<\/p>\n
1. ST. JEROME<\/strong>. \u2013 We owe to St. Jerome the idea of a Patrology or history of Christian theological literature. His work on the Christian writers was composed at Bethlehem in 392 at the suggestion of the pretorian prefect Dexter[1]<\/a>. It is modelled on the homonymous work of Suetonius (ca. 75\u2013160), and professes to be a brief account of all those \u00abecclesiastical writers\u00bb (\u00abecclesiae scriptores\u00bb) who have written on the Sacred Scriptures (\u00abde scripturis sanctis aliquid memoriae prodiderunt\u00bb) from the Crucifixion to the fourteenth year of the reign of Theodosius (392). The first chapters are devoted to the books of the New Testament; later on, even heretical writers are added (Bardesanes c. 33, Novatian c. 70, and others). At the end (c. 135) he gives an account of his own writings as far as the year 392. The material of the first chapters is taken from the New Testament; the following sections, on the Greek writers of the first three centuries, are hastily made and inaccurate excerpts from the Church History of Eusebius of C\u00e6sarea. The chapters on the Latin writers and on later Greek writers represent the personal knowledge and research of St. Jerome, and although they do not entirely satisfy our just expectations, they are nevertheless an historical authority of the first rank. Erasmus, who first edited (1516) the \u00abDe viris illustribus\u00bb, published also a Greek translation of the work (Migne 1. c.) which he attributed to Sophronius, a contemporary of St. Jerome. It was not, however, executed before the seventh century.<\/p>\n In the very numerous manuscripts of this work of St. Jerome the continuation by Gennadius<\/em> (n. 2) is usually found. It is also printed in the latest editions, by W. Herding<\/em>, Leipzig, 1879; C. A. Bernoulli<\/em>, Sammlung ausgew\u00e4hlter kirchen\u2010 und dogmengeschichtlicher Quellenschriften xi., Freiburg i.\u00a0 Br. (1895), and E.\u00a0 C. Richardson<\/em>, Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur, Leipzig, 1896, xiv. I. These editions have not rendered further improvement impossible. O. v. Gebhardt<\/em> has given us an excellent edition of the Greek translation, Leipzig, 1896 (Texte\u00a0 und Untersuchungen 1.\u00a0 c.).\u00a0 Cf.\u00a0 St.\u00a0 v.\u00a0 Sychowski<\/em>, Hieronymus als Literarhistoriker, M\u00fcnster, 1894 (Kirchengeschichtliche Studien, ii. 2); C. A. Bernoulli<\/em>, Der Schriftstellerkatalog des Hieronymus, Freiburg i. Br., 1895; G. Wentzel<\/em>, Die griechische \u00dcbersetzung der Viri inlustres des Hieronymus, Leipzig, 1895 (Texte und Untersuchungen, xiii. 3).<\/p>\n 2. CONTINUATORS OF ST. JEROME.<\/strong> \u2013 For more than a thousand years, this little book of the Hermit of Bethlehem served as the basis of all later efforts to produce a history of theological literature. All later compilers linked their work to his, and even when there was added a name forgotten by him, or by one of his continuators, the form and divisions of the work remained unchanged. Between the years 467\u2013480 (apparently), Gennadius, a priest of Marseilles, brought out a very useful continuation and completion of the \u00abDe viris\u00bb[2]<\/a>. He was a Semi\u2010Pelagian, a fact that is responsible for occasional deviations from his usual impartial or objective<\/em> attitude. Otherwise, Gennadius was an historian of extensive knowledge, accurate judgment and honourable purpose. Isidore, archbishop of Seville (\u2020 636), added