Vitus Pichler

Drawn from the authors' own words; every quotation links to its place.

Jesuit · ?–1750

In Prümmer's Catalogue and Haringer's Index

[**: weighty, probabilist] “Pichler Vitus, German, S.J., professor at Ingolstadt (Canon Law. Canonical Questions), died 1750.” — Haringer's index of writers (Gury-Ballerini) (p. XXVI, sign read on the page)

His Moral System, as Our Authors Report It

Every report quoted in the author's own words and linked to its place; point at a name to see his words. Haringer's signs give St. Alphonsus's judgment as Haringer found it in St. Alphonsus's works (his notice, Gury-Ballerini, 1884, p. XI); a sign on a writer the 1884 editor added to the list is the editor's own, and is said to be his.

Probabilist
“Pichler Vitus, German, S.J., professor at Ingolstadt (Canon Law. Canonical Questions), died 1750.”Haringer marks him **, giving St. Alphonsus's judgment of him (weighty and probabilist)	Haringer's index, Index of writers, p. XXVI

Where Our Authors Discuss Him

Each read in its full passage; the words quoted are the author's own. Where several authors say the same thing, one is quoted and the others follow “in nearly the same words”; point at a name to see his words.

“But Pichler, S.J. (1670-1750), who obtained for himself the highest praise in interpreting canon law”Vermeersch: he gave law or custom the force to make moderate interest licit for a public cause

Vermeersch, Quaestiones de iustitia, n. 360

In the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)

“Vitus Pichler”, vol. 12, by William Fanning. Public domain; transcription at New Advent (which expands some of the print's abbreviations).

Distinguished canonist and controversial writer, b. at Grosberghofen, 24 May, 1670; d. at Munich, 15 Feb., 1736. He studied for the secular priesthood, but after ordination entered the Society of Jesus, 28 Sept., 1696. For four years he was professor of philosophy at Briggs and Dillingen. He was then advanced to the chair of philosophy, controversial and scholastic, at Augsburg. He acquired fame in the field of canon law, which he taught for nineteen years at Dillingen, and at Ingolstadt, where he was the successor of the illustrious canonist, Fr. Schmalzgrueber. His latest appointment was as prefect of higher studies at Munich. His first important literary work was, "Lutheranismus constanter errans" (1709); "Una et vera fides" (1710); "Theologia polemica paticularis" (1711). In his "Cursus theologiæ polemicæ universæ" (1713), Pichler devotes the first part to the fundamentals of polemical theology and the second part to the particular errors of the reformers. It is said that he is the first writer to lay down, clearly and separately, the distinction between fundamental theology and other divisions of the science. He also wrote an important work on papal infallibility, "Papatus nunquan errans in proponendis fidei articulis" (1709). Although widely renown as a polemical theologian, Pichler is better known as a canonist. He published his "Candidatus juris prudentiæ sacræ" in 1722; this was followed by "Summa jurisprudentiæ sacræ universæ" in 1723 sqq. He also issued "Manipulus casuum jiridicorum" and several epitomes of his larger canonical treatises. Pichler's controversial works were in great vogue during the eighteenth century, while his books on canon law were used as textbooks in many universities. His solutions to difficult cases in jurisprudence gave a decided impetus to the study of the canons and afforded a key to the intricate portions of the "Corpus juris canonici". Fourteen of Pichler's works, excluding the many editions and alterations, are enumerated.

Sources: HURTER, Nomenclator literarius, III (Innsbruck, 1895); SOMMERVOGEL, Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus, VI (Brussels, 1895); de BACKER, Bibliothèque des éscrevains S. J. (Liège, 1853-76).