Barthold Nihus

Barthold Nihus, OPraem (born on 7 February 1590, Holtorf, Hanover, now Germany – died on 10 March 1657, Erfurt, now Germany) was a Catholic convert, a German Catholic bishop and controversialist. He was born in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

Biography

Barthold Nihus was born on 7 February 1590 at Holtorfe at Hanover in a poor Lutheran Protestant family. He received his primary education at Verdun and Goslar, and in 1607 he studied philosophy and medicine at the University of Helmstedt. After obtaining a master's degree in philosophy in 1612 Nihus began studying Protestant theology. In 1616, along with two students from aristocratic families moved to the University of Jena. Later, he became a teacher of the princes of Saxony-Weimar Duchy. Inability of Protestant theologians on the major issues of faith caused him to doubt the truth of Protestantism. In 1622, Berthold Niehus moved to Cologne, where he visited the house of proselytes, founded the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross. In the same year he was received into the Catholic Church. After his conversion to Catholicism Niehus sent letters to professors Georg Calixtus and Konrad Hornejus in which he explained his reasons for joining the Catholic Church. The main motive of the treatment was the need for the Chief Justice, which could explain the Bible and put an end to theological debate and controversy, and so the judge in his opinion is the Bishop of Rome. In 1629 he became the abbot of the monastery of Premonstratensian, from which he was expelled, along with the monks, by the Protestants after the Battle of Breitenfeld in 1631. Berthold was running in Hildesheim, where he became a canon of the Church of the Holy Cross, where later moved to Holland, where he met with Gerhard Vossius. In 1645 was caused by the papal nuncio Fabio Chigi in Munster, where he was to participate in the World Peace of Westphalia. A few years later he moved to Mainz, where he entered the service of the Bishop Johann Philipp von Schönborn, on whose behalf in 1654 went to Ingolstadt to collect information about the institute of diocesan priests, headed by Bartholomew Holzhauser. In 1655 Schoenborn appointed him suffragan bishop of Saxony and Thuringia, with headquarters in Erfurt, where he died on 10 March 1657.

Works

• Ars nova, dicto S. Scripturae unico e lucrandi Pontificiis plurimos in partes Lutheranorum, Detecta non Nihil et suggesta Theologis Helmstetensibus, Georgio Calixto et praesertim Conrado Hornejo (Hildesheim, 1633).
• Apologeticus Pro Arte Nova Contra Andabatam Helmstetensem (Cologne, 1640),
• Hypodigma, Quo diluuntur nonnulla Contra Catholicos disputata in Cornelii Martini tractatu de analysi logica (Cologne, 1648).

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Barthold Nihus — Convert and controversialist, b. at Holtorf in Hanover, 7 February, 1590 (according to other sources in 1584 or 1589, at Wolpe in Brunswick); d. at Erfurt, 10 March, 1657. He came from a poor Protestant family, obtained his early education at Verden and Goslar, and from 1607 studied philosophy and medicine at the University of Helmstedt, where, on account of his poverty, he was the famulus of Cornelius Martini, professor of philosophy. Having become master of philosophy in 1612, his inclinations then led him to study Protestant theology. Contentions among the professors at Helmstedt made further stay there unpleasant, and when two students of noble family went in 1616 to the University of Jena, he accompanied them as preceptor. Later he became instructor of the young princes of Saxe-Weimar among whom was the subsequently famous Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar. The inability of the Protestant theologians to agree upon vital questions caused him first to doubt and then to renounce Protestantism. He went to Cologne in 1622, and entered the House of Proselytes founded by the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross; in the same year he accepted the Catholic Faith and, after due preparation, was ordained priest. Chosen director of the House of Proselytes, and in 1627 provost of the nunnery of the Cistercians at Althaldensleben near Magdeburg, two years later he became abbot of the monastery of the Premonstratensians, from which he was expelled after the battle of Breitenfeld in 1631. He fled to Hildesheim where he became canon of the church of the Holy Cross, thence to Holland where he came into close relation with Gerhard Johann Vossius. In 1645 Nihus was called to Munster by the papal nuncio, Fabio Chigi (later Alexander VII), then in Munster attending the Westphalian Peace Congress. A few years later he was induced to come to Mayence by Johann Philip von Schonborn, Archbishop of Mayence, at whose request he went to Ingolstadt in 1654 to obtain information regarding the Welt-Priester-Institut of Bartholomew Holzhauser, and to report to the archbishop. Schonborn, in 1655, appointed him his suffragan bishop for Saxony and Thuringia, with residence in Erfurt, where he died.

After his conversion Nihus had sent to the Helmstedt professors, Calixtus and Hornejus, a letter in which he presented his reasons for embracing Catholicism; his chief motive was that the Church needs a living, supreme judge to explain the Bible and to settle disputes and difficulties. Calixtus attacked him first in his lectures and later in his writings, whence originated a bitter controversy between Nihus and the Helmstedt professors. The most important of Nihus' numerous writings are: (1) "Ars nova, dicto S. Scripturae unico lucrandi e Pontificiis plurimos in partes Lutheranorum, detecta non nihil et suggesta Theologis Helmstetensibus, Georgio Calixto praesertim et Conrado Hornejo" (Hildesheim, 1633); (2) "Apologeticus pro arte nova contra Andabatam Helmstetensem" (Cologne, 1640), in answer to the response of Calixtus to the first pamphlet: "Digressio de arte nova contra Nihusium"; (3) "Hypodigma, quo diluuntur nonnulla contra Catholicos disputata in Cornelii Martini tractatu de analysi logica" (Cologne, 1648). Assisted by his friend Leo Allatius (q.v.) he devoted considerable time to researches pertaining to the "Communion" and the "Missa praesanctificatorum" of the Greeks, and also took charge of the editing and publishing of several works of Allatius, some of which - as the "De Ecclesiae occidentalis et orientalis perpetua consensione" (Cologne, 1648) and "Symmicta" (Cologne, 1653) - he provided with valuable additions and footnotes.

Koch, Die Erfurter Weihbischofe in Zeitschrift fur thuringische Gesch., VI (Jena, 1865), 104-9; RASS, Die Convertiten seit der Reformation, V (Freiburg im Br., 1867), 97-103; WESTERMAYER in Kirchenlex, s. v.; IDEM in Allg. deutsche Biog., XXIII, 699 sq.

External links

• http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bnihus.html