Copyright © 2013-2024 by Aneta E. Adamczyk
Józef Tischner
12 march 1931 - 28 june 2000
One of the most important Polish contemporary philosophers, a phenomenologist of the philosophical school of Krakow, a student of Roman Ingarden (one of the most famous students of Edmund Husserl). A representative of the philosophy of dialogue and an original philosophy of man called: philosophy of drama.
The main problems of his philosophy are: freedom, hope, good, evil, faithfulness, betrayal, truth and beauty. In his philosophical considerations and analysis we find the connecting with the thought of: Georg W.F. Hegel, Martin Heidegger, Emmanuel Levinas and Soren Kierkegaard.
1931
1932
1936
1937
1939
1940
1942
1944
1945
- 12 march – Józef Stanisław Tischner was born in the Polish town of Stary Sacz, he was the first child born to a teachers couple: Józef Tischner and Weronika Tischner (maiden name Chowaniec)
1932
- The Tischners moved from Tylmanowa to Łopuszna, father became a school director; the family lived in the same building where the school was located
1936
- Jozef Tischner’s brother Marian was born
1937
- Jozef Tischner started elementary school
1939
- The Second World War has began
1940
- Jozef Tischner received the sacraments of First Communion and of Confirmation
- His mother lost her job because of the repressions of the German occupation authorities, which had forbidden the couples to teach
- The family moved to Raba Wyżna, father taught in two schools
1942
- The Tischners moved to Rogoźnik, father become a school director, the family lived in the same building where the school was located
1944
- Tischner started school in Czarny Dunajec, he used to go to school on foot, every day he walked four and a half miles to get there and the other seven and a half to go home
- He started writing a diary
1945
- Tischner started middle school in Nowy Targ
- The Second World War has ended
- The Tischners returned to Łopuszna
- Jozef Tischner’s second brother Kazimierz was born
1947
- Tischner started high school in Nowy Targ
1949
- He finished high school and started studying at the Faculty of Law at the Jagiellonian University (Uniwersytet Jagielloński)
1950
- Tischner enrolled at the Ecclesiastical Seminary of Krakow (Krakowskie Seminarium Duchowne)
- He started studying at the Theological Faculty of the Jagiellonian University
- He used to come back to Łopuszna every summer vacation, he continued his passion for the mountains: both hiking and climbing
- The Communist authorities decided to eliminate the Theological Faculty of the Jagiellonian University and to unite it with the newly created Academy of Catholic Theology (Akademia Teologii Katolickiej – ATK) in Warsaw
- Tischner continued his studies at the Ecclesiastical Seminary of Krakow
- He attended the Social Ethics course held by priest Ph. D. Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II
1955
- Tischner received priest ordination
- He enrolled at the Faculty of Christian Philosophy of the Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw
- Tischner’s article was published in the "Collectanea Theologica" magazine
1956
- Tischner took part in the student demonstrations in Warsaw, organized in order to release the arrested Cardinal Wyszynski
- He became the assistant in the Chair of History of Philosophy at the Academy of Catholic Theology (Akademia Teologii Katolickiej - ATK) in Warsaw
1957
- The professors of the ATK from Krakow, who were asking for months to reopen the Theological Faculty of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, decided to protest by suspending their lessons at ATK and leaving academy. Tischner, like a few assistants, left the academy.
- Tischner started working in the parish of St. Nicholas in Chrzanów, taught religion at school and held Masses
- He continued his studies, enrolled at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, studied the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and Edmund Husserl and attended the seminar of prof. Roman Ingarden (1893-1970), one of the most distinguished students of Edmund Husserl). During the seminar, which he attended until 1963, he met the poet Halina Poświatowska (1935-1967) and Jan Szewczyk (1930-1975), an atheist and Marxist
1959
- Tischner defended his thesis dedicated to the philosophy of Cardinal Mercier
- He moved to Krakow
- He held Masses and taught religion
1960
- Tischner’s article was published in the magazine "Wiez"
1962
- The Second Vatican Council has begun
1963
1965
1966
1968
1969
1970
- Tischner defended his doctoral dissertation titled: The transcendental ego in the philosophy of Edmund Husserl (Ja transcendentalne w filozofii Edmunda Husserla)
- He continued the insights of Husserl’s philosophy, studied the philosophy of Scheler and especially of Heidegger, read Heidegger’s books in German language
- He led religious meetings in the church of St. Anne in Kraków
- He received the first visits of officials from the Security Services (Służby Bezpieczeństwa – SB).
