ut de eiusmodi coniunctione aliqua exstet significatio, placet, venerabiles fratres, certiores vos facere, die duodecimo mensis decembris, quo die B. Mariac Guadalupensis sollemnia apud vos aguntur, esse Nos sacris operaturos tum in Eius honorem quam, hoc titulo, praecipua veneratione colitis, tum in salutem carissimi Nobis Mexicani populi. Quod vero deliberatum Nobis est, id sibi quoque praenuntiari sciant dioecesium vestrarum fideles, ut eo ipso die, consociatis Nobiscum obsecrationibus, pacis et tranquillitatis munera patriae tam conturbatae facilius concilient. Quorum auspicem, paternaeque benevolentiae Nostrae testem, vobis, venerabiles fratres, universoque clero et populo unicuique vestrum concredito apostolicam benedictionem peramanter impertimus. Datum Romae apud S. Petrum, die xv mensis iunii, festo SS. Cordis Iesu, anno MCMXVII, Pontificatus Nostri tertio. BENEDICTUS PP. XV. REVIEWS AND NOTES L'ASCETISME CHRÉTIEN PENDANT LES TROIS PREMIERS SIÈCLES DE L'ÉGLISE. Par F. Martinez. Paris Gabriel Beauchesne. ABOUT thirty-five years ago the Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte published two articles, signed by Weingarten, a celebrated historian, in which he attempted to solve the problem of the origin of monasticism. He saw its precursors in the recluses of the temple of Serapis, whose exterior practices, as well as their spirit, the Christian monks must have inherited. The documents he brings forward in proof of his contention are, first, the testimony of the philosopher Cheremon, as related by Porphyrius, on the ascetics who lived in the Egyptian temples; secondly, the Greek papyri preserved in the British Museum and in the National Library in Paris, which for the most part came from the temple of Memphis; and, thirdly, an inscription of 211 A.D. Weingarten's theory aroused a good deal of controversy, and was received favourably by many German and English critics. Although to-day it is almost abandoned, yet the last word has not yet been said on the subject. Ten years before Weingarten, Hilgenfeld put forth the theory of an influence of the Buddhist monks on the monks of Christianity. This influence would be indirectly felt through the medium of the Essenes, and more immediately through the monks of Egypt. The author of L'Ascétisme Chrétien, in his Introduction, deals specifically with all the points adduced by Weingarten and Hilgenfeld and gives us a very interesting résumé of the life and teachings of the Essenes, and of the Therapeutes, and of the worship of Mithra. Up to the fifteenth century no writer had ever called into doubt the evangelical origin of solitaries and of monks. It was only at the Reformation period that an effort was made to show that the religious life was an institution foreign to Christianity, that it did not appear until the fourth century, when the Church, wishing to harmonize its dogmas with pagan philosophy and civilization, effected what the Protestant critics called its 'catholicisation.' Our author recognizes the resemblances between the practices of the Christian monks and those of the pagans, which are derived from man's religious instincts, but, striking as they are, they are only superficial and accidental. In research of this kind nothing can take the place of positive facts, and instead of contenting oneself with looking on the surface of things one must penetrate into the very spirit of those institutions, which is their life as well. One can go further still and admit the existence of foreign influences on points of detail and the introduction of certain secondary elements in the existence of monasticism that was not a fixed thing, but had the plasticity of life and yielded to circumstances, still it would be necessary to verify these modifications and these influences from without. But what we cannot allow is that one can establish historically that the monastic life, in its spirit and its foundation, was the product of any philosophical school or of any religion other than the Christian religion. It can be shown that monasticism is the outcome of the Gospel, that it is from the example and teaching of Jesus Christ and of the Apostles that it draws its spirit and its strength. It can be shown that asceticism is taught in the New Testament and that in the beginning of apostolic times there were noble and courageous hearts who followed the imitation of Jesus Christ to the highest perfection; that these ascetics did not cease to live in and to edify the Church up to the third century, that they might be considered as the veterans of monasticism,' since they show the same spirit, the same characteristics, and, at least in embryo, the same elements as the monks of the fourth century. The author does not pretend to determine the causes that led ascetics from the bosom of Christian communities to the solitary life. That is a delicate point, and it is the scarcity of documents on the subject that has led to so many contradictory hypotheses, with regard to the influence of Buddhists, Therapeutes, and Essenes. The author's work consists in carefully collecting testimonies from tradition on the life of the ascetics. From the simple exposition of these texts certain characteristics can be deduced that outline the essential traits of monasticism in a manner that cannot be gainsaid. In the Apostolic Fathers few traces of information on this subject can be found, but further on in the second century some of the great apologists, such as Justin of Tatien, Athenagoras, Minutius Felix, and others make their eloquent voices heard. They do not insist so much on the life of the virgins in the Christian community, but, in possessing them, they evince a great pride, and defy paganism to produce anything similar. But when we come to Tertullian, Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Methodius of Olympius, then, indeed, the harvest is abundant. It must be admitted, however, that these testimonies do not suffice for us to follow, step by step, the evolution of asceticism, but, on the other hand, they are sufficient to allow us to reach positive results and an undeniable development, if not verifiable in all its details. The conclusion, then, that follows from the study of the ecclesiastical writers of the three first centuries is that monasticism is contained as a germ in asceticism. Besides the interesting chapters on the testimonies of the Fathers of the East and the West and of Alexandria there are two excellent and informative chapters on Gnosticism, Encratism and Montanism, and on the Greek Philosophy and the School of Alexandria. The author deals very exhaustively with the relations and the influence of the Greek Philosophy on Clement of Alexandria: Ce que Clément demanda d'abord à la philosophie, ce fut un cadre, où il ne voulait admettre que des idées chrétiennes; les lignes pourraient sembler empruntées à la pensée grecque, le fond de la doctrine serait purement chrétien. A la philosophie il emprunta ensuite un formulaire, qui était alors courant et s'imposait à lui sous peine de n'être pas compris de ses contemporains, et enfin une méthode d'exposition. Tout cela il pouvait le prendre en hors du christianisme sans s'écarter de la plus saine orthodoxie.' The author's learned researches group around virginity, poverty, mortification, prayer, and the vow, simple or public. He is slow to draw any conclusions that are not clearly warranted in the testimonies, and, in fact, controverts, with good reason, many conclusions of enthusiastic historians, especially in the question of the public vow, although he admits that there is great probability for the existence of such in the places in question and moral certainty for its existence in other places, for instance, in Rome, as evidenced in the beautiful frescoes in the Catacomb of Priscilla, anterior to the fourth century. Bornemann, Harnack, and Schmietz have already treated of this same subject of primitive Christian asceticism, but the two first have only done so partially, and the last-named, although collecting together all the texts, has not drawn from them all that they contain. The present work is exhaustive, besides being sound in its critique, and admirable in its analysis and its method of treatment. The undertaking was a laborious one, but the author has overcome all difficulties, has given us a wealth of information, besides an enormous amount of references to the most learned and critical writers on primitive Christianity, and has given us a valuable contribution to ecclesiastical history. M. R. IN GOD'S ARMY. II. Captains of Christ: St. Francis Borgia, St. John Francis Regis, St. Peter Claver. By C. C. Martindale, S.J. London: R. & T. Washbourne, Ltd. THIS little book is the second of a series of three volumes on Jesuit saints. The other volumes treat of the Commanders-in-Chief, St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis Xavier, and of Christ's Cadets, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, St. Stanislaus Kostka, and St. John Berchmans. These lives are character sketches, psychological studies rather than mere narratives. The author's idea is to trace the development of character, of personality, rather than to pierce the veil of their inner sanctity; to portray the human side rather than the spiritual, to trace the workings of the soul amid the influences that helped to shape their lives. The author's wonderful insight into human nature and his reasonable play of the imagination make the saints live again amongst us, vivify their dead words and deeds until the emotions themselves reverberate to their shock. Whether it be the picture of Borgia living his life and exulting in it, amid the intrigues, calumnies, and corruption of court life, or of Francis Regis, the missioner, a black patch on the snowy hillside, surrounded by snowsmothered forests, ice-sheathed rock-paths, stony villages perched on incredible crags, beneath black skies ablaze with frosty stars,' or, again, of Peter Claver, at Cartagena, catechising and comforting the wretched negro slaves shipped to the port, one huge mass of putrid life and suffering,' the same steady hand draws the lines and fills in the details with artistic touches. The historical setting is depicted with real dramatic art, and is wonderfully graphic and picturesque. The author is a master of English. His searching analysis of character, his breadth of judgment and his commonsense, in conjunction with a peculiar charm of style, make these lives intensely entertaining and grip our attention to the end. He is out for realism, not idealism, in the lives of the saints. He has no patience with some biographers who try to make out that the saint nascitur, non fit, who try to construct the saint from start to finish out of their own a priori ideas, and not according to character development and under the influence of historical facts. His life of Francis Borgia is by far the most interesting, not only because of the singular character of the saint, but also because of the romantic, historical setting. He makes short work of many absurd anecdotes that have grown around the life of Francis Borgia, and subjects them to candid historical analysis. He does not shirk the many inconvenient and unpleasant facts regarding courtiers and Churchmen of the period, but faces them as a true historian. We gladly welcome these lives of the saints, because they are so human, so realistic, so truthful, so full of commonsense and psychological insight. M. R. LIFE OF ST. ADAMNAN. By V. Rev. E. Canon Maguire. Dublin: THIS little book is a welcome addition to the lives of our Irish saints. It throws light on many historical questions of great importance. Especially interesting is the author's contention for the identity of Adamnan with Eunan, patron of Raphoe. Whatever truth may be in them, the author includes many legends and stories, that will be particularly interesting to those acquainted with the localities concerned. We cannot too highly commend the author's painstaking research and labours in his compilation and notes of the Bishops of Raphce from 697 to the present day, and of the champions of faith of the diocese from the beginning of the religious persecutions. Such a compilation is desirable for every diocese, to do honour to the captains of our faith and keep their memory as a shining light. The book is well written. A religious and patriotic fervour brightens and enhances every page. The author is enthusiastic about his subject, yet he always displays correct judgment and fairness. We are sorry to see such a big list of errata, and we cannot understand some of the dates. It makes one distrustful to see such careless revision of proofs. The fact that the MS. was burned during the Rebellion of 1916 will not be sufficient excuse. We think also that the author takes too much for granted, instead of being more explicit, and we should have been better pleased if he gave the references for his quotations. In an historical work of such importance it would have been more scholarly to do so. With these few words we have said all that there is to be said of adverse criticism. For the rest, we congratulate the author on his learned and entertaining volume on one of the most interesting of Ireland's saints, the biographer of the great Columba. M. R. |