considerably to the labours of Gennadius[3]<\/a>, and his disciple Ildephonsus of Toledo (\u2020 667) contributed a short appendix on some Spanish theologians[4]<\/a>. Centuries were now to pass away before the Benedictine chronicler, Sigebert of Gembloux in Belgium (\u2020 1112), took up the task once more, and carried the history of ecclesiastical literature down to his own time. In his book \u00abDe viris illustribus\u00bb[5]<\/a> he treats first, \u00abimitatus Hieronymum et Gennadium\u00bb, as he himself says (c. 171), of the ancient ecclesiastical writers; and next gives biographical and bibliographical notes on early medi\u00e6val Latin theologians, usually slight and meagre in contents, and not unfrequently rather superficial. Somewhat similar compendia were composed by the priest Honorius of Augustodunum (Autun?) between 1122 and 1125[6]<\/a>, by the \u00abAnonymus Mellicensis\u00bb, so called from the Benedictine abbey of Melk in Lower Austria, where the first manuscript of his work was found, though the work itself was probably composed in the abbey of Pr\u00fcfening near Ratisbon in 1135[7]<\/a>, and by the author of a similarly entitled work wrongly ascribed to the scholastic theologian Henry of\u00a0 Ghent (\u2020 1293).\u00a0 These compilations were all surpassed, in 1494, as regards the number of authors and the abundance of information, by the \u00abDe scriptoribus ecclesiasticis\u00bb of the celebrated abbot Johannes Trithemius (\u2020 1516). It contains notices of 963 writers, some of whom, however, were not theologians. Its chief merit lies in the information given concerning writers of the later period of Christian antiquity. For Trithemius, as for his predecessors, St. Jerome and Gennadius are the principal sources of knowledge concerning the literary labours of the Fathers.<\/p>\n These literary\u2010historical compilations are to be found together with the work of St. Jerome (Latin and Greek) in J. A. Fabricius<\/em>, Bibliotheca ecclesiastica, Hamburg, 1718. For the later editions of Gennadius by Herding, Bernoulli, Richardson<\/em> see p. 7; cf. also Jungmann<\/em>, Quaestiones Gennadianae (Programme), Lipsiae, 1881; Br. Czapla<\/em>, Gennadius als Literarhistoriker, M\u00fcnster, 1898 (Kirchengeschichtliche Studien, iv. I); Fr. Diekamp<\/em>, Wann hat Gennadius seinen Schriftstellerkatalog verfa\u00dft? R\u00f6mische Quartalschrift f\u00fcr christliche Altertumskunde und f\u00fcr Kirchengeschichte, 1898, xii. 411\u2013420. For the two Spanish historians of Christian literature cf. G. v. Dzialowski<\/em>, Isidor und Ildefons als Literarhistoriker, M\u00fcnster (Kirchengeschichtliche Studien, iv. 2). For Sigebert of Gembloux cf. Wattenbach<\/em>, Deutschlands Geschichtsquellen im Mittelalter, 6. ed., Berlin, 1893\u20101894, ii. 155\u2013162, and for his literary\u2010historical work S. Hirsch<\/em>, De vita et scriptis Sigeberti monachi Gemblacensis, Berolini, 1841, 330\u2013337. There is an article by Stanonik<\/em> on Honorius \u00a0of Augustodunum\u00a0 in \u00a0the\u00a0 Kirchenlexikon \u00a0of Wetzer<\/em> und Welte<\/em>, 2. ed., vi. 268\u2013274. A good edition of the \u00abAnonymus Mellicensis\u00bb was published by E. Ettlinger<\/em>, Karlsruhe, 1896. For the work \u00abDe viris illustribus\u00bb current under the name of Henry of Ghent see B. Haur\u00e9au<\/em> in M\u00e9moires de l’institut national de France, Acad. des inscriptions et belles\u2010lettres, Paris, 1883, xxx. 2, 349\u2013357. The work of Trithemius is discussed by J. Silbernagl<\/em>, Johannes Trithemius, 2. ed., Regensburg, 1885, pp. 59\u201365.