Martin Becanus
Martinus Becanus (6 January 1563 – 24 January 1624) was a Dutch-born Jesuit priest, known as a theologian and controversialist.
Life
He was born Maarten Schellekens in Hilvarenbeek in North Brabant; Schellekens is a patronymic and he adopted a Latinized form of the surname Van (Hilvaren)Beek. He entered the Society of Jesus on 22 March 1583, and taught Theology for twenty-two years at Würzburg, Mainz, and Vienna.[1]
He died in Vienna, where he was the confessor to the Emperor Ferdinand II.
Works
A first class controversialist and prolific writer Becanus is the author of some 37 books, most of them works of polemics.
- He developed the art of controversy and taught it in his book : Manuale controversiarumn huius temporis published in Wurzburg (1623), that went into more than 20 editions.
- Another book had much success: Analogia veteris et novi Testamenti.
- He supported Cardinal Bellarmine in the major allegiance oath controversy with James I of England, publishing six books in the period 1610 to 1613, one against William Tooker and another being directed at Lancelot Andrewes. At the time he was based in Mainz; he was brought into the front line of the discussion of Bellarmine's Apologia by Attileo Amalteo, the nuncio at Cologne.[2][3]
Among numerous other works was his Summa Theologiae Scholasticae.
References
Notes
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ W. B. Patterson, King James VI and I and the Reunion of Christendom (1997), note 139 p. 101.
- ^ Peter Godman, The Saint as Censor: Robert Bellarmine between inquisition and index (2000), p. 203.
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Martin Becan". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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