Abstract:
Ignaz von Döllinger (1799-1890) - his name is primarily connected with criticism of doctrine of papal infallibility, as defined by the 1st Vatican Council (1870). All his life, Döllinger took a critical view on Protestantism and the Reformation of the sixteenth century. This doctoral thesis demonstrates that Döllinger's view of the Reformation did not only shift in response to the growing conflict with his own church in his later years but also in the early years of his work. The main focus of this shift was Döllinger's concentration on the criticism of the Reformers' doctrine of justification by faith alone. Furthermore, the author points out the causes and the background of this change, for example, in discussions with the Prussian Protestant historian Leopold von Ranke and the conservative Protestantism. The author's research is based on unpublished material from Döllinger's posthumous works.