Nicolai, Jean

NICOLAI, JEAN. - Dominican theologian and polemicist, b. at Mouzay near Stenay in 1594, d. in Paris on 7 May 1673. He was prior (1661-64) and for many years professor of theology and regent of studies in the convent of St. James. He was a member of the commission of doctors of the Sorbonne that in 1649 condemned the five propositions attributed to Jansenius, and of the one that in 1655 condemned the reply of Arnauld, who sought to clear Jansenius of those errors.

On account of these disputes he wrote: Iudicium seu censorum suffragium de proposizione A. Arnauld (Paris 1656) and the 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 the Aquinate with historical and dogmatic notes, often directed against the Molinists; he sustained long polemics with Launoy concerning fasting and the ancient use of Baptism; he also edited other works of St. Thomas: Catena aurea (Paris 1657); Commentaria in IV libros sentantiarum (ibid. 1659); Quodlibetales quaestiones (ibid. 1660).

Alfonso D'Amato