Surius, Laurentius
Surius, Laurentius
Hagiologist, born at the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, 1522; died at Cologne, 23 May, 1578. It is not certain whether his parents were Catholics or Lutherans. According to a remark made by Peter Canisius (“Epistolæ”, ed. Braunsberger, I, 36), he was born a heretic and was brought into the Church by Canisius. Surius studied at the universities of Frankfort-on-the-Oder and Cologne. In the latter university Peter Canisius was a fellow-student. Surius also met there Johannes Justus Lansperger, who induced him to enter the Carthusian monastery at Cologne, in 1542. The greater part of his life after this was spent in his monastery, where he was a model of piety, of rigid observance of the rules of the order, and of earnest work as a scholar; for these reasons he was held in high esteem by St. Pius V. He devoted himself chiefly to the domains of church history and hagiography, and wrote a large number of works on these subjects. He also translated into Latin many works, mainly ascetical and theological. Among these translations should be mentioned writings by Tauler, Heinrich Seuse, Ruysbroeck, Gropper’s work on the reality of Christ’s Flesh and Blood, the sermons of Michael Sidonius, the apologies of Friedrich Staphylus, and an oration by Martin Eisengrein. He completed the “Institutiones” of Florentius of Haarlem, prior of the Carthusians of Louvain, and edited a new edition of the “Homiliarium” of Charlemagne. He wrote against Sleidanus his “Commentarius brevis rerum in orbe gestarum ab a. 1500 ad a. 1564” (Cologne, 1566), which was continued by others. He was also the author of a collection of the Acts of the councils: “Concilia omnia tum generalia tum provincialia” (4 vols., Cologne, 1567).
His most important and still valuable work is his collection of the lives of the saints, “De probatis Sanctorum historiis ab Al. Lipomano olim conscriptis nunc primum a Laur. Surio emendatis et auctis”, the first edition of which appeared in six volumes at Cologne in 1570-77. He began a second edition which was finished after his death by his colleague in the monastery, Mosander, who added a seventh volume (Cologne, 1582). A third edition with an improved text appeared at Cologne in 1618; a new and revised edition was published (1875-80) at Turin in thirteen volumes. Notwithstanding the liberties taken by Surius with the text of the manuscripts he used, his work has rendered great service and has furnished many narratives concerning the lives of the saints that have been published in various languages.
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HURTER, Nomenclator, III (3rd ed.), 111-115; HARTZHEIM, Bibliotheca Coloniensis, (Cologne, 1747), 218 sq.; Allgemeine deutsche Biographie, s. v.
J. P. KIRSCH. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIVCopyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Surius, Laurentius
a Carthusian monk, was the child of Lutheran, or, as others say, of Romish parents. He was born at Lubeck in 1522, and educated at Frankfort-on-the- Oder and at Cologne. At the latter place he became acquainted with Canisius (q.v.), and joined the Roman Catholic Church. In 1542 he entered the Carthusian Order and devoted himself to monastic asceticism and literary labor. He displayed both zeal for Romanism and hatred for the Reformation, whose leaders he charged with having borrowed their doctrines from Mohammed. Besides translating various mystical writings by Tauler, Ruysbroeck, Suso, etc. Surius composed a Commentarius Breis Rerum in Orbe Gestcarum ab Anno 1500 (Lov. 1566). This book was designed to oppose the famous Protestant work by Sleidsap (q.v.), but was devoid of only particular value; but it was, nevertheless, carried forward by Isselt and others to 1673. Additional works by Surius are, Homiliae sive Conciones Preestantissimorum E ccl. Doctorun, etc. (Col. 1569-76). (Concilia Omnnia, etc. (ibid. 1567): and Vita Sanictorum ab Aloysio Lipomanno olisn Conscriptae (ibid, 1570-76, 6 vols. fol.), which was repeatedly reprinted, the best edition being that of Cologne, 1618. A seventh vol. was added after the death of Surius by the Carthuhsian Jacob Mosander. Surius died May 23,1578. See Biog, Universelle, tom. 44 (Par. 1826); and Herzog, Real-Encyklop. s.v.