SCHERER, RUDOLF RITTER von. - Canonist, born in Graz on 11 Aug. 1845, died in Vienna on 21 Dec. 1918.
He studied law and for two years theology in Graz; in 1869 he was ordained a priest.
He attended the University of Vienna, where he earned a doctorate in theology in 1875 with the thesis: *De Patriarchatus Constantinopolitan historiae*. He served as substitute professor of Church history at the Faculty of Theology in Graz (1874–75), and from 1876 became a full professor of ecclesiastical law. He was a follower of the historical school, and his works reflect its errors. Among his numerous works, the following stand out: *Das Eherecht bei Benedikt Levita und Pseudoisidor* (Graz 1879); *Von der Prozessfähigkeit der kirchlichen Institute*, in *Archiv für kath. Kirchenrecht*, 47 (1882), pp. 3–52; *Die irregularitas ex delicto homicidi*, ibid., 49 (1883), pp. 37–63; *Incorporatio plena oder minus plena?*, ibid., 53 (1885), pp. 105–125; *Handbuch des Kirchenrechts* (Graz 1886); *Zur Geschichte des canonischen Eherechts*, in *Archiv für kath. Kirchenrecht*, 65 (1891), pp. 353–90.