OOBAT
607
GOBELINUS
of the Greek canonist Blastares: "Collectio elemen-
taris materiarum omnium sacris et divinis canonibus
contentarum a Matthseo Blastare elucubrata simul
et compacta", and a work of Sylvester Syropiilos.
Finally we owe to Goar the "Ilistoria universalis
Joannis Zonara; ad MS8. codices recognita" (Paris,
1687); it was continued and completed by Du Cange.
QUETIF AND EcHAUU, Script. Ord. Prwd. (Paris, 1721), II,
57-4-75; Touron, llisl. des hommes iltuslres de Vurdre de Sainl
Dominique (Paris, 1746), V; Thalhofer, Handbuch der kathol.
Lilurgik (Freiburg, 18SS), I, pt. I, 109 sq.
H. Leclercq.
Gobat, George, moral theologian; b. at Char- moilles, in the Diocese of Basle, now in the Department of the Doubs, France, 1 July, 1600; d. 23 March, 1679. He entered the Society of Jesus, 1 June, 1618. After teaching the humanities he was professor of sacred sciences at Fribourg, Switzerland (1631-41), and of moral theology at Halle (1641-44), at Munich (1644- 47), rector at Halle (1647-51), professor of moral theol- ogy at Ratisbon (1651-54), rector at Fribourg (1654- 56), professor of moral theology at Constance (1656- 60), where he was also penitentiary of the cathedral, which post he retained until his death. Besides his "Disputationes in Aristotelem" (Fribourg, 1633-34) and the Latin translation, " Narratio historica eorum qua; Societas Jesu in Nova Francia fortiter egit et passa est anno 1648-49", from the French of Father Ragueuau, S.J., there are mentioned smaller works on the Jubilee and on Indulgences and a collect ion of prac- tical cases on the sacraments entitled " Alphabetum ". Later these cases were republished under the title "E-xperientiiE Theological sive experimentalis theo- logia" (Constance, 1670). The " Alphabetum quad- ruplex de voto, juramento, blasphemia, superstitione " appeared at Constance in 1672. These works were several times republislied in three volumes under the heading " Opera Moralia ", for instance at Douai, 1701, the last edition being published at Venice, 1749.
Gobat follows the casuistic method, treating the different questions in a clear and simple style with solidity and erudition, applying them especially to existing conditions in Germany, conditions well known to liim from the confessional and the numerous cases referred to him for settlement. He is, however, in- clined to be too lenient. Several of his doctrines were later condemned by the Holy See, notably by Inno- cent XI in 1679, the year of Gobat's death. The Douai edition (1701) of the "Opera Moralia" drew from Mgr. Gui de Seves de Rochechouart, Bishop of Arras, the censure of thirty-two propositions. The adversaries of the Jesuits in France, Germany and Holland eagerly seized the occasion for an attack on the "Jesuit moral", but several apologies were pub- lished to refute the malignant exaggerations con- tained in their attacks; among these defenders of P. Gobat were Father Daniel, S.J., who wrote "Apolo- gie pour la doctrine des Jesuites" (Liege, 1703), and Chr. Rassler, S.J., author of " Vindicise CJobatiauEe " (Ingolstadt, 1706).
De Backer AND SoMMERVoGEL, Sift/, rfesecn'uatns de lacomp. de Jesus: Dollinger and Reusch, Gesch. der Morahtreitig- keiteninder rtim.-kalh. Kirche (Nordlingen, 1889), I, 292 sqq.; Hurter, NomenclatoT, s. v.; Kirchentexicon, s. v.: Kirchliches Handlexicon, a. v.
J. S.^LSMANS.
Gobban Saer, regarded in traditional lore as the greatest Irish architect of the seventh century, and popularly canonized as St. Gobban; b. at Turvey, near Malahide, Co. Dublin, about 560. He was employed by many Irish saints to build churches, oratories, and bell-towers, and he is alluded to in an eighth-century Irish poem, now in a monastery in Carinthia. So wonderful are the stories told of this great master- builder that many writers have gone so far as to regard him as a mythical personage, but he undoubtedly must be classed as an historical figure, lie was much
in advance of his time as an architect, and received
commissions all over Ireland. In the "Life of St.
Abban" it is prophetically said that "the fame of
Gobban as a builder in wood as well as stone would
exist in Ireland to the end of time." Certain it is
that even at the present day innumerable stories in the
Irish tongue are still current of the Gobban Saer, or
Gobban the Builder. He lived into the first half of
the seventh century, or even later, according to some
writers, but he laboured as late as 645.
CoLGAN, Ada Sanctorum Hibemia (Louvain, 1645); O'Han- LON, Lives of the Irish Saints, VI (Dublin, a. d.); Healv. Ire- laiufs A7icii-nt Schools and Scholars (Dublin, 1902); JiivcE, Social History of Ancient Ireland, II (London, 1903); Petrie. Origin of the Hound Towers of Ireland. 2nd ed. (Dublin, 1845).
W. H. Grattan-Flood.
Gobelinus, Persox (Persona); b. in 1358; d. 17 November, 1421. He was a Westphalian and was known as an historian and an ardent reformer of mo- nastic life in his native land. He receiveil his first schooling at Paderborn. It may be that he came originally from this city; it is certain that he was from the neighbourhood. As a young man he went to Italy, where he studied theology and canon law, be- coming a cleric of the papal court, and later an official of the papal exchequer. This was in 13S4, under Urban VI, of whom he was ever a loyal adherent. This position ceased to be agreeable when the Great Schism came to disturb the Roman court. He re- signed, was ordained priest at Ancona in 1386, ami re- turned to his native land. Papal influence secured for him a Ijenefice from the church of the Holy Trinity, and later the pastorate of St. Pancratius at Paderborn. He now attended the L^niversity of Erfurt, which he entered during the incumbency of its first rector (1392-1394). We glean from this that he was still pursuing his scientific studies. Wilhelm von Berg, who had Ijeen chosen Bishop of Paderborn (1400- 1415), selected Gotelinus for his court chaplain and induced him to enter his service. The latter availed himself of his position to labour for the further uplift- ing of religious life and particularly for the restoration of discipline in the cloisters, which had drifted into an habitual disregard of their rules. The monastery of nuns at Boddeken, near Paderborn, where the abljess alone remained, was changed into a convent for men, and given over to the Augustinians. Not content with this, he undertook in spite of great difficulties, to reform the Benedictine Abbey of Abdinghof , at Pader- born. But the opponents of his policy resisted in every way the interference of the bishop, who trans- ferred to Bielefekl that branch of the diocesan admin- istration of which GoMinus was a part. The latter had already in 1405 given up his parish church at Paderborn, owing to certain differences with the mu- nicipal authorities. The bishop appointed him dean of the collegiate church of Bielefeld. The Archbishop of Cologne, Dietrich von Mors, who in 1415 received the See of Paderborn, gave the dean authority to re- form the religious life, not only in the monastery of Bielefeld, but also in other institutions, a mission which Gobelinus duly fulfilled.
But old age and illness undermined the strength of this zealous divine. He resigned in 1418 and once more betook himself to the monastery of Boddeken. He did not don the monk's habit, bvit spent the re- maining years of his life in the quiet of monastic solitude.
Gotelinus was also an historian. He wrote a history of the world entitled: " Cosmidromius, hoc est Chroni- con universale complectens res ecclesiteet reipublic^". This work he brought down to the year 1418; from the year 1347 it is valuable as being an original source of information. The author accomplished his task with scrupulous care. The "Cosmidromius" was selected by Scheffer-Boichorst as his basis and starting-point when he set out to restore the "Annales Patherbrun-
