Hosins
474
HOSIUS
Christianity. The work became so popular that more
than thirty editions of it were printed during the life-
time of the author, and translations were made into
German, Polish, English, Scotch, French, Italian,
Flemish, Moravian, Arabic, and Armenian. About
the same time he completed another work of a similar
nature. His friend Blessed Peter Canisius wrote its
preface and entitled it: "Veroe, christianje catholi-
CEeque doctrinje solida propugnatio una cum illus-
tri confutatione prolegomenorum, quae primum Jo.
Brentius adversus Pet rum a Soto theologum scrijjsit,
deinde vero Petrus Paulus Vergerius apud Polonos
temere defendenda suscepit" (Cologne, 1558). As
its title indicates, it was chiefly a refutation of the
Suabian reformer, John Brenz, whose "Confessio
Wirtembergica", with a dedication to the King of
Poland, had recently been republished at Cracow by
the Itahan apostate, Bishop Vergerio. About twelve
editions of this work were printed. In the same year
two other works of Hosius were published at Dillingen,
viz. "Dialogus de communione s. eucharistise sub
utraque specie; de conjugio sacerdotum et de sacro
in vulgari lingua celebrando", which was immediately
translated into German; and "De e.xpresso verbo
Dei", in which he reproves the reformers for their
abuse of Holy Scripture. It was re-edited in Louvain,
Antwerp, Rome, etc., and translated into German antl
Polish. A year later he published a work of similar
nature, which he entitled: "De oppresso verbo Dei".
Besides writing these learned treatises in defence of
Catholicity, Hosius left nothing undone to gain the
co-operation of the king and the bishops of Poland for
concerted action against the tide of Protestantism.
The king, however, as well as many of the Polish
bishops, remained inactive.
The fame of Hosius had meanwhile spread through- out Europe, and Paul IV wished to enlist the pious and learned bishop among his advisers during those troublous times of the Church. In May, 1558, he was called to Rome, and at once became one of the most influential members of the Curia. During his absence from Ermland he left the administration of his diocese in the hands of the cathedral chapter. Paul IV died on 18 .\ugust, 1559, and his successor, Pius IV, sent Hosius as legate to the imperial court of Vienna, with instructions to make arrangements with Emperor Ferdinand I for the reopening of the Council of Trent, and, if possible, to bring back to the Church the emperor's son. Prince Maximilian of Bohemia, who had become an open adherent of Protestantism. Hosius easily gained the co-operation of the emperor for the council, but the conversion of Maximilian was more difficult. John Scliastian Pfauser, a reformer at the imperial court, had trained the prince in the doctrines of Luther and Melanchthon, and had put him in correspondence with the apostate Vergerio. who had engendered in him a deep hatred for the papacy and everything Catholic. For two months Hosius tried in vain to have a conference with Maxi- milian. When, finally, in the early part of June (1560) he procured an audience, the prince remained obdu- rate in his heresy, but the clear reasoning of Hosius made a deep impression upon him. He began to read the writings of Hosius and willingly listened to him until finally the logical reasoning and the edifj-ing example of Hosius won him back to the Church.' In recogni- tion of these services Pius IV created Hosius cardinal on 26 February, 1561. The cardinalate had been offered him before but he persistently refused the dignity, and would have refused it again had not the emperor as well as the pope insisted on liis accepting it. The pope, moreover, on 10 March, 1561, appointed him one of the five papal legates who were to preside over the Council of Trent, which was to reopen in April. At the council he was a strenuous defender of papal authority, and used his great influence to bring the cotincil to a successful close.
Immediately after the termination of the council,
on 4 December, 1563, he returned to Ermland, where
Protestantism had made considerable progress during
his absence. In union with the papal legate Com-
mendone he brought about the acceptance of the
Tridentine decrees at the royal Diet of Parczow on 7
August, 1564. After making a general visitation of
his diocese he convened a synod at Heilsberg in
August, 1565, where the Tridentine decrees were
promulgated and measures taken concerning a better
Catholic education of the clergy as well as the laity.
During the same year he gave over to the Jesuits the
direction of the educational institutions which he had
founded at Braunsberg. These institutions, viz. the
ecclesiastical seminary, the gymnasium, and the
Lyceum Hosianum are still in existence. About this
time he also composed two more polemical treatises
which were published at Cologne. The first one is
entitled : " Judicium et censura de judicio et censura
Heidelbergensium Tigurinorumque ministrorum de
dogmate contra adorandam Trinitatem in Polonia
nuper sparso" (1564). In this work Hosius acknowl-
edges the force of the arguments of the Swiss theo-
logians against the Trinitarians, but informs them
that the same arguments may be used against them-
selves, ami that the errors of the Trinitarians have
their ultimate foundation in the heresy of Calvin.
The second, " De loco et authoritate Romani Ponti-
ficis", is an able defence of papal authority. In 1567
he wrote " Pahnodise Quadrantini" or the recantations
of Fabian Quadrantinus, a convert to the Catholic
Church who afterwards became a Jesuit. After the
death of Pius IV, on 9 December, 1565, some of the
cardinals cast their vote for Hosius as his successor,
but Pius V was the successful candidate. In Decem-
ber, 1566, the new pope appointed Hosius papal
legate a latere for Poland, and in 1569 Sigismund
Augustus made him his resident representative at
Rome. With the consent of the pope and the king,
Hosius appointed his friend Martin Cromer as his
coadjutor, and entrusted him with the administration
of Ermland, while he himself left for Rome on 20
August, 1569.
During the ten succeeding years he managed the affairs of Poland in the Roman Curia, and was one of the most influential advisers of the saintly Pope Pius V and his successor, Gregory XIII, in their movement for a Catholic reform; he also took an active part in the papal efforts to restore Catholicity in England, and especially in Sweden. In 1572 Gregory XIII made him a member of the new Congregatio Germanica, and a year later appointed him grand penitentiary. Hosius was one of the greatest men of his time. He did more for the preservation of the Catholic religion in Poland than all the other Polish bishops combined. He was withal, a man of prayer, mortification, and great liberality towards the poor. Both clergy and laity looked upon him as a saint. Blessed Peter Canisius styles him " the most brilliant writer, the most eminent theologian and the best bishop of his times" (Hipler, Hosii Epistolse, I, 422). Editions of his works were published at Paris (1562), Lyons (1564), Antwerp (1566 and 1571), Venice (1573), and (best edition) Cologne (1584). His German sermons were edited by Hipler; "Die deutsehen Predigten und Katechesen der erralandischen Bischofe Hosius und Cromer" (Cologne, 1885). The publication of his numerous letters has been begun by Hipler and Zakrzewski, vols. I and II (Cracow, 1879 and 1888). The letters in these two volumes cover a period of 33 years (1525-1558). Other letters are found among those of Peter Canisius, edited by Braunsberger (Freiburg, 1897-1905).
ElCHHORN. Der ermliindische Bischoi und Cardinal Stanislaus Hnxiiis (Mainz. 1854-18.5,5); Rescius. Vita Hosii (Rome, 1,587; Oliva, 16301, German, tr. Fickler (Ingolstadt. 1.591); Treter, Thealrum rirtutiim Stan. Hosii (Rome, 1588; Cracow, 1685; Braunsberg, 1880); Hipler in Kirchenlex., s. v.; Idem, Die
