Johannes Quasten


Johannes Quasten was a German Catholic theologian and scholar of patristics.

Life

Johannes Quasten was a Roman Catholic theologian and scholar of patristics. He was the son of Wilhelm and Sibilla Quasten.
He studied Roman Catholic theology at the Westfälische Wilhelms University. He received a grant from the Association of German Science in the and took part with the Görres-Gesellschaft in international excavations. He returned to Münster university in 1929 and qualified as a professor in 1931.
After confrontations with the Nazi regime, he moved to Rome. The university had blocked his appointment as professor, dismissed him as assistant and finally revoked his venia legendi. Through the mediation of Clemens August Graf von Galen, and through the intercession of the Cardinal Pacelli, he moved to the United States of America in 1938, joined the Catholic University of America in 1938 and progressed through its ranks. He became Dean of Theology at CUA in 1945, senator in 1949, he retired in 1970.
Quasten received the of the Catholic Theological Association of America in 1960. With his retirement in 1970, he was appointed Honorary Professor at the in Breisgau.
"A tough but fair professor, Msgr. Quasten wrote prolifically about his specialty — early Christian history, liturgy, and patristics. He churned out book reviews, articles, and papers, but none compared to his magnum opus Patrology. Showcasing his expert knowledge and years spent in the field, this three-volume mammoth outlines the writings and contributions of the Early Church Fathers." The series was later continued by, of the Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome.

Johannes Quasten Award

The Catholic University of America, Washington D.C. offers a .

Awards and honours