- In 1962 the Ministry of Public Security (Ministerstwo Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego) created the Department IV that controlled the life and work of priests in Poland
1965
- The Second Vatican Council has ended
- Tischner moved to the priests’ professors’ house in San Marco Street in Krakow
- He started teaching at the Ecclesiastical Seminary of Krakow (Krakowskie Seminarium Duchowne)
- Tischner’s article was published in the weekly "Tygodnik Powszechny"
- He entered the environment of the magazine "Znak" and participated in discussions in the magazine’s office very often, in which also took part: Władysław Stróżewski (1933, Professor of Philosophy), Stanisław Grygiel (1934, Professor of Philosophy), Bohdan Cywiński (1939, Professor of Humanistic Sciences)
- Tischner attended the course of Adam Szaf (1913-2006, one of the leading Polish Marxists) at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology (Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii) of Polish Academy of Sciences (Polska Akademia Nauk – PAN) in Warsaw. Jan Szewczyk suggested him to participate in this seminar, which was the most important one for all teachers of Marxism in Poland. Thanks to Szewczyk, Tischner received a personal invitation from Schaf and accepted it with the permission of Cardinal Wojtyła.
1966
- Tischner’s article was published in the monthly “Znak”
1968
- The communist authorities prohibited the theater show "Dziady" by Adam Mickiewicz at the National Theatre (Teatr Narodowy) in Warsaw, this decision caused the student demonstrations in Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk. In Krakow, the police used tear gas, water cannons and truncheons against students. ZOMO’s officers violated the autonomy of the Jagiellonian University, entered the classrooms and arrested some students. In Krakow, in the days of the demonstrations 200 people were arrested. Tischner was a direct witness of these events
- Tischner went to Vienna where he attended the German language course and participated in an international philosophical conference, where he met Ernst Bloch and Gabriel Mercel
- He went to Louvain for a nine months fellowship, conducted researches in the Husserl’s Archives, prepared the habilitation dissertation dedicated to the phenomenology of consciousness
1969
- Tischner became a professor at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in the Faculty of Theology (Papieski Wydział Teologiczny – PWT), he taught Phenomenology of Liturgy
1970
- Tischner held Masses for children in the church of San Marco in Krakow, until 1980. He invited the children to come to church with their favorite stuffed animals or dolls
- He wrote the controversial text: The Decline of Thomist Christianity (Schyłek chrześcijaństwa tomistycznego) that caused a controversy that last for years and was called the dispute over Thomism
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
- Tischner defended his habilitation dissertation titled: The Phenomenology of Ego-consciousness (Fenomenologia świadomości egotycznej)
- He took part in the Pastoral Synod of the Archdiocese of Cracow as a member of teachers’ group
1973
- Tischner became a professor at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology
- He was nominated as the priest of workers of science by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, who gave him the task of creating the Study of Contemporary Thought (Studium Myśli Współczesnej) at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology
1974
- Tischner participated in the Pastoral Synod of the Archdiocese of Krakow where he was a member of the university professors’ group
1975
- He took part of drafting a group that prepared the final documents of the Pastoral Synod of the Archdiocese of Krakow
- The first Tischner’s book: The World of human hope. Selection of philosophical essays 1966-1975 (Świat ludzkiej nadziei. Wybór szkiców filozoficznych 1966-1975) was published
- He organized a conference dedicated to the thought of his friend Prof. Antoni Kępiński (1918-1972), a famous Polish psychiatrist. During the World War II, Kępiński interrupted his studies and enrolled in the army, he was also imprisoned in a concentration camp. Kępiński wrote many articles and books, some Tischner’s texts arise from reflections on his books and articles
- He built a small cabin in the mountains in Łopuszna, where he wrote and read during his stays in the mountains
1976
- Tischner held a monographic course in philosophy at the Institute of Polish Philology (Instytut Filologii Polskiej), at the Jagiellonian University, some years later he held discussions of Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit with the students of that Institute
- The workers went on strike against excessive price increases. The police suppressed them with aggression and violence, many protesters were beaten and arrested, two of them died because of the injuries, about 2500 workers were fired
- The Workers Defense Committee (Komitet Obrony Robotnikow – KOR) was created, that was committed to defending the workers who became victims of the repression after the strikes. Tischner knew Jacek Kuron one of the KOR founders
1977
- Stanisław Pyjas (1953-1977), a student at the Jagiellonian and an opposition activist who was in contact with KOR, was beaten to death. As a reaction to his death, the students organized a demonstration in Krakow that went down in history as the "Black March”, because many participants had a black band on their arm and some of them carried black flags. At the end of the “Black March” the Students Solidarity Committee (Studencki Komitet Solidarności) was founded, which demanded the reveal of Pyjas killers names – the officials of the Security Services (Służby Bezpieczeństwa – SB) or those who acted at their orders
- Tischner led many religious meetings and often delivered speeches
1978
1979
1980
1981
- Tischner participated in the International Meeting of the Christian philosophers in Krakow, during the conference he met Anna T. Tymieniecka (a pupil of Husserl), Louis Dupre, Jean Ladriere, Philibert Decretan and Jan van der Veken
- Karol Wojtyła, cardinal of Krakow, was elected Pope
- Tischner was listed among the candidates who could take the place of Wojtyla in Krakow, so he wrote a letter to Pope John Paul II asking him not to be taken into account because he preferred to devote himself to thought and not to power
1979
- Tischner was nominated prelate
- The first pilgrimage of John Paul II in Poland
- Tischner organized in Krakow the Pope’s meeting with representatives of the world of science
1980
- Father of Tischner died
- Together with Krzysztof Michalski (1948-2013, professor of philosophy), Tischner planned to open a scientific institute in Vienna for all scientists from East and West of Europe
- He celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of priesthood
- After another increase of prices, the workers strikes in Poland have started. In the Gdańsk Shipyard (Stocznia Gdańska) the Intercompany Strike Committee (Międzyzakładowy Komitet Strajkowy) was created
- At the Shipyard in Gdansk the first free labour union was founded : the Independent Self-governing Labour Union "Solidarity" (Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy”Solidarność”)
- Tischner participated in the seminar in Castel Gandolfo
- He preached a sermon during the Mass for the leaders and members of Solidarity in Wawel Cathedral in Krakow in which Lech Wałęsa, the leader of Solidarity, participated.
- A series of Tischner’s articles entitled: “The Ethics of Solidarity” (Etyka Solidarności) were published in the Catholic weekly “Tygodnik Powszechy” (from November 1980 until March 1981). Later the articles were joined together and published as a book
- Thanks to the efforts of Michalski and Tischner and with the support of Pope John Paul II the Institute of Human Sciences (Institut fűr die Wissenschaften vom Menschen) was created in Vienna. The members of the Scientific Council were among others: Sir Isaiah Berlin, Ernst Wolfgang Bockenferde, Hans Georg Gadamer, Walter Kasper, Emmanuel Levinas, Johnn B. Metz, Paul Ricoeur, Charles Tylor
- Tischner held a Mass during the Congress of Country Solidarity (Zjazd Solidarności Wiejskiej) in Ludźmierz
- More and more often he was invited to hold lectures
- He became an informal priest of Solidarność
- Tischner’s book: How to live (Jak żyć) was published
1981
- Tischner appeared on television with a speech after the attack on the Pope John Paul II, he spoke during the time of Pope’s surgery. He was a priest, so his appearance on TV was an exception that the communist authorities have allowed due to importance of events
- First encyclical of Pope John Paul II Laborem exercens was published. The text became very important for the environment of Solidarity. Tischner wrote an article dedicated to the encyclical
- After the death of Cardinal Wyszynski, the Primate of Poland, it was possible for Tischner to take his place, but this time too he claimed not to be interested in power
- He started to celebrate Masses in the mountains in front of his hut
- He was invited to the National Congress of Delegates of Solidarity, (I Ogólnopolski Zjazd Delegatów Solidarności) in Gdansk. He held a Mass, before the start of the second day of the trial, the sermon which he preached was included in the Congress documents
- He stared to hold lectures about the Philosophy of Drama at the National High School of Theatre (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Teatralna) in Krakow, he spoke among other things about the philosophy of Kierkegaard and Levinas
- The Labour Union Solidarność was banned
- The martial law was imposed in Poland on 13 December
- Tischner’s book Ethics of Solidarity (Etyka Solidarności) was published
1982
- Tischner left for the field, an isolation center for people related to the opposition and interned by the Communist authorities, he delivered the letters from their families
- He received the home visits by Security Service (SB) officials, he was summoned in their office more often. During one of these meetings, the SB asked him to sign the declaration to interrupt contacts with the Solidarność, but he refused declaring that his contacts would have a priestly character
- He lead religious meeting in the church of St. Anne in Krakow
- He preached a sermon during Holy Mass for the Homeland in the Wawel Cathedral in Cracow. During the Mass the cathedral was surrounded by police
- He began to teach the Philosophy of Man and the Gnoseology (Theory of Knowledge) at Pontifical Academy of Theology (Papieska Akademia Teologiczna), now the Pontifical University of John Paul II (Papieski Uniwersytet Jana Pawła II)
- He held a seminar at the Pontifical Academy of Theology
- He was elected dean of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Pontifical Academy of Theology, in the following years he was re-elected to the post. In the following years he was also elected rector of the Academy, but he renounced this position
- Tischner’s book Thinking according to values (Myślenie według wartości) was published
1983
- The Institute of Human Sciences organized a meeting of Pope John Paul II with intellectuals from all over the world at Castel Gandolfo. The meeting theme was: Man in contemporary science. Tischner participated in the meeting of Jewish and Christian thinkers in Simpelveld in the Netherlands, where he met Emmanuel Levinas
- The second pilgrimage of Pope John Paul II to Poland, called the pilgrimage of hope because it happened in the period of martial law. In 1982 the authorities of the Polish People’s Republic (Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa - PRL), didn’t give their permission for pope’s visit for the 600 years anniversary of the Jasna Góra sanctuary in Częstochowa (the most important pilgrimage site in Poland, dedicated to the Black Madonna )
- The martial law in Poland was ended
1984
- The Security Services (SB) killed priest Jerzy Popiełuszko (1947-1984), chaplain of Solidarity of Warsaw, proclaimed blessed in 2010. During the martial law he organized the Masses for the Homeland in Warsaw, which were transmitted by the international Radio Free Europe. He organized the workers pilgrimage to Czestochowa. He celebrated the funeral of Grzegorz Przemyk (1964-1983), a student who died during the police interrogation because of a fatal beating by three police officers. Popiełuszko was summoned several times to the police station for interrogation and his apartment was searched. After he survived an attempted attack, he received the proposal to go studying in Rome, but he refused, despite the danger. In 1984, the officials of the Security Services – UB, dressed in police uniforms, stopped his car, tied him up and put in the trunk of his car, and then kidnapped him. His body, to which a sack of stones was tied, was found in the Vistula River; the autopsy revealed signs of torture. Popiełuszko’s funeral in which Lech Walesa also participated turned into a demonstration. In Poland, in the 80s seven priests close to Solidarity were killed. The same colonel who directed the operation of kidnapping and killing of Popiełuszko, interrogated Tischner. In 1983, Popiełuszko asked Tischner to held a Homeland Mass in Warsaw, because of various commitments Tischner was very busy and did it only after the murder of Father Popiełuszko.
