WALENBURCH, Adrian and Peter van. - Theologians and controversialists of the 17th century.
ADRIAN was born in Rotterdam (Holland) around 1608. Because of the religious struggles that troubled his homeland, he went to Düsseldorf in the Rhineland, where he earned a doctorate in utroque iure and embraced the ecclesiastical state. In 1646 he was made canon of the cathedral of Cologne and in 1661 auxiliary bishop. He played a great part in the diocesan Synod of 1662, where he was appointed examiner, judge and member of the commission for the Seminary. For reasons of health he wished to go to Bad Schwalbach, but death overtook him at Mainz, at the house of his brother Peter, on 14 Sept. 1669.
PETER, two years younger than Adrian, like him earned a doctorate in utroque iure at Düsseldorf and became a priest. In 1656 he was appointed canon of St. Victor in Mainz and dean of St. Peter in that city, then in 1658 auxiliary bishop of Mainz. On the death of his brother he was called to succeed him as auxiliary of Cologne, where he died on 21 Dec. 1675.
The name of the W. brothers is linked above all to the controversies with the Protestants, in which they won notable successes in conversions. They disputed with the leading Protestants of the time: Cocceius, Hund, Crocius, Schreiler, Hülshoven, Danhower, Hülfemann. In his last years Peter was in contact with Leibnitz concerning the reunion of the Churches (on their correspondence, v. De la tolérance des religions. Lettres de M. de Leibniz et réponses de M. Pélisson, Paris 1692). The numerous apologetic treatises, composed between 1642 and 1667, were printed in two volumes: Tractatus generales de controversi fidei per Adrianum et Petrum de Walemburch (Cologne 1670). It is not easy to distinguish the part of each, but they seem to be chiefly the work of Peter. The work of the W. is distinguished by clarity, logic and moderation: ob iniuriis abstinemus, was their principle.
Bibliography3 works
Vittorino Dellagiacoma