Denis Pétau

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(DIONYSIUS PETAVIUS)

One of the most distinguishedtheologians of the seventeenth century, born atOrléans, 1583; died atParis, 11 December, 1652. He studied first atOrléans, then atParis, where he successfully defended his theses for the degree of Master of Arts, not in Latin, but in Greek. After this he followed thetheological lectures at theSorbonne, and, on the advice ofYsambert, successfully applied for the chair ofphilosophy atBourges. AtParis he became very intimate with Isaac Casaubon (see Letters MXXIV, MXXVIII, MXXXVIII, MXLIV), librarian at the Bibliothèque Royale, where he spent all his spare time studying the ancient Greekmanuscripts. At Orléans he wasordaineddeacon and presented with acanonry. After spending two years atBourges he returned toParis, and entered into relations withFronton du Duc, the editor ofSt. John Chrysostom. In 1605 he became aJesuit, taught rhetoric atReims (1609), La Flèche (1613), and at the College ofParis (1618). During this last period he began a correspondence with theBishop ofOrléans, Gabriel de Laubépine (Albaspinæus), on the first year of the primitive Church. From 1622 he taughtpositive theology for twenty-two years. During this time he was about to leaveFrance on two occasions — first, to teachecclesiastical history atMadrid at the invitation of Philip IV (1629), secondly to become acardinal atRome whereUrban VIII wanted him (1639). At sixty years of age he stopped teaching, but retained his office of librarian, in which he had succeededFronton du Duc (1623), andconsecrated the rest of his life to his great work, the "Dogmata theologica". The virtues of Pétau were not inferior to his talent; he was a model ofhumility and regularity, and, in spite of his feeble health, practised continual and severemortifications. His ardentzeal for theChurch inspired a rare talent to which his numerous works bear evidence; he devoted himself to the study of literature (Greek and Latin poets) and to other more erudite forms of learning.

The complete list of his works fills twenty-five columns in Sommervogel: he treats ofchronology, history,philosophy, polemics, patristics, and history ofdogma. The first edition of the works of Synesius appeared in 1612, undertaken ten years earlier at the advice of Casaubon ("Synesii episcopi Cyrenensis opera", new ed., 1633); in 1613 and 1614 the discourses of Themistius and Julian (new ed., 1630); in 1616 the "Breviarium historicum Nicephori"; then, after some poetical and oratorical works, an edition ofSt. Epiphanius in two volumes (1622; new ed., 1632), which had been undertaken at the advice of Jacques Gretser, S.J., and was originally intended only as a revised translation of Janus Cornarius. In 1622 and 1623 appeared the "Mastigophores", three pamphlets, and the notes dealing with Saumaise's "Tertullian", a bitter polemical work. Among his previous writings, Pétau had inserted some masterly dissertations onchronology; in 1627 he brought out his "De doctrina temporum", and later the "Tabulæ chronologicæ" (1628, 1629, 1633, 1657). It surpassed Scaliger's "De Emendatione temporum" (Paris, 1583), and prepared the ground for the works of theBenedictines. A summary of it appeared in 1633 (1635, 1641, etc.) under the title of "Rationarium temporum", of which numerous reprints and translations into French, English, and Italian have been made. About the same time (1636-44) appeared poetical works in Greek and in Latin and dissertations (often of a polemical nature) against Grotius, Saumaise, Arnauld, etc. His paraphrase of the Psalms in Greek verse was dedicated toUrban VIII (in 1637). Finally there appeared in 1643 the first three volumes of the "Dogmata theologica" (dated 1644); the fourth and fifth volumes were published in 1650. The work was incomplete at the death of the author, and, despite several attempts, was never continued. Numerous editions of the "Dogmata theologica" have been published, including that by theCalvinist Jean Le Clerc (Clericus, alias Theophile Alethinus), published in Antwerp (Amsterdam) in 1700; the last edition was brought out in eight volumes by J. B. Fournials (Paris, 1866-8). In 1757 F. A. Zaccaria, S.J. republished the work inVenice with notes, dissertations, etc.; in 1857Passaglia andSchrader undertook a similar work, but they produced only the first volume. His letters, "Epistolarum libri tres", were published after his death; though far from being complete, they give anidea of his close acquaintance with the most famous men inFrance,Holland,Italy, etc.; they also furnish valuable information on the composition of his works and his method.