<\/p>\n 3. THE XVI., XVII., AND XVIII. CENTURIES.<\/strong> Since the fifteenth century the study of ecclesiastical literature has made unexpected progress. The humanists brought to light a multitude of unknown works of Latin, and especially of Greek ecclesiastical writers. The contention of the reformers that primitive Christianity had undergone a profound corruption, furthered still more the already awakened interest in the ancient literature of the Church. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Benedictine scholars of the French Congregation of St. Maur gave a powerful and lasting impulse to the movement by the excellent, and in part classical, editions of texts, in which they revealed to an astonished world historical sources of almost infinite richness and variety. New provinces and new purposes were thereby opened to Patrology. The Maurists made known at the same time the laws for the historical study of the original sources; in nearly every department of ancient ecclesiastical literature, it became possible for scholars to strip the historical truth of the veil of legend that had hung over it. It still remained customary for literary historians, to deal with the ancient ecclesiastical literature as a whole. The most distinguished Catholic names in this period of patrological scholarship are those of Bellarmine (\u2020 1621), Dupin (\u2020 1719), Le Nourry (\u2020 1724), Ceillier (\u2020 1761), Schram (\u2020 1797), Lumper (\u2020 1800). Among the Protestant patrologists are reckoned the Reformed theologians Cave (\u2020 1713), and Oudin (\u2020 1717), (a Premonstratensian monk who became a Protestant in 1690). The Lutheran writers, Gerhard (\u2020 1637), H\u00fclsemann (\u2020 1661), Olearius (\u2020 1711), and others introduced and spread the use of the term \u00abPatrology\u00bb, meaning thereby a comprehensive view of all Christian theological literature from the earliest period to medi\u00e6val, and even to modern times.<\/p>\n Robertus<\/em> Card. Bellarminus<\/em> S. J., De scriptoribus ecclesiasticis liber unus, cum adiunctis indicibus undecim et brevi chronologia ab orbe condito usque ad annum 1612, Romae, 1613; Coloniae, 1613, et saepius. L. E. Dupin<\/em>, Nouvelle biblioth\u00e8que des auteurs eccl\u00e9siastiques, Paris, 1686 sq. The several sections of this extensive work appeared under different titles. The number of volumes also varies according to the editions. Because of its very unecclesiastical character the work of Dupin was placed on the Index, May 10. 1757. N. Le Nourry<\/em> O. S. B., Apparatus ad bibliothecam maximam veterum patrum et antiquorum scriptorum ecclesiasticorum Lugduni (1677) editam, 2 tomi, Paris, 1703\u20131715. R. Ceillier<\/em> O. S. B., Histoire g\u00e9n\u00e9rale des auteurs sacr\u00e9s et eccl\u00e9siastiques, 23 vols., Paris, 1729\u20131763; a new edition was brought out at Paris, 1858\u20131869, 16 vols. D. Schram<\/em> O. S. B., Analysis operum SS. Patrum et scriptorum eccl., 18 tomi, Aug. Vind., 1780\u20131796. G.<\/em> Lumper<\/em> O. S. B., Historia theologico\u2010critica de vita, scriptis atque doctrina SS. Patrum aliorumque scriptorum eccl. trium primorum saeculorum, 13 tomi, Aug. Vind., 1783\u20131799. 