Jean Bolland

Jean Bolland (Latin Johannes Bollandus ) (August 18th 1596, Julémont - September 12th 1665, Antwerp), Hagiographal Jesuit and Belgian.

Biography

Born in Julémont, current the Province of Liege, it entered the Society of Jesus in 1612. Before even being ordered priest (in 1625), it was distinguished as professor in the colleges from Ruremonde and Wood-the-Duke and was the director with the college of Antwerp of a play on saint Ignace de Loyola, at the time of its Canonization (1622).

During its studies of theology to Leuwen, he learned several Eastern languages. A good knowledge of the Antiquity and its taste for the scholarship made of him the natural choice when it was a question of putting order among the many documents and manuscripts on the life and the legend of the saints gathered by Héribert Rosweyde suddenly deceased in 1629. If Bolland is well the founder of the Société of Bollandistes , Rosweyde is certainly the precursor.

It was revolving in the life of the scholar who devoted himself consequently entirely to this gigantic work of research and publication, by organizing it systematically and widening the prospect for Rosweyde: either only European saints, but all saints of the calendar of the Church. He wrote everywhere, furrowed the roads of Europe, visiting monasteries, évêchés and libraries, gathering and copying a considerable quantity of documents. In this assoiffé century of objective knowledge, it was accepted everywhere with enthusiasm and highly encouraged. The financial aid also followed (amongst other things of the abbot of Liessies to which the first work was dedicated).

For each saint, it constituted a file as complete as possible and decided as the publication criticizes Vies of Saints would be done according to the calendar roman catholic: of January 1st with the December 31st. Lastly, after fourteen years of preliminary work, two volumes of January of the Acta Sanctorum were published in Antwerp in 1643.

In 1658, appeared three volumes of February. Work was launched and had immediately a great reputation because as the pope Alexandre VII wrote it, it made much honor with catholic science . Just as he recognized without difficulty his debt with respect to his predecessor Rosweyde, Bolland could also surround himself by qualified collaborators of which he followed readily the opinions: Godefroid Henschenius (N. 1601) and Daniel Papebroch (Van Papenbroeck) (N. 1628).

Thus was born the Société from Bollandistes , always activates at this beginning of 21e century. Already in bad health, Bolland had to decline an invitation of the pope to go to Rome (1660). He died in Antwerp, on September 12th, 1665, before to have been able to finish March of the Acta Sanctorum .

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