Johann Emanuel Veith


Johann Emanuel Veith was a Bohemian Roman Catholic preacher. He was heavily influenced by the liberal theology of Anton Günther.

Life

In 1801 he took the philosophical course at the University of Prague, and later studied medicine. In 1808 he obtained a degree in medicine at Vienna; in a short time he was professor and then director of the school of veterinary medicine.
He wrote poetry, and a play of his was acted in one of the theatres of Vienna. He also published a compendium in two volumes of veterinary surgery, and an outline of botanical medicine. In 1816 he became a Christian convert, and in 1817 began the study of theology. He also became a personal friend of Father Hofbauer, was his physician, and was urged by him to devote himself to preaching, after ordination.
Veith was ordained, 26 August 1821, and the next month joined the Redemptorists at Maria Stiegen. He was a Redemptorist preacher at Maria Stiegen, 1821–30; preacher at the Cathedral of St. Stephen, 1831–45; retired cathedral preacher, until his total blindness, 1845–63; finally, a writer of ascetic devotional works until his death. Veith was buried in the Matzleinsdorf Protestant Cemetery of Vienna.

Works

His sermons exist in manuscript up to 1825; their publication began with:
Among his homilies are:
Among his collections of homilies are to be found sermons on the feast days of the ecclesiastical year; he also published sermons of this class in two vols.:
Of the sermons on special occasions are:
Veith took pains to give his sermons form; their language is classic. In the third part of his "Erzählungen und Humoresken" he gives the "Aphorismen für Diener der Kirche von einem Kirchendiener".
In the summer of 1869 Veith received an English translation of his "Leidenswerkzeuge" from Theodore Noethen, parish priest at Albany, U.S.A., the work itself being published at Boston.
He published three prayer-books:
From 1863 Veith was both blind and deaf. He could not preach, but he wrote lectures on spiritual exercises for publication, and supplemented and completed his books of meditations: