Lucas Holstenius
Encyclopedia
Lucas Holstenius was the Latinized name of Lukas Holste (1596 – February 2, 1661), German Catholic
humanist
, geographer
and historian
.
in 1596, he studied at the gymnasium of Hamburg, and later at Leyden University, where he was closely acquainted with some of the most famous scholars of the age, including Johannes Meursius
, Daniel Heinsius
and Philip Cluverius, whom in 1618 he accompanied on his travels in Italy and Sicily, thus giving him a taste for the study of geography. Disappointed at his failure on his return to obtain a post in the gymnasium of his native Hamburg, he left Germany for good. Having spent two years from 1622 in England, at Oxford
and London
, gathering materials for his Geographi Minores, he then proceeded to Paris
.
At Paris in 1624, he became librarian to the President de Mesmes, the friend of the scholarly brothers Dupuy, and the correspondent of N. Peiresc. At this time he was converted to Catholicism
. It seems that it was the liking he had always displayed for Platonic philosophy impelled him to read eagerly the Greek and Latin Fathers, especially those who treated of contemplative and mystical theology
that led him to this step.
In 1627 he went to Rome, and through the influence of Peiresc was admitted to the household of Cardinal Francesco Barberini
, former papal nuncio
and the possessor of the most important private library in Rome
. In 1636 he became the cardinal's librarian.
Finally, under Innocent X
, he was placed over the Vatican Library
. The popes sent him on various honorable missions, such as bearing the cardinal's hat to the nuncio at Warsaw in 1629, and Alexander VII
sent him to Innsbruck
to receive abjuration of Protestantism
by the mercurial and tiresome Christina, former Queen of Sweden. He also acted as intermediary in the conversion of the Danish nobleman, the Landgrave of Darmstadt and of Ranzau.
Mostly, however, he was occupied with his studies. Holstenius formed great projects. He was a man of unwearied industry and immense learning, but he lacked the persistency to carry out the vast literary schemes he had planned. Among them, he desired to correct Cluver's errors and complete his work; to edit, translate and comment the works of the Neoplatonists; to form a collection of the unedited homilies of the Greek Fathers; to collect inscriptions; to write a critical commentary on the Greek text of the Bible; to form a collection of all the monuments and acts of the history of the popes. These diverse undertakings consumed his energies and filled his notebooks, but without profit to scholarship. His notes and collations have been used by various editors.
Holstenius died on February 2, 1661.
(1638); an edition of Arrian's treatise on the Chase (1644), and the Codex regularum monasticarum, a collection of monastic rules (1661). He also rediscovered and edited for the first time the Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum
, a collection of ancient Roman chancery formulae
used in the administration of the Roman Church (1660), but this edition, however, was immediately suppressed by Alexander VII.
After his death there were published from his papers collections of synods and ecclesiastical monuments, the Collectio romana bipartita (1662), also the acts of the martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas; Boniface; Tarachus, Probus and Andronicus (1663); Notae et castigationes in Stephan Byzantini ethnica (1684).
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
, geographer
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
Life
Born at HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in 1596, he studied at the gymnasium of Hamburg, and later at Leyden University, where he was closely acquainted with some of the most famous scholars of the age, including Johannes Meursius
Johannes Meursius
Johannes Meursius , was a Dutch classical scholar and antiquary.-Biography:...
, Daniel Heinsius
Daniel Heinsius
Daniel Heinsius was one of the most famous scholars of the Dutch Renaissance.-His youth and student years:...
and Philip Cluverius, whom in 1618 he accompanied on his travels in Italy and Sicily, thus giving him a taste for the study of geography. Disappointed at his failure on his return to obtain a post in the gymnasium of his native Hamburg, he left Germany for good. Having spent two years from 1622 in England, at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, gathering materials for his Geographi Minores, he then proceeded to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
At Paris in 1624, he became librarian to the President de Mesmes, the friend of the scholarly brothers Dupuy, and the correspondent of N. Peiresc. At this time he was converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. It seems that it was the liking he had always displayed for Platonic philosophy impelled him to read eagerly the Greek and Latin Fathers, especially those who treated of contemplative and mystical theology
Mystical theology
Mystical theology is a branch of theology which treats of acts and experiences or states of the soul which cannot be produced by human effort.-Catholic tradition:...
that led him to this step.
