Franciscus Lucas Brugensis or François Luc de Bruges (1548/49–1619) was a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

biblical exegete and

textual critic Textual criticism is a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and literary criticism that is concerned with the identification of textual variants, or different versions, of either manuscripts (mss) or of printed books. Such texts may range i ...

from the

Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands were the parts of the Low Countries that were ruled by sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. This rule began in 1482 and ended for the Northern Netherlands in 1581 and for the Southern Netherlands in 1797. ...

Life

Early life

Franciscus Lucas was born in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

late in 1548 or early in 1549, the son of Josse Lucas and Ghislaine Vande Walle. He studied at Castle College, Leuven, for his B.A., graduating on 6 March 1568, placing fifth of the 155 students in his year. He went on to earn a

Licentiate of Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology (; abbreviated LTh or STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred ...

in 1575 or 1576. Alongside his academic studies, he applied himself to acquiring a knowledge of Middle Eastern languages under the guidance of the Jesuit scholar Johannes Harlemius. He also became a friend of

William Damasus Lindanus William Damasus Lindanus or Van der Lindt (1525 – 2 November 1588) was a 16th-century Bishop of Roermond and Bishop of Ghent. Biography William Damasus Lindanus was born at Dordrecht in 1525, the son of Damasus van der Lint. He studied philosop ...

and

Robert Bellarmine Robert Bellarmine (; ; 4 October 1542 – 17 September 1621) was an Italian Jesuit and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was canonized a saint in 1930 and named Doctor of the Church, one of only 37. He was one of the most important figure ...

, and of the family of

Christopher Plantin Christophe Plantin (; – 1 July 1589) was a French Renaissance humanist and book printer and publisher who resided and worked in Antwerp. He established in Antwerp one of the most prominent publishing houses of his time, the Plantin Press. I ...

A. C. De Schrevel Arthur Carolus De Schrevel (1850–1934) was a Belgian priest and historian, specialising in the 16th and 17th centuries, and in particular Catholic Church history during the Dutch Revolt. He was also a prolific contributor to the ''Biographie Nati ...

, "Lucas, François, dit Lucas Brugensis", ''

Biographie Nationale de Belgique The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' (; ) is a biographical dictionary of Belgium. It was published by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 44 volumes between 1866 and 1986. A continuation series, entitled the ''Nouvelle Biographie Nationale'' (, ...

''
vol. 12
(Brussels, 1893), 550-563.

Editions of the Leuven Vulgate

In 1570, Christopher Plantin obtained permission to print a new edition of the

Leuven Vulgate The Leuven Vulgate or Hentenian Bible (, ) was the first standardized edition of the Latin Vulgate. The Leuven Vulgate essentially served as the standard text of the Catholic Church from its publication in 1547 until the Sixtine Vulgate was publ ...

, first edited by Hentenius, revised under the authority of the Leuven Faculty of Theology. A committee consisting of

Joannes Molanus Joannes Molanus (1533–1585), often cited simply as Molanus, is the Latinized name of Jan Vermeulen or Van der Meulen, an influential Counter Reformation Catholic theologian of Louvain University, where he was Professor of Theology, and Rector ...

, Augustinus Hunnaeus and Cornelis Reineri appointed Franciscus Lucas to gather any variant readings that Hentenius had missed and to add explanatory marginal notes. Lucas spent three years on this task. Plantin published this second edition of the Leuven Vulgate in Antwerp in 1574 under the title ''Biblia sacra. Quid in hac editione a theologie Lovaniensibus praestitum sit, paulo post indicatur''. While working on a companion volume of notes providing fuller explanations of his choice of readings than had been possible in the biblical edition itself, Lucas twice travelled to his native Bruges, where

Remi Drieux Remi Drieux, Latinized Remigius Driutius (1519–1594) was the first bishop of Leeuwarden and the second bishop of Bruges. Early life and legal career In 1519 Drieux was born in Volckerinckhove, County of Flanders (now in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, F ...

ordained him to the diaconate in June 1574 and to the priesthood in April 1577. His scholarly work was further delayed by the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exc ...

. On 2 February 1578 Scottish mercenaries in the service of

William the Silent William the Silent or William the Taciturn (; 24 April 153310 July 1584), more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange (), was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburg Netherlands, Habsburgs that set off the ...

took control of Leuven and the university effectively ceased to function. Lucas returned to his parental home in Bruges, but on 20 March this town too fell to the rebels. In 1580, Plantin published Lucas's ''Notationes in sacra Biblia quibus variantia discrepantibus exemplaribus loca summo studio discutiuntur'', with a dedication to Cardinal Sirleto, and in 1583 Plantin republished the 1574 Bible and the 1580 annotations together in a single folio volume. This edition bore the title: ''Biblia Sacra, quid in hac editione a theologis Lovaniensibus praestitum sit, eorum praefatio indicat.''

