Dollinger

Dollinger, Johann - Joseph Ignaz von (1797-1891), a German theologian, leader of the Old Catholics. Born at Bamberg in Bavaria, he entered the Church in 1822. His Doctrine of the Eucharist during the First Three Centuries caused his appointment as lecturer in Church History at the university of Munich. He represented the University in the Bavarian parliament, and as delegate at the Diet of Frankfort he voted for the separation of Church and State. In 1861 he attacked in his lectures the Pope's temporal power. In 1869 and 1870 he opposed the dogma of papal infallibility. He was excommunicated by the Archbishop of Munich, and three months later was appointed rector, of the university. In 1873 he became rector of the Royal Academy of Science. Among his principal works are The Origin of Christianity, a Sketch of Luther, Christianity and the Church, and Papal Legends of the Middle Ayes.