In 1627 he went to Rome, and through the influence of Peiresc was admitted to the household of Cardinal Francesco Barberini
Francesco Barberini (seniore)
Francesco Barberini was an Italian Catholic Cardinal. The nephew of Pope Urban VIII , he benefited immensely from the nepotism practiced by his uncle...
, former papal nuncio
Nuncio
Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...
and the possessor of the most important private library in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. In 1636 he became the cardinal's librarian.
Finally, under Innocent X
Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X , born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj , was Pope from 1644 to 1655. Born in Rome of a family from Gubbio in Umbria who had come to Rome during the pontificate of Pope Innocent IX, he graduated from the Collegio Romano and followed a conventional cursus honorum, following his uncle...
, he was placed over the Vatican Library
Vatican Library
The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
. The popes sent him on various honorable missions, such as bearing the cardinal's hat to the nuncio at Warsaw in 1629, and Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII , born Fabio Chigi, was Pope from 7 April 1655, until his death.- Early life :Born in Siena, a member of the illustrious banking family of Chigi and a great-nephew of Pope Paul V , he was privately tutored and eventually received doctorates of philosophy, law, and theology from...
sent him to Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
to receive abjuration of Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
by the mercurial and tiresome Christina, former Queen of Sweden. He also acted as intermediary in the conversion of the Danish nobleman, the Landgrave of Darmstadt and of Ranzau.
Mostly, however, he was occupied with his studies. Holstenius formed great projects. He was a man of unwearied industry and immense learning, but he lacked the persistency to carry out the vast literary schemes he had planned. Among them, he desired to correct Cluver's errors and complete his work; to edit, translate and comment the works of the Neoplatonists; to form a collection of the unedited homilies of the Greek Fathers; to collect inscriptions; to write a critical commentary on the Greek text of the Bible; to form a collection of all the monuments and acts of the history of the popes. These diverse undertakings consumed his energies and filled his notebooks, but without profit to scholarship. His notes and collations have been used by various editors.
Holstenius died on February 2, 1661.
Works
The principal works that Holstenius actually published are notes on Cluvier's Italia antiqua (1624); an edition of portions of Porphyry (1630), with a dissertation on his life and writings; notes on Eusebius Against Hierocles (1628), on the Sayings of the later Pythagoreans (1638), and the De diis et mundo of the neo-Platonist SallustiusSallustius
Sallustius or Sallust was a 4th-century Latin writer, a friend of the Roman Emperor Julian. He wrote the treatise On the Gods and the Cosmos, a kind of catechism of 4th-century Hellenic paganism. Sallustius' work owes much to that of Iamblichus of Chalcis, who synthesized Platonism with...
(1638); an edition of Arrian's treatise on the Chase (1644), and the Codex regularum monasticarum, a collection of monastic rules (1661). He also rediscovered and edited for the first time the Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum
Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum
Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum is the name given to a miscellaneous collection of ecclesiastical formulae used in the Papal chancery until about the 11th century...
, a collection of ancient Roman chancery formulae
Formulary (model documents)
Formularies are medieval collections of models for the execution of documents , public or private; a space being left for the insertion of names, dates, and circumstances peculiar to each case...
used in the administration of the Roman Church (1660), but this edition, however, was immediately suppressed by Alexander VII.
After his death there were published from his papers collections of synods and ecclesiastical monuments, the Collectio romana bipartita (1662), also the acts of the martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas; Boniface; Tarachus, Probus and Andronicus (1663); Notae et castigationes in Stephan Byzantini ethnica (1684).