristened heart. / The lion and the honeycomb, what has Scripture said? / So get you gone, Von Hügel, though with blessings on your head."
Von Hügel died in 1925. His tombstone in an English country churchyard bears the simple inscription: "Whom have I in heaven but Thee?"
Legacy
With a deep commitment to the life of prayer, von Hügel was an authority on the great mystical writers, particularly of the pre-Reformation period, and sympathetic to the emotional and spiritual burdens of humanity, so that he was sought out by many as a counsellor, guide, and spiritual mentor. His authority as a spiritual writer has endured through the posthumous publication of many of his letters: Selected Letters, 1896-1924, (1927), Letters from Baron Friedrich von Hügel to a Niece, (1928), and Spiritual Counsels and Letters of Baron Friedrich von Hügel, (1964). In addition to extensive correspondence, his published works include The Mystical Element of Religion, a study of St Catherine of Genoa (1908), Eternal Life (1913), The German Soul (1916), Essays and Addresses on the Philosophy of Religion (Vol. I 1921; Vol II 1926) and The Reality of God and Religion and Agnosticism (1931). This last book contains two works that von Hügel left unfinished at his death: The Reality of God, which was to have been the Gifford LecturesGifford Lectures
The Gifford Lectures were established by the will of Adam Lord Gifford . They were established to "promote and diffuse the study of Natural Theology in the widest sense of the term — in other words, the knowledge of God." The term natural theology as used by Gifford means theology supported...
of 1924-1925 and 1925-1926 at Edinburgh University, and Religion and Agnosticism, a study of the religious opinions and writings of Sir Alfred Comyn Lyall
Alfred Comyn Lyall
Sir Alfred Comyn Lyall, GCIE, KCB was a British civil servant, literary historian and poet.-Early life:He was born at Coulsdon in Surrey, the second son of Alfred Lyall and Mary Drummond Broadwood, daughter of James Shudi Broadwood. He was educated at Eton...
which was begun in 1912 and laid aside in 1915 (though retouched here and there later).
The Von Hügel Institute, a research center for the study of Christianity and society at St. Edmund's College
St. Edmund's College
There are a number of colleges named after Saint Edmund. These include:*St Edmund's College, Cambridge, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge*St Edmund's College, Ware*St Edmund's College, Canberra*St. Edmund's College, Shillong...
, The University of Cambridge, was founded in 1987, and is named in honor of Friedrich's brother, Anatole von Hügel
Anatole von Hügel
Anatole von Hügel was the second son of the Austrian nobleman Charles von Hügel and his Scottish wife Elizabeth Farquharson. His elder brother was Friedrich von Hügel....
, the first director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge.
Secondary Sources
- David L. Johns, Mysticism and Ethics in Friedrich von Hügel (Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2004) ISBN 0773462228
- James J. Kelly, Baron Friedrich von Hügel's Philosophy of Religion (Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1983) ISBN 9061861462
- Ellen M. Leonard, Creative Tension: the Spiritual Legacy of Friedrich von Hügel (Scranton, PA: University of Scranton PressUniversity of Scranton PressThe University of Scranton Press is the university press of the University of Scranton, headquartered on its campus in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Press published more than 200 books and other publications between 1988 and 2010...
, 2005) ISBN 0940866668; Paperback ISBN 0940866676