HENSCKENS (Henschenius), GODEFROID. - Jesuit hagiographer, Bollandist, b. at Venray (Limburg) Jan. 21, 1601, d. at Antwerp Sept. 12, 1681. In 1635 he was assigned as the first assistant to Fr. J. Bolland for the composition of the *Acta Sanctorum*, and soon proved himself a critical innovator.
His first work, a commentary on the lives of St. Vedast and St. Amand, based on original historical and chronological research, contributed to giving the entire collection of the *Acta* a strictly scientific character, so much so that he may be called the second founder of the work. The work served as a model for Bolland. With him he published in 1643 the first two volumes for January, and in 1658 the three volumes for February of the *Acta*. With Fr. D. Papebroch he produced the three volumes for March, the three for April, and the first six for May. He also engaged in other historical researches, among which stand out *Diatribae de episcopatu et episcopis Trajectenibus* (1653) and *De tribus Dagobertis regibus* (1655). He also undertook long journeys, visiting the best libraries and bringing back a rich haul of texts and observations (cf. Peeters, pp. 24-25).