BSNEERT
481
the Jordan, on the south by Juda, and on the west
by Dan. The nature of the territory was conducive
to breed a race of hardy warriors such as the Ben-
jamites who are depicted by Jacob as "a ravenous
wolf, in the morning [he] shall eat the prey, and in
the evening shaU divide the spoil" (Gen., xlix, 27).
During the period of the Judges the tribe was well
nigh e.xterminated on account of a crime committed
within its territorj' (Jud., xi.x-xxi). It was from this
tribe that Satil, the first king of the monarchy, was
cliosen (I Sam., ix, 1, 2, 19; x, 1, 20 sqq.). After the
death of Saul the tribe of Benjamin remained loyal
to his son, Isboseth (II Sam., ii, 9 sqq.), until David
became king of all Israel (II Sam., v, 1-5). At the
time of the revolt from Rehoboam the tribes of
Benjamin, Juda, and Simeon remained true and
formed the Kingdom of Juda (III Kings, xii, 21),
which also constituted the nucleus of the restored
nation. St. Paul glories in belonging to the tribe of
Benjamin (Philipp., iii, 5). F. X. E. Axbekt.
Benkert, Franz Georg, a German theologian and historical writer, b. 25 September, 1790, at Nord- heim. near the mountain district of Rhon, Germany; d. 20 May, 1859, at Coburg. After finishing his studies at the gymnasium in Munnerstadt he studied theology at Wiirzburg and wa.s ordained priest in 1816. He was first a curate at Gaurettersheim and, in 1821, was made vice-principal of the theological seminary at Wiirzburg. While holding these posi- tions Benkert continued his studies. In 1823 he received a doctorate, having offered the dissertation: "De Duplici Missa Catechumenorum et Fidelium". From 1823 to 1838 he had the position of principal, and in 1838 he was made a cathedral canon and cathedral dean.
At that time, in common with the ecclesiastics of other dioceses, the clergy of the Diocese of Wiirzburg suffered greatly from the religious disease of the age, " Josephinism", and were inclined to a sickly and enervating rationalism. The destructive effects of these rationalistic tendencies showed themselves everywhere in the life of the Church. E\en when acting as vice-principal Benkert showed himself de- serving of much praise in that lie sotight to re- awaken in the younger clergy the spirit of the Church and to cultivate in them an interest in, and a knowl- edge of, the old theological schools. In 1822 he founded the periodical; "Der Religionsfreund fiir Katholiken mit Beitragen religios gesinnter Man- ner". He issued the periodical in the desire to in- crease the influence of his efforts and also to wan over the older ecclesiastics.
The periodical appeared in six volumes, 1822-26. It attracted much attention and was copied in France in the "Ami de la Religion". In connexion with G. J. Safi'enrevter he issued, 1828-40, a continua- tion of this, his first, periodical, entitled: " Allgemeiner Religions- und Kirclienfreund und Kirchenkorres- pondent, eine theologische und kirchenhistorische Zeitschrift". At the same time he published, 1828- 34, a periodical entitled: "Athanasia, eine theo- logische Zeitschrift, besonders fiir die gcsamte P.astoral, fiir Kirchengeschichte, auch fiir P.idago- gik". This appeared in sixteen volumes. He con- tinued the same publication from 1835 to 1840 in connexion with J. M. Diix. As Benkert was more apt to be swayed by his zeal for the right than by prudence, he made many enemies, especially among the older clergy. He therefore severed his connex- ion with his periodicals in 1840, and devoted himself to the study of the history of his native district. His historical writings have only a local interest. A larger and more important work which he under- took on the Rhon w;is never completed.
Kerz, LiUeralurzeituna (1824), II, 101 sqq.
Patricius Schlager.
