In the genuine fables and traditionar}' narratives of remote antiquity, especiall}' those of the ancient clas- sics, manjr correspondencies with the Biblical history are found, such as intimate that these traditions were derived from this historj^ Of such a nature are the tales concerning a golden age of our race, an apostasy, a general flood, a future restoration. It may with safe- ty be inferred from these traditions that the records in the book of Genesis concerning the apostasy, etc., are not philosophical myths ; for, were they nothing more than the emanations of some Hebrew philosopher, how could they have been spread abroad among all na- tions? These popular traditions point us to the time when the human family were collected into one place, and afterwards separated into various branches. In tliis separation every tribe took with it the traditions that were common to all. See Mythology.
Fabre. See Faber.
Fabre, Jean Claude, a French ecclesiastic and father of the Orator}', was born at Paris in 1G68, and died there Oct. 22, 175.". In an edition of Richelet's Diclionnaire he inserted some passages which brought him under censure, and he was forced to quit the Ora- torian order. He is chiefly known as the continuator of Fleury's Histoire ecd^sias/ique, of which he prepared vols, xxi-xxxv. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Gin. xvi, 923.
Fabri, Hoxore, a learned Jesuit, was b6rn at Bu- gey, in France, in 1607. He entered the novitiate of the order of Jesuits at Avignon in 1G2G, taught philos-
ophy and mathematics at the College of Lyons, and was subsequently called to Lome and appointed grand penitentiary. He was an indefatigable worker, and acquired great proficiency in almost every branch of learning, especially in natural sciences. He claimed to have taught the circulation of the blood before the publication of the celebrated work of Harvey on the subject. He died at Rome in 1G88. He wrote sev- eral works in defense of the casuistic writers of his or- der against the attacks of the Jansenists : Pithanophi- lus (Rome, 1G59) : — Notce in Notas Wilhelmi Wendrockii ad Ludovici Montaltii Litteras (Cologne, 1G59) : — Ludo- vici Moataltii epistolar-cs Libelli ad j)roviHcialem refutati (Cologne, 1G60) : — Ajjnlogeticus doclrince moralis socie- tatis Jesu (Lyons, 1G70) : — a summary of scholastic the- ology {Sumimda theologica, Lyons, 1G99), and a large number of scientific, polemical, and other works. He bequeathed his MSS. to the establishment of the Jes- uits at L}-ons. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, xvi, 945. (A.J.S.)
Fabiica Ecclesiae, the name given in the Latin Church to a special fund for defraying the expenses for building and repairing the Church edifices of a par- ticular congregation. As early as the 5th century it was customary that one portion of the property of a partic- ular church should be set aside to this end. Accord- ing to the rescripts of the Roman bishops Simplicius (475) and Gelasius (494), it was to be the fourth part of the whole property of the church, while in Spain one third was used. The Council of Frankfort in 794 declared that the holders of ecclesiastical benefices had the duty of keeping the church edifices in a proper condition, and this declaration was frequently con- firmed by imperial and ecclesiastical laws. Charles the Bald in 84G, besides confirming the same rule, or- dered that all the serfs of the Church should work for repairing the churches at least twenty daj'S everj' year. The parishioners general!}' were required to co-operate for keeping the Church edifices in proper order. There were, however, widely different usages in different localities. The Council of Trent (sessio xxi, cap. vii) estaljlished as a general principle that building and repairing expenses should be defrajxd from the general revenue of the Church ; in case these are not sufficient, all the patrons and others who have any kind of income from the church, and, if necessa^ ry, all the parishioners, are bound to co-operate to that end. This has since been the practice both in the Roman Catholic and in the Protestant state churches. The le.zislation of the first French empire (decree of 1809) charged the civil community with the duty of keeping the church edifices of all the recognised re- ligions in good order. The civil laws of the European countries have many detailed provisions with regard to the subject, and in some ]ioints there is a wide dif- ference.— Herzog, Real-Encyklop. i, 737 ; Wetzcr und Welte, iv, 876 ; Helfert, Von d. Erhaiiung, ErltuUwig ii. HerstiUnng d. kirch. Gehitude (Prague, 1834). (A. J. S.)
Fabriciiis, Andreas, a Roman Catholic divine, was born at Hodege, a village of Liege, A.D. 15"20, He studied at Ingolstadt, and became professor of phi- losophy at Louvain. The bishop of Augsburg sent him as his agent to Rome, where he remained six years under the pontificate of Pius lY. He was after- wards councillor to the duke of Bavaria, and provost of Ottingen, in Suabia, where he died in 1581. Hi* principal work was Ilarmnnia Confessionis AvguMinia- nce (Cologne, 1573 and 1587, fol.). He wrote also a Cafechismus Romanus ex Decrelo Concilti Tridentini, with notes and illustrations (1570 and 1574, 8vo), and some Latin tragedies. — Hook, Eccl. Biog. v. 48; Migne, Diet, de Biogmphie Chrt'iiennc, ii, 135.
Fabricius, Christoph Gabriel, a German di- vine, was born at Shackdorf, in Lusatia, IMay 18, 168'^, and was educated at the University of AVittenberg. He served as pastor at Mulhoritz and other places in