Martin Becanus

Martinus Becanus (his original name being Martin Schellekens), born on 6 January 1563, at Hilvarenbeek in the Southern Netherlands and dead on 24 January 1624, at Vienna (Austria), was a Jesuit priest, theologian and controversialist of fame.

Life

He was born in Hilvarenbeek; his original surname was Schellekens. 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 even 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 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

• (French) Scholasticon page

Notes

1. ^  "Martin Becan". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. 
2. ^ W. B. Patterson, King James VI and I and the Reunion of Christendom (1997), note 139 p. 101.
3. ^ 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. Robert Appleton Company. 

Persondata
Name	Becanus, Martin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1563
Place of birth
Date of death	1624
Place of death