CAILLAU, ARMAND-BENJAMIN. - French priest, b. in Paris on 22 Oct. 1794, d. there on 4 July 1850.
A distinguished contributor to patristics and hagiography, he began with a new edition of Merz’s Thesaurus biblicus (2 vols., Paris 1822), followed by a Thesaurus floresque doctorum (8 vols., ibid. 1823–25). He then launched a Collectio selecta SS. Ecclesiae Patrum, which reached vol. CXXXIII before the appearance of Migne’s two Patrologies (ibid. 1829–42). From the Fathers’ works he selected the most important; for the Greek Fathers he provided only Latin translations. Complete editions were issued of St John Chrysostom and St Augustine. He also planned a Rhetorica SS. Patrum in 5 vols., of which only 3 appeared (ibid. 1838). He projected a corrected reissue of Cellier’s Histoire générale des auteurs sacrés et ecclésiastiques, but only vols. III and IV were published (ibid. 1838 and 1839). Finally, he produced vol. II of the works of St Gregory Nazianzen (2 vols., Paris 1842; reprinted in PG 37–38). He also planned a Biblioteca SS. Patrum Mariana, part of which appeared as pamphlets on Marian mysticism.