Jakob Merten was a German Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 theologian who was born in Wittlich

Wittlich

The town of Wittlich is the seat of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and thereby the middle centre for a feeder area of 56 municipalities in the Eifel and Moselle area with its population of roughly 64,000...

.

He studied theology in Trier

Trier

Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....

, where in 1833 he received his ordination

Ordination

In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...

. Subsequently he became a chaplain

Chaplain

Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...

 in Trier, where he worked closely with Franz Peter Knoodt

Franz Peter Knoodt

Franz Peter Knoodt was a German Catholic theologian who was a native of Boppard.He studied theology in Bonn und Tübingen, and later worked as a chaplain and teacher in Trier. In 1841-43 he furthered his studies in Vienna, where he was a student of Anton Günther...

 (1811-1889). From 1843 to 1868 he was a professor of philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

 at the Episcopal

Diocese

A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

 Seminary in Trier.

Initially a prominent follower of Anton Günther

Anton Günther

Anton Günther was an Austrian Roman Catholic philosopher whose work was condemned by the church as heretical tritheism.-Biography:...

's philosophy, Merten eventually abandoned Güntherianism as his career progressed. He was author of an essay on Güntherian philosophy titled Hauptfragen der Metaphysik in Verbindung mit der Speculation (Primary Questions of Metaphysics

Metaphysics

Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...

 in Association with Speculation

Speculation

In finance, speculation is a financial action that does not promise safety of the initial investment along with the return on the principal sum...

) (1840). Other noted works by Merten include:

• Grundriss der Metaphysik, (Outline of Metaphysics); 1848
• Der selige Frings und sein Freund als Antigüntherianer; 1852
• Bemerkungen zur Metaphysik von Balmes, (Remarks on the Metaphysics of Balmes); 1859