4. PATROLOGY IN MODERN TIMES<\/strong>. During the nineteenth century, the materials of ancient ecclesiastical literary history have steadily increased. Not only have many new Greek and Latin texts been discovered, notably by such scholars as Cardinal Mai (\u2020 1854) and Cardinal Pitra (\u2020 1889), but entirely new fields have been thrown open, particularly in the domain of the ancient Syriac and Armenian literatures; the elaboration of this material has called forth, especially in Germany, England, and North America, a zeal that grows ever more active and general. Protestant theologians paid particular attention to the problems of Christian antiquity, and classical philologians learned to overcome their former attitude of depreciation of theologico\u2010Christian literature. The press poured forth patristic monographs in such numbers that their ever\u2010growing flood became at times almost a source of embarrassment. Among the comprehensive works published by Catholic authors were those of M\u00f6hler (\u2020 1838), Permaneder (\u2020 1862), Fessler (\u2020 1872), Alzog (\u2020 1878), Nirschl, and others. In the latter half of the eighteenth century the custom arose of dividing the later from the earlier Fathers, and making these latter the subject of a separate branch of literary and historical study. Within the last few years, Protestant theologians have made exhaustive studies on the writers of the first three centuries. In the first part of his monumental work, Adolf Harnack has presented with an unexampled fullness the entire material of pre\u2010Eusebian Christian literature.<\/p>\n A. M\u00f6hler<\/em>, Patrologie oder christliche Liter\u00e4rgeschichte, edited by F. X. Reithmayr<\/em>, vol. I (the first three Christian centuries), Ratisbon 1840. The work was not continued. M. Permaneder<\/em>, Bibliotheca patristica, Landishuti, 1841\u20101844, 2 tomi. J. Fessler<\/em>, Institutiones Patrologiae, Innspruck, 1850\u20101851, 2 tomi; denuo recensuit, auxit, edidit B. Jungmann<\/em>, ib., 1890\u20101896. J.<\/em> Alzog<\/em>, Grundri\u00df der Patrologie oder der \u00e4lteren christlichen Liter\u00e4rgeschichte, Freiburg, 1866, 4. ed., ib. 1888. J. Nirschl<\/em>, Lehrbuch der Patrologie und Patristik, Mainz, 1881\u20101885, 3 vols. J. R\u00e9zb\u00e1nyay<\/em>, Compendium patrologiae et patristicae, Quinqueecclesiis [i. e. F\u00fcnfkirchen], 1894. B. Swete<\/em>, Patristic Study, London, 1902. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Otto Bardenhewer. \u201c<\/strong>History and Literature of Patrology\u201d, in: \u2018Patrology\u2019. The lives and works of the Fathers of the Church<\/em>. Translated from the second edition by Thomas J. Shanan. <\/em>\u2018Introduction\u2019, <\/strong>\u00a7I, <\/strong>pp. 1\u20107. B. Herder. <\/strong>Freiburg im Breisgau and St. Louis, Mo. 1908. pp. 7\u201011.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>[Transc. by: Francisco<\/strong> Arriaga.<\/strong> M\u00e9xico, Frontera Norte. 14 de septiembre de 2009. Rev. 11 de abril \u00a0de 2019].<\/strong><\/p>\n [1]<\/a> De viris illustr.: Migne<\/em>, PL., xxiii, 601\u2013720. \n
\nCave<\/em>, Scriptorum ecclesiasticorum historia litteraria a Christo nato usque ad saec. XIV, Lond., 1688. C. Oudin<\/em>, Commentarius de scriptoribus eccles., 3 tomi, Lipsiae, 1722.
\nJoh. Gerhardi<\/em> Patrologia, s. de primitivae ecclesiae christianae doctorum vita ac lucubrationibus opusculum posthumum, Jenae, 1653; 3. ed., Gerae, 1673. J. H\u00fclsemann<\/em>, Patrologia, ed. J. A. Scherzer<\/em>, Lipsiae, 1670. J. G. Olearius<\/em>, Abacus patrologicus, Jenae, 1673. Idem<\/em>, Bibliotheca scriptorum eccles., 2 tomi, Jenae, 1710\u20131711.