1985
- The attacks and accusations by the communist authorities against Tischner had increased
- He held religious meeting in Warsaw
- Tischner’s book: Poland is a Homeland. In the range of work philosophy (Polska jest Ojczyzną. W kręgu filozofii pracy) was published
1986
- He attended a conference in Hungary, was invited by the president of the Pontifical Council for Dialogue with non-believers
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
- The III pilgrimage of Pope John Paul II. During one of the Masses in Gdansk the Pope quoted the words of St. Paul that Tischner had chosen as the foundations of his book Ethics of Solidarity
1988
- Workers and students strikes, to which the authorities reacted violently
- Tischner recorded a series of radio broadcasts entitled “Excursions in the philosophers’ land” (Wycieczki w krainę filozofów); he worked with Radio Krakow for the next eight years
1989
- He delivered a speech at the meeting of the Commission of the General Priesthood of the Polish Episcopate
- The Round Table (Okrągły Stół) Agreement in which the representatives of the government and of Solidarity took part. Following the agreements, elections were organized in which representatives of Solidarność also participated
1990
- Tischner’s book The philosophy of drama (Filosofia dramatu) was published
1991
- Tischner spent six months at the Institute of Human Sciences of Vienna
1992
- Tischner’s book Divine mill (Boski młyn) was published
1993
- Tischner’s mother died
- Tischner’s various articles were published in the magazines "Tygodnik Powszechny" and "Gazeta Wyborcza"
- His book Confession of a revolutionary. Reading Hegel’s “Phenomenology of the Spirit” (Spowiedź rewolucjonisty. Czytając “Fenomenologię ducha” Hegla) was published
- His book Unloved love (Miłość niemiłowana) was published
1994
- He moved to a larger apartment, on Kanonicza Street in Krakow
- He continued to work as university professor, priest and speaker participating in scientific and cultural conferences
- Publication of his book It’s about honor (Idzie o honor)
1995
- He received the honorary doctorate degree from the University of Lódź (Uniwersytet Łódzki)
- He participated in the television program “Around the Bible” (“Wokół Biblii”) until 1997
- Tischner’s book Between the lord and the parish priest (Między panem a plebanem) was published, a book that he wrote together with A. Michnik and J. Żakowski
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
Pope John Paul wrote in the telegram after Tischner's death:
“He was a man of Church, always worried that in the struggle for the truth the man will not be lost sight of (…)
A philosopher and theologian who was open to man, and at the same time never forgot the God”.
- He participated in the television program spanning twenty-five episodes, entitled “Talk about the Catechism” (“Rozmowy o Katechizmie”)
- He participated in the meeting of Pope John Paul II with intellectuals from all over the world; the meeting was organized in Castel Gandolfo in Italy by Institute of Human Sciences of Vienna
- The Holy Masses that Tischner celebrated in the mountains became more and more popular
- He received the title of honorary doctorate degree from the Pedagogical High School (Wyższa Szoła Pedagogiczna) of Krakow
- His book, written together with J. Żakowski, Tischner reads the Catechism (Tischner czyta Katechizm) was published
1997
- Tischner was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and underwent the first surgery
- He continued to write the articles, among others a series entitled: Priesthood and the Evil of this World (Kapłaństwo i zło tego świata), published later as a book: The Priest on the Out-Roads (Ksiądz na Manowcach)
- He interrupted the lectures held at the Pontifical Academy of Theology, today the Pontifical University of John Paul II
- He wrote some open letters to the students of the Pontifical Academy of Theology
- He continued to write the book The Controversy of Human Existence (Spór o istnienie człowieka)
- Tischner’s book In the land of sick imagination (W krainie schorowanej wyobraźni) was published
- The interview book with Tischner, Convince the Lord God. With Don Józef Tischner speak D. Zanko and J. Gowin (Przekonać Pana Boga. Z księdzem Józefem Tischnerem rozmawiają D. Zanko i J. Gowin) was published
1998
- Tischner finished the book The Controversy of Human Existence (Spór o istnienie człowieka)
- He underwent surgery in London
- He underwent chemotherapy in London, despite serious health problems he continued to write
- He wrote the book A guide to examination of conscience (Pomoc w rachunku sumienia)
- His book The Controversy of Human Existence (Spór o istnienie człowieka) was published
1999
- Pope John Paul II’s pilgrimage to Poland
- Tischner’s last meeting with Pope John Paul II at Wawel Cathedral in Krakow. Two friends John Paul II and Józef Tischner, both tried by the disease, met and embraced each other last time
- Tischner’s book A guide to examination of conscience (Pomoc w rachunku sumienia) was published
- The interview book with Tischner To convince the Lord God (Przekonać Pana Boga) was published
- Tischner’s book The priest on the off-roads (Ksiądz na manowcach) was published
- Tischner’s book The roads and the off-roads of mercy (Drogi i bezdroża miłosierdzia) was published
- A further deterioration of his health. He lost his voice and communicated by writing on paper
- Tischner wrote his last article: The smallness and his powerful (Maleńkość i jej mocarz)
- He received the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest decoration
2000
- 28 june – Tischner died in the hospital in Krakow. In the last moments of his life, his brother Marian and his sister-in-law were present at his side
- 02 july – Tischner’s funeral in Krakow
Pope John Paul wrote in the telegram after Tischner's death:
“He was a man of Church, always worried that in the struggle for the truth the man will not be lost sight of (…)
A philosopher and theologian who was open to man, and at the same time never forgot the God”.