Ecclesiastical career

Lucas had been appointed to a

canonry Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an canon law, ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the p ...

of the collegiate church of St Salvator, Bruges, on 6 May 1579, but in July 1581,

Jean Six Jean Six (1533–1586) was a theologian and bishop of Saint-Omer. Life Six was born in Lille, Walloon Flanders, in 1533, the son of a city magistrate. He studied at Leuven University, graduating Master of Arts in 1551. From 1552 to 1558 he taugh ...

, newly consecrated as

bishop of Saint-Omer The former French Catholic diocese of Saint-Omer existed from 1559 until the French Revolution. Its see at Saint-Omer, in the modern department of Pas-de-Calais, was created as a reaction to the destruction of the see of Thérouanne, by militar ...

, took him into service as his private chaplain and secretary. Lucas held this position until Six's death on 11 October 1586, but from 2 October 1581 he also held an appointment from the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

in Saint-Omer to provide lectures on Sacred Scripture, and from 2 April 1584 he held a

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir ...

in the chapter reserved to theology graduates. In September 1586, while travelling to a

provincial synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

, Bishop Six fell ill at

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

. Lucas took down his last requests, acted as one of his executors, and personally transported his heart back to Saint-Omer for burial there. His eulogy of the bishop was printed at the

Plantin Press The Plantin Press at Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest ...

in 1587 as ''In obitum D. Joannis Six, episcopi audomaropoliiani, oratio funebris Francisci Lucae, S.T.L. canonici audomaropolitani''. On 5 March 1593, Lucas was appointed

canon penitentiary A canon penitentiary () is a member of the chapter at cathedral or collegiate churches, who acts as a general confessor of the diocese. He has ordinary jurisdiction in the internal forum, which power, however, he may not delegate to others, an ...

, and on 31 July 1602 he was elected dean of the chapter (taking possession of the office on 6 August). His name was put forward to succeed Petrus Simons as

bishop of Ypres The former Roman Catholic Diocese of Ypres, in present-day Belgium, existed from 1559 to 1801. Its seat was Saint Martin's Cathedral in Ypres. In 1969 it was reconstituted as a titular see. History The diocese was originally part of the Diocese ...

, but Charles Maes was appointed to the see.

Later works

In 1603 Plantin's successor,

Jan Moretus Jan Moretus, also John Moerentorf or Joannes Moretus (2 May 1543 – 22 September 1610), was a Flemish printer who was an apprentice for Christophe Plantin, married his daughter, and later inherited the printing business on his father-in- ...

, published Lucas's overview of the corrections of the

Sixto-Clementine Vulgate The Sixto-Clementine Vulgate or Clementine Vulgate () is an edition of the Latin Vulgate, the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church. It was the second edition of the Vulgate to be formally authorized by the Catholic Church, the first be ...

as ''Romanae correctionis in latinis Bibliis editionis vulgata, jussu Sixti V pont. max. recognitis, loca insigniora'', with a dedication to

Jacques Blaseus Jacques Blaseus (c.1540–1618) was successively bishop of Namur and bishop of Saint-Omer in the Spanish Netherlands. Life Jacques de Blaese, born in Bruges around 1540, came from a poor family and was educated at a charity school in Bruges until ...

, bishop of Saint-Omer and laudatory approbations by Professor Estius, Cardinal Baronius and

Cardinal Bellarmine Robert Bellarmine (; ; 4 October 1542 – 17 September 1621) was an Italian Jesuit and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was canonized a saint in 1930 and named Doctor of the Church, one of only 37. He was one of the most important figures ...

. In 1606 a two-volume exegetical commentary on the Gospels on which he had long been engaged was finally published, again by Moretus, as ''In sacrosancta quatuor Jesu Christi Evangelia commentarii'', with a dedication to the Sovereign Archdukes

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s * Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street mar ...

and

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpo ...

. Th
''Concordantiae Bibliorum Sacrorum Vulgatae Editionis''
is an important biblical concordance compiled by Franciscus Lucas Brugensis. The work was first published in 1617 by the Officina Plantiniana in Antwerp. Its purpose was to improve and correct earlier concordances based on the

Latin Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Roman Church. Later, of his own initia ...

Death

After the death of Bishop Blaseus on 22 March 1618, Lucas was appointed capitular vicar during the ensuing vacancy, but he himself died on 19 February 1619. Among other bequests, he left instructions to his executors to present forty parishes each with one copy of the folio Plantin edition of the

Roman Missal The Roman Missal () is the book which contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Roman Rite, the most common liturgy and Mass of the Catholic Church. There have been several editions. History Before the Council of Trent (1570) ...

with copper plate engravings. He was buried next to his sister, Denise, in the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

Saint-Omer Cathedral Saint-Omer Cathedral (''Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saint-Omer'') is a former Roman Catholic cathedral, a minor basilica, and a national monument of France. It is located in Saint-Omer. It was formerly the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Omer, but th ...

, opposite the chapel of St Denis where he had frequently said Mass.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brugensis, Franciscus Lucas 1540s births 1619 deaths Old University of Leuven alumni Writers from Bruges 16th-century biblical scholars 17th-century biblical scholars Clergy from Bruges Roman Catholic priests from the Habsburg Netherlands Date of birth unknown