GRABMANN, MARTIN

Theologian and historian of scholasticism; b. Winterzhofen, Bavaria, Jan. 5, 1875; d. Eichstätt, Jan. 9,1949. After his philosophical and theological studies in the seminary at Eichstätt, he was ordained in 1898. In 1900 he was sent to Rome to specialize in medieval theology; he obtained his doctorate from the College of St. Thomas in 1902, writing on Die Lehre des hl. Thomas von Aquin von der Kirche als Gotteswerk (Ratisbon 1903). In Rome he enjoyed the esteem of F. ehrle and H. denifle. During his parochial assignment in Eichstätt, he continued to study and publish. His desire for study destined him to an academic career. He became professor of dogma at Eichstätt (1906–13), of Christian philosophy at the University of Vienna (1913–18), and of dogma at the University of Munich (1918–39; 1945–48). Through assiduous research in European libraries, he unearthed a wealth of original material in MSS containing lost works of Siger of Brabant, St. Albert the Great, Peter of Spain, Boethius of Sweden, Peter Abelard, and Meister Eckhart. His principal interests centered on the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, the development of scholasticism, aristotelianism, thomism, and German mysticism. He received honorary degrees from the universities of Louvain, Innsbruck, Milan, and Budapest; in 1935 Pius XII made him an apostolic prothonotary. M. Schmaus, his successor, founded the Grabmann-Institut at the University of Munich in 1954 to promote the study of medieval philosophy and theology.

Bibliography: Works. Die Geschichte der scholastischen Methode, 2 v. (Freiburg 1909–11); Thomas Aquinas, tr. v. michel (New York 1928); Introduction to the Theological Summa of St. Thomas, tr. j. s. zybura from 2d rev. Get. ed. (St. Louis 1930); Die Werke des heiligen Thomas von Aquin (3d ed. Münster 1949); Mittelalterliches Geistesleben, 3 v. (Munich 1925–56) bibliog. 3:1–35. Literature. j. van der meersch, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique (Paris 1903–1950) 16.1:1843–44. r. bÄumer, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche (Freiburg 1957–) 2 4:1156.

[a. m. walz]