NICOLAI, JEAN. - Dominican theologian and polemicist, b. at Mouzay near Stenay in 1594, d. in Paris on 7 May 1673. He served as prior (1661-64) and for many years as professor of theology and regent of studies at the convent of S. Giacomo. He was a member of the commission of doctors of the Sorbonne that in 1649 condemned the five propositions attributed to Jansenism, and of that which in 1655 condemned the reply of Arnauld, who sought to exculpate Jansenius from those errors.
On account of these disputes he wrote: *Iudicium seu censorium suffragium de propositione A. Arnaldi* (Paris 1656) and *Theses Thomisticae orthodoxae de Gratia divina veritatis iansenianis erroribus ac dogmatibus oppositae* (ibid. 1655). Arnauld and P. Nicole accused him of antinomianism. In 1663 N. published the *Summa theologiae* of Aquinas with historical and dogmatic notes, often directed against the Molinists; he engaged in lengthy polemics with Launoy regarding fasting and ancient usage of Baptism; he also edited other works of St. Thomas: *Catena aurea* (Paris 1657); *Commentaria in IV libros sententiarum* (ibid. 1659); *Quodlibetales quaestiones* (ibid. 1660).