d. 18"» Jahrh. i, 559 sq. ; ii, 213 sq. ; Schrockh, Kirch- engesch. vii, 83, 103 sq. (.1. N. P.)
Molanus (Vermeulen), John, a Belgian the- ologian of some note, was born at Lille in 1633. He was educated at Louvain, and there obtained the doc- torate in 1570, and then taught theology for several years. By different publications he called attention to his learning, and gradually gained favor at the court and at Rome. He was made a canon of the church of St. Peter, and director of a seminarv- then founded at Louvain. He died Sept. IH, 1585. Baronius pays him great homage in the preface to his Murtyrologe Re- main. JMolanus published: De I'ictin-is et Imagiuibus saciis (Louvain, 1570, 1574, 1595, 8vo) : — De I/istoria sucrarum Imaginum et I'icturartim, lib. iv ; Theologie des peintres, sculpteurs, et dessinateiirs (Paris, 1765, r2mo) : — Annates urhis Louruniensis ac obsidionis illius histoj-ia (Louvain, 1572, 4to) : — Calendarium Kccksias- ticum (Anvers, 1574, 12mo) : — Defide hcereticis servanda, lib. iii; quartus item dejide rebtUibus servanda, et quin- tvs defide ac Juramento qua; a tgrannis exiquantur (Co- logne, 1584) -.—Depiis Testumentis (Cologne, 1584, 1661, 8vo) : — Theologice jiracticm Compendium (Cologne, 1585, 1590, 8vo) : — Orationes III de agnis Dei, de decimis dandis et de decimis recipiendis (Cologne, 1587, 8vo) : — De Canonicis, \ih, iii (Cologne, 1587, 8vo): — Militia sa- cra Ducum ac Princium BiHibantiw cum annntat. Petri Lourvii (Anvers, 1592, 8vo)^ — Medicorum ecclesiasticum Diarixtm (Louvain, 1595, 8vo) : — Bibliolheca materia- rum Theologica quce a quibus auctoribus, qmtm antiquis, turn receiitioribus, sint pertractce (Cologne, 1618, 4to). — Hoefer, Nouv, Biog. Genei-ule, s. v.
Molay, Jacquks de, the last grand-master of the Knights Templars, was born about the year 1244 in Bur^ gundy, of the families of Longvic and Raon. He was admitted to his order at Baune, in the diocese of Au- tun. Of his subsequent history but little is known un- til he was promoted to the grand-mastership about the year 1298. Pierre Dupuy, a French writer, insiiuiates that he did not obtain his election by his own merits, but through the intrigues of the nobility of France. If this were true it might account for the suspicions and fears which animated Philip lY. against the establish- ment of the Order of the Temple in France just at this time, when monarchy was endeavoring to rear itself on the political abasement of the Church and the feudal lordships. But there is nothing to prove this assertion, for it is difficult to conceive how the nobility of France could infiueiice an election contested at such a dis- tance. The affairs of Christianity in the East were at this time in a grievous condition. Several impor- tant towns had fallen into the hands of the Jlohamme- dans. IMany of the last defenders of tlie Cross had per- ished. One of the most illustrious grand-masters of the order had recently died. Syria was lost to the Chris- tian arms, and the Templars and Hospitallers had taken refuge in Cyprus and Tortosa, whence they invoked the aid of the Hoh' See, the princes and people of Euro]ie. All Europe being engaged in great internal contests — monarchy and feudalism and the Church arrayed against each other — help was looked for in vain by the poor Christians of the I-last. Besides, the Cross had not fallen in Palestine without embit- tering luimbers against the cause, leading many to say that men should not persist in a contest which God himself had abandoned. Jacques de ]Molay, however, had no sooner been put at the helm than he went for- ward with his task. He did not wait for succor from Europe, but endeavored to derive some benefit from the projects of the I\logul Tartars of Persia against F'gypt and Syria; so that in the spring of 1299. when the grand khan assembled a powerful force, Jacques de ]\Iolay commanded one of the wings of the Tartar army.- With the troops contided to him he invaded Syria, and subsequently, under the conduct of the Tartar general, recovered Jerusalem from the infidels. This unexpect—
MOLAY
433
MOLAY