Germain Morin (1861–1946) was a Franco-Belgian

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

historical scholar,

patrologist Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of Theology, theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Pat ...

, and liturgiologist, of the Beuronese Congregation.

Life

Born at Caen in Normandy, he entered the Abbey of St. Benedict at Maredsous, Belgium, in 1882 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1886. From 1884 he worked on the ''Revue bénédictine''. After a disastrous year as prefect of the college at Maredsous he devoted himself primarily to scholarly research, ranging widely across European libraries and archives. Maredsous remained his scholarly base until 1907 when he moved to the Abbey of St. Boniface in Munich. He spent the years 1914-18 in Switzerland; his support of Germany in World War I brought him lasting unpopularity in Belgium. He returned to Switzerland in 1939, spending his last years at

Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...

. He is buried at

Einsiedeln Einsiedeln () is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and Districts of Switzerland#Schwyz, district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. Histor ...

."Germain Morin", ''Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz''
/ref> During his research in various European libraries, which he undertook from 1887, M. found unedited sermons and texts by Caesarius of Arles, Jerome and Augustine, among others. In 1912 he was exclaustrated by Pius X in order to be able to do better research. Morin's lifelong project was a new edition of the sermons of

Caesarius of Arles Caesarius of Arles (; 468/470 27 August 542 AD), sometimes called "of Chalon" (''Cabillonensis'' or ''Cabellinensis'') from his birthplace Chalon-sur-Saône, was the foremost ecclesiastic of his generation in Christianity in Merovingian Gaul, Mer ...

. He also published important editions of various works of

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

, of sermons of

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

discovered subsequent to the edition of the Maurists, and of many other works, often in the series ''Anecdota Maredsolana''. He was awarded honorary degrees by the universities of Oxford (1905), Budapest (1915), Zurich (1919), and Freiburg im Breisgau (1926).

Major Publications

Morin wrote numerous scientific articles in patristics, liturgy, hagiography, archaeology, church and order history. * ''L'idéal monastique et la vie chrétienne des premiers jours'' (Paris: Beauchesne, 1912; Eng. tr. by C. Gunning, ''The Ideal of the Monastic Life Found in the Apostolic Age'', New York: Benzinger Bros., 1914). * ''Études, Textes, Découvertes: Contributions a la Littérature et a L'histoire des Douze Premiers Siècles'' (Maredsous: Maredsous Abbey, 1913). * (ed.) ''Sancti Augustini Sermones post Maurinos reperti'', Miscellanea Agostiniana vol. 1 (Rome, Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1930). * (ed.) ''Sancti Caesarii Arelatensis Sermones'', 2 vols., Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 103-104 (Turnhout: Brepols, 1937-1942).

References

* Grosselin, Oliver A., O.S.B., "Dom Germain Morin," American Benedictine Review, 6:4 (1955) 408-418. * Gisbert Ghysens and Pierre-Patrick Verbraken, ''La carrière scientifique de dom Germain Morin (1861–1946)'', Instrumenta Patristica 15. (The Hague, 1987) ,

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morin, Germain 1861 births 1946 deaths Clergy from Caen Scientists from Caen Belgian Benedictines 20th-century Belgian historians