THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
13, 1901. He studied in Bonn, and was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1859. After being curate in Wervelinghoven, near Neuss, for a year, he was chaplain and lecturer at the Roman Catholic theological institute at Bonn until 1861, when he became privat-docent for New-Testament exegesis in the university. He was appointed professor extraordinary in 1864, and full professor in 1867 Before his break with Roman Catholicism in 1870, he published Die deuterokanonischen Stilcke des Buches Esther (Freiburg, 1862); Die letzten Lebenstage Jem (1864); Das Judentum in Palastina zur Zeit Christi (1866); and Grundriss der Einleitung in das Neue Testament (1868). In the latter work the author's divergence from the rising ultramontane school became manifest, and the second edition, though essentially identical with the first, could no longer appear at Freiburg, but was published at Bonn in 1873. It was natural that Langen should join the protest against Ultramontanism (q.v.), and with his colleagues at Bonn he was suspended and excommunicated by the archbishop of Cologne in 1872. He took an active part in the organization of the Old Catholic Church, drew up the Old Catholic catechism and the Leitfaden fiir den Religionsunterricht an den hdheren Schulen, and was president of the committee appointed for the theological interpretation of the question of union with the Greek Church. When the fifth Old Catholic synod in 1878 annulled the obligation of celibacy, he retired from pastoral activity and thenceforth took part in Old Catholic church-life only on special occasions.
Becoming, through stress of circumstances, a historian instead of an exegete, Langen now wrote the book which was to be at once the scientific basis of Old Catholicism and the justification of opposition to Vaticanism, Das vatikanische Dogma von dem UniversaLEpiskopat und der Unfehlbarkeit des Papstes in seinem Verhaltnis zum Neuen Testament und zur kirchlichen Ueberlieferung (3 parts, Bonn, 1871-73). To this same period belongs Die Kirchenvater und das Neue Testament (1874); but the chief work of his later life was his Geschichte der romischen Kirche, quellenmdssig dargestellt (4 vols., 1881-93), which extends to the death of Innocent III. (1216) and forms the historic counterpart of his more theoretical Vatikanisches Dogma. He promised also a supplementary volume which should contain a resum6 of the history of the papal power from the death of Innocent to modern times, but this, though it probably exists in manuscript, has never appeared. In his studies on the development of the papacy Langen wrote also Die Klemensromane (Gotha, 1890), while as an advocate of union between the Old Catholics and the Greek Church he wrote Die trinitarische Lehrdifferenz zwischen der abendlandischen und morgenlandischen Kirche (Bonn, 1876) and Johannes von Damaskus (Gotha, 1879).
Although opinions upon Langen's scholarship differ, in great part because of the fundamental divergence of the points of view of Evangelical and Old Catholic thought, he was, at all events, an inspiring teacher, despite the fact that personally he was solitary, strongly pessimistic, and fre-
quently over-severe in his judgment of men and conditions. (L. K. Goetz.)
Bibliography: Consult the literature under Old Catholics.
LANGTON, STEPHEN: Archbishop of Canterbury; b. in England (probably in Lincolnshire) c. 1150; d. at Slindon (50 m. s.w. of London), Sussex, July 9, 1228. He studied at the University of Paris and lectured there on theology till 1206 when Innocent III., with whom he had formed a friendship at Paris, called him to Rome and made him cardinal-priest of St. Chrysogonus. His piety and learning had already won him prebends at Paris and York and he was recognized as the foremost English churchman. On the death of Hubert Walter, archbishop of Canterbury (1205), some of the younger monks elected to the see Reginald, the subprior, while another faction under pressure from King John chose John de Grey, bishop of Norwich. Both elections were quashed on appeal to Rome and sixteen monks of Christ Church, who had gone to Rome empowered to act for the whole chapter, were ordered to proceed to a new election in presence of the pope. Langton was chosen and was consecrated by the pope at Viterbo June 17, 1207.
There followed a struggle between John and Innocent III. (q.v.) which brought great misery upon unhappy England. The king proclaimed that any one who recognized Stephen as archbishop should be treated as a public enemy, and expelled the Canterbury monks (July 15, 1207), who were now unanimous in support of Stephen. In Mar., 1208, Innocent placed England under the interdict and at the close of 1212, after repeated negotiations had failed, he passed sentence of deposition against John, committing the execution of the sentence to Philip of France in Jan., 1213. In May John yielded and in July Stephen (who since his consecration had lived at Pontigny in France) and his fellow exiles returned to England. His first episcopal act was to absolve the king, who swore that unjust laws should be repealed and the liberties granted by Henry I. should be observed — an oath which he almost immediately violated. Stephen now became a leader in the struggle against John and none of the barons did more than he to rescue England from John's tyranny. At a council of churchmen at Westminster, Aug. 25, 1213, to which certain lay barons were invited, he read the text of the charter of Henry I. and suggested a demand for its renewal. In the sequel, largely through Stephen's efforts, John was forced to grant the Great Charter (June 15, 1215). Since John now held his kingdom as a fief of the Holy See the pope espoused his cause and excommunicated the barons. For refusing to publish the excommunication Stephen was suspended from all ecclesiastical functions by the papal commissioners and on Nov. 4 this sentence was confirmed by the pope, although Stephen appealed to him in person. He was released from suspension the following spring on condition that he keep out of England till peace was restored and he remained abroad till May, 1218. Meanwhile both Innocent and John died and all parties in England rallied to the support of Henry III.