JHERING, RUDOLF von. - Jurist, b. at Aurich on 22 Aug. 1818, d. at Göttingen on 17 Sept. 1892. After studying at various universities, he received his doctorate in 1842 in Berlin and was successively professor at Basel (1845), Rostock (1846), Kiel (1849), Giessen (1852), Vienna (1858) and finally Göttingen (from 1872 until his death).

At first a follower of the historical school, he broke away from it and maintained, in polemic with its representatives, that law is not a spontaneous product of the popular spirit, but the fruit of the needs and struggles of men, emphasizing the rational and voluntary elements in the production of law and in its evolution, and the exchanges that take place between peoples in this field, exchanges to which is also to be attributed that phenomenon of immense importance which is the reception of Roman law.

The first of his major works is Der Geist des römischen Rechts auf den verschiedenen Stufen seiner Entwicklung (4 vols., Leipzig 1852-65, 6th-7th ed. 1924; partial Italian trans., with the title Spirito del diritto romano, Milan 1855). In 1872 J. published in Vienna Der Kampf ums Recht (last ed. 1925; Italian trans. with the title La lotta pel diritto, Milan-Naples 1875, Bari 1935). Third, finally, among J.'s great works is Der Zweck im Recht (2 vols., Leipzig 1887-85, 8th ed. 1923). To these are to be added the Beiträge zur Lehre vom Besitz, I, Der Grund des Besitzeschutzes (1868, Italian trans. with the title Sul fondamento della protezione del possesso, Milan 1872), Die Jurisprudenz des täglichen Lebens (1870; 12th ed. 1903; Italian trans. with the title La giurisprudenza della vita quotidiana, Bologna 1871), the volume Scherz und Ernst in der Jurisprudenz (Leipzig 1884, 9th ed. 1904) and the fundamental work Der Besitzwille. Zugleich eine Kritik der herrschenden juristischen Methode (Jena 1889), besides countless other articles and legal opinions. In 1857 he founded the Jahrbücher für die Dogmatik des heutigen römischen und deutschen Privatrechts, which after his death took the name Jherings Jahrbücher für ecc.

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: E. Landsberg, Geschichte der deutschen Rechtswissenschaft, III, Munich 1888, p. 788 ff., III, II, ibid. 1888, p. 334 ff.; V. Scialoja, R. von J., in Bulletin dell'Istituto di diritto romano, 6 (1893), pp. 46-61, with bibl.

Rodolfo Danieli

@incollection{ec7_jhering_rudolf_von, author = {Danieli, Rodolfo}, title = {Jhering, rudolf von}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VII}, pages = {584--585}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/jhering-rudolf-von} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Jhering, Rudolf von

About this entry