RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Werenfels Wernsdorf
the canon misse was said in Latin. Werkmeister’s reforms were generally approved, but they were subject to an attack in the Mainz Monatschrift von geistlichen Sachen (1786, pp. 699 sqq.). Werkmeister replied anonymously with Ueber die deutschen Mess- und Abendmahlsanstalten in der katholischen Hofkapelle zu Stuttgart (1787). Further criticisms were answered in the Beitrdge zur Verbesserung der katholischen Liturgie in Deutschland (Ulm, 1789). The influence of the spirit of the Enlightenment (q.v.) on Werkmeister is further shown by a collection of sermons, Predigten in den Jahren 1784-91 (8 vols., 1812-15). His interest in catechetics appears in Ueber den neuen katholischen Katechismus bet Gelegenheit einer Mainzischen Preisaufgabe (Frankfort, 1789); while his fundamental religious views appeared in Thomas Freykirch, oder freimiitige Untersuchungen viber die Unfehlbarkeit der katholischen Kirche (1792), in which he denied the infallibility of that church. His reforms seemed destined to be widely accepted. But the successor of Karl, Count Ludwig Eugen, who had disapproved of Werkmeister’s activity in his brother’s second marriage, did away with the liturgical reforms and retired Werkmeister on a meager pension. Meanwhile Werkmeister had become secularized; nevertheless, Abbot Michael Dobler gave him asylum in Neresheim. But in 1795 he was recalled by Count Friedrich Eugen, Karl’s second brother. The reforms were restored, except the German mass. The services of the court chapel became public in 1806, and Werkmeister obtained the parish of Steinach. In 1807, he was appointed member of the church council; in 1816, chief councilor for schools; and in 1817, leading ecclesiastical councilor. (R. GUNTHER).
BrsitiocrapHy: I. von Longner, Beitrage zur Geschichte der
oberrheinischen Kirchenprovinz, pp. 291 sqq., Ttbingen,
1863; H. Briick, Die rationalistischen Bestrebungen im
katholischen Deutschland, pp. 21 sqq., Mainz, 1865; J. B.
Sagmiiller, Die kirchlichen Aufklirung am Hofe des Her-
zogs Karl Eugen von Wiirttemberg, Freiburg, 1906; KL,
xi. 1331-32.
WERNER, ver’ner, JOHANNES: German Protestant; b. at Ohrdruf (9 m. s. of Gotha) Sept. 30, 1864. He was educated at the universities of Heidelberg, Berlin, Jena (Ph.D., 1887), and Marburg (lic. theol., 1889); became privat-docent for church history and systematic theology at Marburg (1889), and professor of church history in 1894. Since 1900 he has resided in Leipsic as a private scholar. In theology he is “ liberal.’”” Besides being a collaborator on the Theologische Rundschau since 1898 and on the Theologischer Jahresbericht since 1901, he has written Hegels Offenbarungsbegriff (Leipsic, 1887); Der Paulinismus des Ireneus (1889); Dogmengeschichtliche Tabellen (Gotha, 1893; 3d ed., 1903); and a new edition of K. von Hase’s Hutterus Redivivus (Leipsic, 1907). Since 1908 he has been one of the editors of Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegen-
wart,
WERNER, KARL: Roman Catholic; b. at Hafnerbach, Lower Austria, Mar. 8, 1821; d. at Vienna Apr. 4, 1888. He was a student at Melk, Krems, St. Pélten, and at the priests’ institute in Vienna, 1842-45, when he gained his doctorate from Vienna
University. He was professor of moral theology in the Episcopal Seminary at St. Polten, 1847-70, and of New-Testament theology in the University of Vienna, 1871-81; and was ministerial and consistorial councilor at Vienna, 1880-88. His works embrace System der christlichen Ethik (3 vols., Regensburg, 1852); Grundlinien der Philosophie (1855); Der heilige Thomas von Aquino (3 vols., 1858-59); Franz Suarez und die Scholastik der letzten Jahrhunderte (2 vols., 1861); Geschichte der apologetischen und polemischen Literatur der christlichen Theologie (5 vols., Schaffhausen, 1861-67); Gerbert von Aurillac (Vienna, 1878); Giambattista Vico als Philosoph und gelehrter Forscher (1879); Beda der Ehrwiirdige (new ed., 1881); Die Scholastik des spdteren Mittelalters (7 vols., 1881-87); Die italienische Philosophie des. XIX. Jahrhunderts (5 vols., 1884-86).
BrsiiocRapuy: J. Kopallik, in Wiener Didcesanblatt, 1897, pp. 145 sqq.; KUL, xii. 1332-34.
WERNLE, varn’/le, PAUL: Swiss Protestant; b. in Zurich May 1, 1872. He was educated at the universities of Géttingen, Berlin, and Basel (lic. theol., 1896); became privat-docent for exegesis at Basel (1896), associate professor (1901), and professor of modern church history (1905). He is an advocate of “free theological science and Christocentric religion,” and has written Der Christ und die Stinde bet Paulus (Tiibingen, 1897); Paulus als Heidenmissionar (1899); Die synoptische Frage (1899); Die Anfdnge unserer Religion (1901; Eng. transl. by G. A. Bienemann, The Beginnings of Christianity, 2 vols., London, 1903-04); Die Reichsgotteshoffnung in der dltesten christlichen Dokumenten und bet Jesus (1903); Was haben wir heute an Paulus? (Basel, 1903); Die Renaissance des Christentums im sechzehnten Jahrhundert (Tiibingen, 1904); Hinfrihrung in das theologische Studium (1908, 2d. ed., 1911), Johann Hinrich Wichern (Basel, 1908); and Renaissance und Reformation (1911).
WERNSDORYF, varns’dorf, ERNST FRIEDRICH: German theologian, second son of Gottlieb Wernsdorf (q.v.); b. at Wittenberg Dec. 18, 1718; d. there May 7, 1782. He studied at the University of Leipsic (M.A., 1742; D.D., 1756); was appointed professor of Christian archeology there (1752); and in 1756 he went to Wittenberg as professor of theology. His writings dealt with matters of Biblical, antiquarian, and Reformation history. His name has come into new prominence as once the owner of a manuscript of Luther’s Tischreden, the document mentioned so early as 1769 by J. T. Lingke. It was doubtless through Wernsdorf’s widow, who long survived her husband, that this manuscript came into the possession of Politz, with whose collection of books it subsequently found its way to the city library of Leipsic. Grore MUuuer. Brstiograpuy: J. G. Meusel, Lericon der .. . teutschen
Schriftsteller xv. 35-37, Leipsic, 1816; M. Hoffmann,
Pfértner Stammbuch 1643-1893, p. 222, Berlin, 1893; E.
Kroker, Luthers Tischreden in der Mathesischen Sammlung, pp. 17 saq., Leipsic, 1903; ADB, xlii. 96-98.
WERNSDORF, GOTTLIEB: German _ theologian; b. at Sch6newalde (48 m. s. of Berlin) Feb. 25, 1668; d. at Wittenberg July 1, 1729. He studied
Wernsdorf Wesley