Jacobus Latomus (or Jacques Masson) ( – 29 May 1544)Juhász, 320. was a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

, a distinguished member of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Leuven. Latomus was a theological adviser to the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...

, and his exchange with

William Tyndale William Tyndale (; sometimes spelled ''Tynsdale'', ''Tindall'', ''Tindill'', ''Tyndall''; – October 1536) was an English Biblical scholar and linguist who became a leading figure in the Protestantism, Protestant Reformation in the year ...

is particularly noted. The general focus of his academic work centered on opposing

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

and the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

, supporting the papacy and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. ''Etymology:'' Latinized ''Latomus'' = ''Masson'' from Greek ''lā-tómos'' 'stone-cutter, quarryman', thus 'mason'.

Academic career

Latomus completed his studies in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

at the

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, where he obtained a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in theology in 1519. In the same year, he began teaching theology in Leuven, becoming a full professor in 1535. Having risen to the post of

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

of the Faculty of Theology, he became rector of the University of Leuven in 1537. His first work was published in 1519, a criticism of Biblical language studies at the

Collegium Trilingue The Collegium Trilingue, often also called Collegium trium linguarum, or, after its creator Collegium Buslidianum (, ), is a university that was founded in 1517 under the patronage of the humanist, Hieronymus van Busleyden. The three languages tau ...

in Leuven, as well as work against

Desiderius Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...

, which initiated a long-standing literary dispute between Erasmus and Latomus. Other writings included criticism of

, a defense of the theologians of Leuven, and arguments against

Johannes Oecolampadius Johannes Oecolampadius (also ''Œcolampadius'', in German also Oekolampadius, Oekolampad; 1482 – 24 November 1531) was a German Protestant reformer in the Calvinist tradition from the Electoral Palatinate. He was the leader of the Protestant ...

and

Philipp Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, an intellectual leader of the ...

Deportment

Nicholas Crane has described Latomus as a "tiny, chilling, man with thin lips, dark, bagged eyes and a limp".Crane, 77. Erasmus referred facetiously to his opponent's limp, assigning him the

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" Hephestion", a reference to the crippled metal-smith of

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

. Latomus was a

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of St. Peter's Church, Leuven and was a prominent voice against Erasmus for twenty years. He was also an experienced inquisitor; indeed, he has been labeled "the greatest heresy-hunter in Europe" among his contemporaries.Daniell, 154. Despite his fearsome academic reputation, his responses to William Tyndale were both precise and courteous.

Refutations of Tyndale

While in prison for charges relating to his translation of the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

into English,

was questioned by Latomus, whose task was to determine that Tyndale's views were

heretical Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...

and that he would not abandon them. It is possible that Tyndale's charge of heresy was determined long before the exchange, and that the sole goal of Latomus's examination was to bring Tyndale back to

orthodoxy Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...

before he was

burned at the stake Death by burning is an list of execution methods, execution, murder, or suicide method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a puni ...

. Tyndale set out his views in writing, and Latomus answered them; Tyndale in turn produced a book in two parts as a reply, a work which is now lost. At Tyndale's request, Latomus countered the two parts of this book in two different writings. Latomus's replies, along with his first letter, were collected by his nephew into a work called ''Refutations against Tyndale'' (1550), which included an introduction by Livinus Crucius, the parish priest of the Flemish village of

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. Latomus allegedly intended these works to edify, not as a solely personal academic exchange. Latomus's works are important, as they have allowed a credible reconstruction of the Catholic response to Tyndale's views; it is also apparent that Latomus either did not know of Tyndale's translation of the Bible or did not think it worth mentioning—evincing that the precise charge brought against Tyndale at the time was not translating the Bible, but the so-called heresy of

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Bibliography

Jacobus is not to be confused with Bartholomaeus Latomus (Mason), a contemporary Catholic humanist Latinist associated with Tier, Freiburg, Cologne, and Paris who studied at the Collegium Trilingue in Louvain in 1530/31, a friend of Erasmus who also wrote some counter-Protestant books to counter

Martin Bucer Martin Bucer (; Early German: ; 11 November 1491– 28 February 1551) was a German Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg who influenced Lutheran, Anglican doctrines and practices as well as Reformed Theology. Bucer was originally a memb ...

. *''De trium linguarum et studii theologici ratione dialogus'' (

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, 1519) *:A criticism of the

, founded in Louvain by

Hieronymus van Busleyden Hieronymus van Busleyden (Dutch: Jeroen van Busleyden; French: Jérôme de Busleyden) (c.1470 – 27 August 1517) was a patron of learning and a humanist from the Habsburg Netherlands. His name is usually partially Latinized in English, and c ...

, inspired by

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...

.Kawerau, 421. *''Articulorum doctrinae fratris M. Lutheri per theologos Lovanienses damnatorum ratio ex sacris literis et veteribus tractatoribus'' (Antwerp, 1521) *:A defense of the theologians of Louvain against Melanchthon and the Lutherans. *''De primatus pontificis adversus Lutherum'' (1525) *:A response to Luther's reply to ''Articulorum doctrinae fratris M. Lutheri...'' *''De confessione secreta'' (Antwerp, Michael Hillenius Hoochstratanus, 1525)
available at KU Leuven Special Collections
*:An attack on

and

Beatus Rhenanus Beatus Rhenanus (22 August 148520 July 1547), born as Beatus Bild, was a German humanist, religious reformer, classical scholar, and book collector. Early life and education Rhenanus was born on 22 August 1485 in Schlettstadt (Sélestat) in ...

. *''De ecclesia et hvmanae legis obligatione'' (Antwerpen, Michael Hillenius Hoochstratanus , 1529
available at KU Leuven Special Collections
*''Confutationum adversus Guililmum Tindalum'' (1542) *:Refutations of William Tyndale. *''Duae epistolae, una in libellum de ecclesia, Philippo Melanchthoni adscripta; altera contra orationem factiosorum in comitiis Ratisbonensibus habitam'' (Antwerp, 1544) *:A treatise on doctrinal problems. *''Opera omnia'' (Louvain, 1550) *:His complete works.

Legacy

* The academic journal ''Latomus: revue d'études latines'' is published at Brussels. It is supplemented by a series of monographs called ''Collection Latomus''.''Hommages à Waldemar Deonna''. (Collection Latomus; no. 28.) Brussels, 1957 * One of the four main lecture halls of the University of Luxembourg's campus in Walferdange is named "Latomus" (the others being

Montessori The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

, Piaget and

Vygotsky Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky (, ; ; – June 11, 1934) was a Russian and Soviet psychologist, best known for his work on psychological development in children and creating the framework known as cultural-historical activity theory. After his earl ...

References

Works cited

* * * * * *

External links

Jacob Latomus: His Three Books of Confutations Against William Tyndale
an English translation of the Latin by James A. Willis
Confutationum Adversus Guililmum Tindalum Libri Tres
Book Three of the ''Refutations'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Latomus, Jacobus 1475 births 1544 deaths Academic staff of the Old University of Leuven University of Paris alumni Roman Catholic theologians from the Habsburg Netherlands