Anton Dereser

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Anton Dereser (also known as Thaddeus A. S. Adamo) - born in Fahr in Franconia, 3 February 1757; died in Breslau, 15 or 16 June, 1807 - was a Discalced Carmelite professor of hermeneutics and Middle Eastern languages.

His Profession was in Cologne 18 Oct., 1777. During his studies at Heidelberg, where he graduated, acquired such renown that contrary to the custom of his religious order he was allowed to accept a professorship in hermeneutics and oriental languages, first at his own alma mater, then at Bonn (1783-1791). In 1791 he was sent to Strasbourg where he also filled the posts of preacher and of rector at the episcopal seminary. Having refused the Constitutional oath during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution he was imprisoned and sentenced to death, but the capital punishment was commuted into one of deportation. It is not quite clear whether this was put into execution; but it is certain that with the fall of Robespierre he regained his liberty and returned with shattered health to the convent in Heidelberg (1796).

The Margrave of Baden withholding his consent to Dereser's acceptance of the office of coadjutor to the Bishop of Strasbourg, he was transferred with the whole university to Freiburg (1807), but having given offence by a funeral sermon (1810) had to leave suddenly for Constance. Thence he went to Lucerne as professor and rector of the seminary, but was expelled on account of his rationalistic teaching, which involved explaining away everything supernatural in Scripture and religion. He turned, on invitation, to Breslau as canon and professor (1815).

One of his works, Commentario biblica in . . . Tu es Petrus (Bonn, 1789) was placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. His principal work, the continuation of Dominic de Brentano's German Bible (Frankfurt, 1815-1828, 16 vols.) was revised by J. M. A. Scholz (1828-1837, 17 vols.). Other works, chiefly Latin, were on the Necessity of the Knowledge of Oriental Languages for the Study of Scripture (Cologne, 1783); Hermeneutics of the Old and New Testament (1784 and 1786); Dissertations on the Destruction of Sodom (1784); on St. John Baptist (1785); on the Power and Duties of the Pope according to St. Bernard (1787); on a number of books and portions of the Old Testament with translations (partly metrical) and annotations; on the Temptation of Christ (1789); on His Divinity and on Pharisaism (Strasburg, 1791); on the Foundation of the University of Bonn (1786); a German Breviary (Augsburg, 1793, several times reprinted) and a German Prayer Book (Rottenburg, 1808). He also edited A. Frenzel's Treatise on Matrimony (Breslau, 1818), which argues against the doctrine that marriages should be indissoluble; the author later retracted it.

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This article incorporates text from the entry Anton Dereser in the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.