Christian Lupus

(WOLF)

Historian, b. at Ypres (Flanders), 23 July, 1612; d. at Louvain, 10 July, 1681. He joined the Augustinian Order at the age of fifteen, and on the completion of his studies, was appointed lecturer in theology, to the younger members of the order at Cologne. While occupying this position he won the confidence of the nuncio, Fabio Chigi, afterwards Alexander VII. In 1640 Lupus was appointed professor of theology at Louvain, but, owing to his zeal for the teaching of St. Augustine, was suspected of Jansenism. The nuncio at Brussels accused him of it, and would not permit the University of Louvain to confer a doctor's degree upon him; only after the pope's mediation was it given to him. When the accusation was renewed, Alexander VII called him to Rome, where for the next five years he devoted himself under papal protection to the study of ecclesiastical history. He returned to Louvain in 1660, and was elected provincial of the Belgian province; in 1667 he returned to Rome, accompanied by several professors of the theological faculty of Louvain, to obtain the censure of a number of erroneous moral doctrines. Innocent XI condemned sixty-five of the propositions denounced by him. On his return to Louvain he was appointed regius professor of theology, the first time a religious had ever held this office. His writings were published in thirteen parts, the first twelve at Venice, 1724-1729, in six folio volumes, the thirteenth at Bologna, in 1742. The first six under the title "Synodorum generalium et provincialium statuta et canones cum notis et historicis dissertationibus" (1665-1673) contain a detailed history of the councils, with many learned dissertations. The seventh part contains: "Ad Ephesinum concilium variorum patrum epistolas, item commonitorium Coelestini papae, titulos decretorum Hilarii papae" (Louvain, 1682). He also wrote critical replies to Quesnel, Boileau, and Gerbais. His writings, however, are mostly collections of historical materials, usually but little elaborated by him.