BINTERIM, ANTON JOSEPH. - Historian and archaeologist, b. 19 September 1779 in Düsseldorf, d. 17 May 1855 in Bilk. A Franciscan in 1796, secularized in 1802 following the suppression of the convents, he became parish priest in Bilk (a suburb of Düsseldorf). A zealous pastor and prolific writer.
His principal work is Die vorzüglichten Denkwürdigheiten der christkatholischen Kirche aus den ersten, mittleren und letzten Zeiten, mit besonderer Rücksichtnahme auf die Disziplin der kath. Kirche in Deutschland (Magonza 1825-41; 2nd ed., 7 vols. in 17 parts, there 1858 ff.). B. follows the plan of De christiana ecclesiae primae, mediae et novissimae aetatis politia (Napoli 1777-81), by A. Pelliccia, a Neapolitan archaeologist, greatly enriching its contents, especially with regard to the German Church. The immense body of material accumulated there is still very useful, although the work as such has in many respects been superseded. Also noteworthy is his Pragmatische Geschichte der deutschen Concilien (7 vols., there 1835-48; 2nd ed., 1851 ff.), the first attempt at a reasoned history of German national and provincial councils.
A number of minor writings, predominantly pastoral and polemical-apologetic in character, exerted a beneficial influence in their day in the struggle of Catholics against aggressive Prussian Lutheranism.
Giovanni Crisostomo Jaroš