The reputation Pétau enjoyed during his lifetime was especially due to his work onchronology; numerous eulogies were pronounced on him by his contemporaries, such as Huet, Valois, Grotius, Isaac Voss, F. Clericus,Noris, etc. His chronological work has long since been surpassed, and a list oferrors — inevitable at the period — could be drawn up even in the case of this man who boasted that he counted no less than eight thousand mistakes in the "Annals" ofBaronius. But the great glory, which in the eyes of posterity surrounds the name of Pétau, is due to his patristic works and his importance in the history ofdogma. With good reason he may be styled the "Father of the History of Dogma". The success of his work in this sphere was slow to make itself felt — it brought on the author accusations even from within his order — but it was highly esteemed by his pupils and far-seeing friends (e.g., H. Valois, Huet, etc.).

To form an opinion of Pétau's work it isnecessary to go back to the period in which he wrote. It is far from being perfect and his criticism is more than once at fault. But his merit increases in spite of his shortcomings, when it is remembered that he had at hand only very imperfect editions of the Fathers, all inferior to the great masterpieces of theBenedictines; that many of the known texts only existed in translations, or in late and poorly studiedmanuscripts; that his predecessors in this line were few and practically everything had to be created. What he wanted had already been outlined by Melchior Cano in his work "De locis theologicis". Here we pass from theory to practice and we find a master at once. The originality of Pétau's work has been questioned; it may have been inspired, it is said, by a similar treatise of Oregius (died 1635), as Zöckler maintains, or by the "Confessio catholica" of John Gerhard (died 1627), as conjectured by Eckstein. But the "Confessio catholica" has a quite different aim, as is stated on the very first page; whole treatises, as for instance that on Christ, have but scanty quotations from three or fourFathers of the Church, and present nothing similar to the long historical developments of the sixteen books "De Incarnation, Verbi" of Pétau. The relationship with Cardinal Aug. Oregius, which rests solely on a conversation of a religious of the Minims ofDijon related in the "Voyage littéraire de deux bénédictins" (Paris, 1717, p. 147), has been examined in detail and completely disposed of by F. Oudin, S.J. in the "Mémoires de Trévoux" (July, 1718, pp. 109-33).

The state ofreligious strife during the days succeeding theCouncil of Trent drew all minds towards the primitive ages of theChurch concerning which certain ancient documents were being discovered, while the excessive subtlety of manyScholastics of the decadence instigated a return towards positive sources. Pétau was no doubt inspired by the sameideas, but the execution of the work is completely his own. His aim and purpose are set forth by his dedicatory letter to the General of theJesuits (Epist., III, liv), and in several parts of his "Prolegomena" (cf. I, i). His method reveals all the resources which thesciences of history. and philosophy have furnished to thetheologians. He declares his opinion with full liberty as, e.g., concerning the opinion ofSt. Augustine on the problem ofpredestination, or theideas on the Trinity of the ante-Nicene writers. Even for those who do not follow his historical plan the work has furnished a copious supply of documents; fortheologians it has been a store of patristic arguments. We may here add that Pétau, like Cano, took the greatest pains with his literary style. He exaggerates the faults ofScholasticism; but on the other hand he defends it against the accusations ofErasmus. We still find the controversialist in the author of the "Dogmata"; after giving the history of eachdogma, he adds the refutation of newerrors. In his polemical writings his style was bitter; here and there he is more gentle, as when engaged in discussions with Grotius, who was drawing near theCatholicFaith. The memory of Pétau was celebrated the day after his death by Henri Valois, one of his best pupils, and byL. Allatius in a Greek poem composed at the request of Cardinal Barberini.

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