Compendium Manualis Controversiarum Huius Temporis de Fide ac Religione, by Martin Becan. Paris: Mathurinum Henault, 1631.
Call Number: SpC. 230.209032 B388c 1631
From the ease with which Vincent de Paul quoted the Fathers of the Church, the Council of Trent, scripture, and contemporary theologians, it is apparent that his theological degree from the University of Toulouse gave him a broad and solid foundation for his work as a pastoral theologian: one who specializes in the application of the Church’s teachings to the lived experience of the faithful, and then who engages in systematic reflection on that experience.
As a pastoral theologian, Vincent de Paul judged the quality of theological works from the pragmatic perspective of how they aided him and others in effectively translating orthodoxy into orthopraxis. A contemporary systematic theologian who Vincent greatly admired exactly for this reason was the Flemish Jesuit, Martin Becan, S.J. (Martinus Becanus).
Bcan (1563-1624) (whose birth surname is alternatively given as Schellekens) taught theology at a number of German universities before becoming the confessor to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II (1578-1637) in Vienna.
Becan was a well-known continental controversialist whose specialty was the cogent exposition and commentary on contemporary theological debates with Protestantism. In these controversies he ably echoed the positions of Tridentine Catholicism as they were articulated by his fellow Jesuit, the famous Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542-1651). He was a prolific author, best known for his succinct anti-Calvinist work first published in 1623 and quickly succeeded by numerous editions. This was the famous petit Becan (abridged) which was greatly admired by Vincent de Paul.
In a 1628 letter to his confrere Francois du Coudray, Vincent commented, “Words cannot express the usefulness of that little book.” He urged Du Coudray to master the work. Following this comment, Vincent recounted his success in Beauvais in converting three Huguenots. He commented, I must admit that meekness, humility, and patience in dealing with these poor misguided people was the essence of this good work. The first two individuals scarcely cost me anything, because they were pre-disposed; but I had to spend two days with the third. Clearly the theological arguments that Vincent used in his conversion work were those he gleaned from Becan, though as Vincent would always say, cogent theological arguments were never effective unless they were accompanied by meekness, humility and patience.1
This volume is a 1631 edition of the petit Becan.
1Vincent de Paul, Correspondence, Conferences, Documents, Vol. 1. (Brooklyn, NY: New City Press, 1985), 56-59.
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St. Vincent’s Reading List is a recurring blog series exploring texts known to have been read and recommended by Saint Vincent de Paul, those which can be presumed to have been read by him, and works published during his lifetime (1581-1660) illustrating his world. All materials discussed are held by DePaul University’s Special Collections and Archives. The entire series may be viewed here.