Stephanus Gerardus Axters (1901–1977) was a Belgian scholar with a particular interest in the history and literature of

Christian mysticism Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative presence of God" ...

Life

Axters was born in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

(

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

) on 15 October 1901.

André Demedts André Demedts ((Wielsbeke), 8 August 1906 – Oudenaarde, 4 November 1992) was a Belgian Flemish writer and teacher. He has published works in many genres, all in Dutch. In 1962 he received the Prijs voor Letterkunde van de Vlaamse Provincies ( ...

Pater Stefanus Axters
'' Vlaanderen'', 20:123 (1971), 1-2. He joined the

Order of Preachers The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilian priest named Dominic de Guzmán. It was approved by Pope Honorius ...

at the age of 20, in 1921, and studied in Rome.Wij huldigen / wij gedenken
''Vlaanderen'' 26:158 (1977), p. 162. After early work on

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

and

Catherine of Siena Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa (25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), known as Catherine of Siena, was an Italian mystic and pious laywoman who engaged in papal and Italian politics through extensive letter-writing and advocacy. Canonized in 1461, ...

, he became an expert on the history of Flemish mysticism, publishing a four-volume history and numerous articles on the subject, as well as founding the periodical ''Tijdschrift voor Geestelijk Leven'' (1945). A.A. Keersmaekers
Herdenking Stephanus Gerard Axters, O.P.
''Verslagen en mededelingen van de Koninklijke Academie voor Nederlandse taal- en letterkunde'' (1979), pp. 71-75. On 30 November 1957, he became a member of the

Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature The Royal Flemish Academy for Dutch Language and Literature (, , abbr. KANTL) is an institution focused on the study and promotion of the Dutch language in Flanders. It is the Dutch-speaking counterpart of the Académie royale de langue et de li ...

Works

A bibliography of his writings was published in 1971 to mark his 70th birthday. ''Stephanus G. Axters, O.P.: bibliografie (1922-1971)'' (Ghent, Koninklijke Vlaamse academie voor taal- en letterkunde, 1971). It enumerates 286 items. His most important works are: * ''Scholastiek Lexicon, Latijn-Nederlandsch'' (1937) * ''Het Nederlandsche mystieke proza'' (1944) * ''De Nederlandsche mystieke poëzie'' (1946) * ''Geschiedenis van de vroomheid in de Nederlanden'' (4 vols., 1950–1960) * ''Inkeer'' (1967) * ''Inleiding tot een geschiedenis van de mystiek in de Nederlanden'' (1967) * ''Bibliotheca Dominicana Neerlandica manuscripta 1224-1500'' (1970) * "Waartoe mystiek?", ''Verslagen en mededelingen van de Koninklijke Academie voor Nederlandse taal- en letterkunde'' (1972), pp. 132-138.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Axters, Stephanus 1901 births 1977 deaths Belgian Dominicans Belgian historians of religion