\nMany ancient ecclesiastical writers are treated at much length by L. S. le Nain de Tillemont<\/em>, M\u00e9moires pour servir \u00e0 l’histoire eccl\u00e9siastique des six premiers si\u00e8cles, 16 tomes, Paris, 1693\u20131712, often reprinted; cf. also J.<\/em> A. Fabricius<\/em>, Bibliotheca Graeca seu notitia scriptorum veterum Graecorum, 14 voll., Hamburgi, 1705\u20131728. A new, but unfinished edition of Fabricius was published by G. Chr. Harles<\/em>, 12 voll., Hamburg, 1790\u20131809. C.<\/em> Tr. G. Schoenemann<\/em>, Bibliotheca historico\u2010literaria Patrum latinorum, 2 tomi, Lipsiae, 1792\u20131794.<\/p>\n
\nCh. Th. Cruttwell<\/em>, A literary history of early Christianity, including the Fathers and the chief heretical writers of the Ante\u2010Nicene period, London, 1893, 2 vols. A. Harnack<\/em>, Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur bis auf Eusebius, I. Part: Die \u00dcberlieferung und der Bestand, Leipzig, 1893. II. Part: Die Chronologie, I. vol.: Die Chronologie der altchristlichen Literatur bis Iren\u00e4us, Leipzig, 1897; 2. vol.: Die Chronologie der Literatur von Iren\u00e4us bis Eusebius, ib., 1904. G.<\/em> Kr\u00fcger<\/em>, Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur in den ersten drei Jahrhunderten, Freiburg, 1895; with supplement, 1897: English transl. by Gillet<\/em>, History of Early Christian Literature, New York and London, 1897.
\nBatiffol<\/em>, La litt\u00e9rature grecque, Paris, 1897 (Biblioth\u00e8que de l’enseignement de l’histoire eccl\u00e9siastique. Anciennes litt\u00e9ratures chr\u00e9tiennes). The Greek theologians of the Byzantine period (527\u20131453) are treated by A. Ehrhard<\/em> in K. Krumbacher<\/em>, Geschichte der byzantinischen Literatur, 2. ed., Munich, 1897, pp. 37\u2013218. For the Greek hymnology of the same period cf. ib. pp. 653\u2013705. The histories of Roman literature, by B\u00e4hr,<\/em> Teuffel-Schwabe,<\/em> and Schanz<\/em>, devote attention to the Latin theological writers: J. Chr. F. B\u00e4hr<\/em>, Geschichte der r\u00f6mischen Literatur, vol. iv: Die christlich\u2010r\u00f6mische Literatur, Karlsruhe, 1836\u20131840; W. S. Teuffel<\/em>, Geschichte der r\u00f6mischen Literatur, neu bearbeitet von L. Schwabe<\/em>, 5. ed., Leipzig, 1890, 2 vols.; M. Schanz<\/em>, Geschichte der r\u00f6mischen Literatur, 3. Part: Die Zeit von Hadrian (117) bis auf Konstantin (324), Munich, 1896, 2. ed. 1905. 4. Part, I. Half: Die Literatur des 4. Jahrhunderts, 1904. Cf. especially A. Ebert<\/em>, Allgemeine Geschichte der Literatur des Mittelalters im Abendlande, vol. i: Geschichte der christlich\u2010lateinischen Literatur von ihren Anf\u00e4ngen bis zum Zeitalter Karls des Gro\u00dfen, Leipzig, 1874, 2. ed. 1889. Much less satisfactory is the work of M. Manitius<\/em>, Geschichte der christlich\u2010lateinischen Poesie bis zur Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts, Stuttgart, 1891. In the proper place will be mentioned the descriptions of ancient Syriac and Armenian literature. The work of Smith<\/em> and Wace<\/em> is very useful, relatively complete and generally reliable: A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects and Doctrines, edited by W. Smith<\/em> and H. Wace<\/em>, London, 1877\u20131887, 4 vols. O. Bardenhewer<\/em>, Geschichte der altkirchl. Literatur, I.\u2010II. tom.: Bis zum Beginn des 4. Jahrhunderts, Freiburg, 1902\u20101903.<\/p>\n
\n[2]<\/a> Migne<\/em>, PL., lviii. 1059\u20101120.
\n[3]<\/a> Ib., lxxxiii. 1081\u20101106.
\n[4]<\/a> Ib., xcvi. 195\u2010206.
\n[5]<\/a> Ib., clx. 547\u2013588.
\n[6]<\/a> De luminaribus ecclesiae: Migne<\/em>, PL., clxxii. 197\u2013234.
\n[7]<\/a> De scriptoribus ecclesiasticis: ib., ccxiii. 961\u2013984.<\/p>\n