Martianay, Jean
Born 30 Dec., 1647, at Saint-Sever-Cap, Diocese of Aire; died 16 June, 1717, at Saint Germain-des-Prés, Paris. He entered the Benedictine Congregation of St. Maur at an early age, and devoted himself to Biblical studies. He is spoken of repeatedly in the Benedictine annals as “most learned in Greek and Hebrew”, and he was ever engaged in perfecting his knowledge. He spent over thirty years in searching the libraries of France for information, particularly with regard to the works of St. Jerome. A circular letter of Martianay’s is still extant, in which he begs the co-operation of all the Benedictine abbeys in the work of producing a critical and complete edition of Jerome’s writings. Ziegelbauer says (op. cit. below, II, 58) that Martianay completed without aid the gigantic task of editing St. Jerome’s works; this is true if we except the “Divina Bibliotheca”, or Hieronymian edition of the Vulgate. This work was executed with the collaboration of Dom Ant. Pouget. Martianay’s fame as editor of St. Jerome has unfortunately eclipsed his repute as a Biblical scholar. He undertook the work of editing St. Jerome simply because he felt the pressing need of such an edition for all who devoted themselves to Biblical research. He himself taught Scripture at Arles, Bordeaux, and Carcassonne. In addition, he published many critical works on Biblical questions; he wrote a treatise on inspiration against Richard Simon; also a vindication of the Hebrew text and of the chronology given in the Vulgate. Martianay also treated of the history of the canon; the French versions of the New Testament the “Tentamen Versionis”: and wrote a treatise on “The Method of explaining Holy Scripture”. In 1711 he published the life of a nun in the monastery of Beaume.
In one sense it may be said that Martianay’s most important contribution to Biblical criticism was his edition of the “Divina Bibliotheca”, or St. Jerome’s text of the Vulgate. It was a bold thing at that date to attempt to reproduce St. Jerome’s text, for the materials were comparatively scanty, and, considering the means at his disposal, Martianay’s work was a triumph, not only of industry, but of critical acumen. He tells us at the close of his prolegomena what manuscripts he had at his disposal, six in all, the most important of which was the famous MS. Sangermanensis. Martianay published (1695) a separate collation of this text in his edition of the old Latin version of St. Matthew’s Gospel and of the Epistle of St. James. This collation, reproduced by Bianchini in his “Evangelium Quadruplex”, was faulty, and the student will find a correction of it in the first volume of Wordsworth and White, “Old Latin Biblical Texts”. Ziegelbauer mentions also another work of Martianay, never printed, namely, an edition of the Vulgate with variant readings suggested by the Hebrew and Greek texts, and furnished with a series of references to the parallel passages. He also published the three psalters of St. Jerome; these appeared in French. Lastly should be mentioned his “New Testament in French” (2 vols., Paris, 1712).
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Ziegelbauer, Hist. rei. lit. Ord. S. Bened. (Augsburg, 1754); Tassin Hist.litt. de la Congrég. de St-Maur (Paris, 1770), 382-97; de Lama, Bibl. des écrivains de la congrég. de Saint-Maur (Paris, 1882).
HUGH POPE Transcribed by Marianne King
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IXCopyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, CensorImprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Martianay, Jean
a learned Benedictine of St. Maur, was born at St. Sever Calp in the diocese of Aire, Dec. 30, 1647. In 1667 he entered the convent of La Daurade, at Toulouse. He now applied himself with great zeal to the study of Oriental languages and Biblical literature, both of which he afterwards taught in colleges of his order. During his residence at Bordeaux he wrote a work against the chronological system of Pezron, which attracted the notice of his superiors. He was called to the head-quarters of his order, the abbey of St. Germain des Pres, and intrusted with the preparation of a new edition of the works of St. Jerome. In 1690 he published his prodromus of this work, in which he demonstrated the incorrectness of preceding editions. His edition was violently attacked by Simon and Leclerc, but Martianay as vigorously defended it. This controversy lasted a long time, yet did not prevent him from publishing a large number of works, more remarkable for their learning and ingenuity than for largeness of thought or critical acumen. He died June 16, 1717. Among his works we notice the above-mentioned edition of the works of St. Jerome (Paris, 1693-1706, 5 vols. fol.): Defense du texte Hebreu et de la chronologie de la Vulgate (Par. 1689): Continuation de la Defense du texte, etc. (Par. 1693). In both these works he endeavors to prove that the Hebrew text is to be preferred to the Septuagint, and that less than 4000 years elapsed from the creation of the world to the advent of Christ: Traites de la comnnmissance et de la vr-it de I’Ecrifure Sainte (Paris, 1694-95, 4 vols.): Trait methodique, ou maniere d’expliquer I’Ecriture par le secourds es trois syntaxes, la propr, re, la figurie, et l’harmonique (1704): Vie de St. Jerome (1706): artmonzie analy tique de plusieurs sens caches et rapports inconnus de l’A ncien et du Nouveau Testament (1708): Essais de Traduction ou Remarques sur les traducltions Frangaises du Nouveau Testament (1709): Le Nouveau Testament traduit en Frangais sur la VulgLate (1712): Methode sacree, pour a pprendre a expliquer I’Ecriture sainte par l’Ecritlure meme (1716); etc. See Journal des Savants, Aug. 9 1717; Hist. Litt. de la Congreg. de St. Maur, p. 382-397; Herzog, Real-Encyklopdie, 9:120; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 34:2. (J. N. P.)