Benno, Saint, Bishop of Meissen, b., as is given
in biographies written after his lifetime, about 1010;
d., probably, 16 June, 1106. He is said to have been
the son of a Count Frederick von Woldenberg (Bul-
tenburg) and to have been educated by his relative
St. Bernward of Hildeslieim. But these statements
and the date of his birth cannot be proved to be
historically correct. It is, however, certain that he
was a canon of Goslar about the middle of the eleventh
century, and that he was made Bishop of Meissen in
1066. At that time the great struggle between the
Emperor Henry IV and tlie papacy over investiture,
which involved the independence of the Church, was
raging. Benno took part in the re\-olt of the Saxon
nobles against Henry (1073). In 1075 he was taken
prisoner by the emperor, who was then victorious,
and kept in prison for a year. As, later, he upheld
the party of Pope Gregory VII he was deposed at the
synod of Mainz, 1085, by the prelates belonging to the
imperial party and Felix, a partisan of the emperor,
received the bishopric. Three years later Benno
recognized the Antipope Wibert '(Clement III) and
obtained his see again; at a later date, however, he
separated himself from his schismatical party and
recognized Urban II (1088-99) as the rightful" pope.
The authorities of the eleventh and twelfth cen-
turies contain no further information as to his life.
The Diocese of Meissen extended towards the east as far as the River Bober and included Upper and Lower Lausitz, which were inhabited by Slavs. Ac- cording to later tradition Benno devoted the last years of his life to missions among these heathen tribes. He was reputed to be the founder of the cathedral of Meissen and in after-ages was the most venerated bishop of the diocese. He was canonized by Pope Adrian VI in 1523 (Bull "Excelsus Dorai- nus" in Bullarium Romanum, Turin ed., VI, 18 sqq.), and his relics were, with great solemnity, exposed for veneration, 16 May, 1524. Luther took this oc- cation to publish his lampoon "Wider den neucn Abgott una alten Teufel, der zu MeLssen soil erhoben werden". After Saxony had adopted Protestantism Duke Albert V of Bavaria had the relics of the saintly bishop transferred to Munich and placed in the church of Our Lady (now the cathedral). Since this time Benno had been the patron saint of Munich; his feast is celebrated 16 June. He is represented with a fish and a key; according to a legend he gave the key of the cathedral of Meissen, when starting on his journey to Rome, to one of the canons with the command to tlirow it into the Elbe as soon as Henry IV should be excommunicated. This was done; after Benno's return a large fish was caught in the Elbe and the key was found hanging to one of its fins, so that the bishop received it again.
Acta SS., June, III, 148 sqq., contains the Epitome Vetus and the Vitn by Emser; the Vita was first published at Leipzig, 1512, and claims to be founded on an older life which has been lost, but this is disputed with good reason; Langer, Krilik der Quellcn zur Gc-chichle tics hi. Benno. in the publications of the Historical Society of the citv of Meissen (1884). I, 3. pp. 70-95; ItiKM. BischoJ Benno von Meissen in op. cit. (1886). I. 5, pp. 1-38; (1888), II, 2. pp. 99-144; Dobner, Aktenstiicke zur Gesch. der Vita Bennonis ep. Misnensis in Neues Archir fur saelis. Gesch. (1886), 131 sqq.; SKYPFAHTn, Ossilegium Bennonis sen vita et acta ipsitn 'Miinifh, 17'"'i': ('r\mmfr. .l;"'/r»;m
Bennonis sive S. Brim -, ' ' '1. I, 1 77:5 '; M ». im r-
HCHKK, Gesch. der 1!^ " ' 1/..,.,-,, ,l)ic l.-ii,
1884); Will. Si. Bf«'." /. ' ", , , „ tDic.-.l,.i,, i ,ss7);
Klein, Der hi. Benno ^.Mui.itii, luu4j.
J. P. KiRSCH.
Benno II, Bishop of Osnabriick, b. at Liiningen in Swabia; d. 27 July, 1088, in the Benedictine monastery of Iburg near Osnabriick. His narents sent him at an early age to the monastic school of Strasburg where the learned Herman (Contractus) of Reichenau was then teaching. Having comi)lctcd his education and made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he taught for some time at Speyer in Rlicnish Bavaria. On accoiuit of liis skill in architecture he
