author
Joseph Pohle
1852–1922
A major voice in Catholic theology at the turn of the 20th century, this German scholar helped shape seminary teaching for decades. His clear, systematic books on doctrine became widely known in both Europe and the English-speaking world.
1 Audiobook
Grace, Actual and Habitual: A Dogmatic Treatise
by Joseph Pohle
About the author
Born in Niederspay near Koblenz on March 19, 1852, Joseph Pohle was a German Catholic dogmatic theologian whose career took him across several important centers of study and teaching. After theological studies in Trier and Rome, he taught in Switzerland and at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds before returning to Germany for university and seminary posts.
Pohle went on to teach at Fulda, Münster, and later Breslau, where he became a leading academic figure in theology. He was especially known for his work in dogmatics and for the depth and precision of his scholarship.
His best-known achievement is the multi-volume Lehrbuch der Dogmatik, later made available to English-language readers as the Pohle-Preuss Dogmatic Theology. That long-running series helped make his work a standard reference in Catholic seminaries for many years. He died in Breslau on February 21, 1922.