RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Columba Comenius
he established himself at Bobbio, restoring an old basilica for a monastery and building a new church to the Virgin. For many years this monastery remained a center of learning and study, while Luxeuil became the most famous house in Gaul with affiliated foundations extending from Lake Geneva to the North Sea. Columban was a man of strong convictions, unwavering, and courageous, but also headstrong and stubborn. His writings in many passages breathe the true spirit of the Gospel, but in others show a tendency to formalism and legality. He counseled moderation in ascetic practises, but was himself overrigorous. He addressed the pope with all respect and acknowledged Rome as the metropolis of the Church. His learning was genuine and he is eminent among the writers of the Merovingian time. He shows an acquaintance with Vergil, Horace, and Seneca, perhaps also with Ovid and Juvenal; he had some knowledge of Greek, and was well read in Christian Latin literature. The most important of his extant works are his letters and his monastic rule, which consisted originally of two parts, the first commonly known as the Regula S. Columbani, containing ten chapters giving general rules for the monastic life in a spirit of moderation and Christian freedom ; the second, the so-called Regula cwrwbialis jratrum Hibernensium, gives punishments for offenses of monks and imposes rigorous penalties for trivial faults. In its existing form it has been added to from old Irish sources, which doubtless were also used originally by Columban. There are frequent indications that he used the Basilian rule, as well as reminiscences of Cassian and Pachomius (cf. 0. Seebass, Ueber Columban von Luxeuils Klosterregel und Bussbuch, Dresden, 1883).
Otto Seebass.
Bibuogbapht: Columban's works, excepting a commentary on the Psalms (found in II codice irlandese deU'Ambrosiana, ed. G. I. Ascoli, 2 vols., Rome, 1878-79), are in MPL, Ixjoc. The letters, ed. W Grundlach, are in MGH, Epist, ui (1891), 154-190. All the other works have been published by O. Seebass in ZKG, xiv (1894), 76-92, 430-448, xv (1895), 366-386, xvii (1897), 215-234. Columban's life by Jonas, a contemporary monk of Bobbio, is in MPL, Ixxxvii., Eng. transl. by D. C. Munro in Translations and Reprints published by the Univ. of Pa., ii. 7, Philadelphia, 1895; also, ed. Krusch, in Mitteilungen des Instituts filr dsterreichische Geschichtsforschung, xiv. 385 sqq., Innsbruck, 1893. Consult Lanigan, Ecd. Hist, ii. 260-299, iv. 348 sqq.; G. F. Maclear, Apostles of Mediaval Europe, pp. 57-76, London, 1888; J. Healy, Insula sanctorum, pp. 370-381, Dublin, 1890; T. Olden, The Church of Ireland, pp. 91-98, London, 1892; Hauck, KD, i. 240-276.
COMBA, EMILIO: Waldensian; b. at San Germane, Waldensian Valleys, Italy, Aug. 31,1839; d.at Guttannen, 9 m. s.e.of Meiringen, Switzerland, Sept. 3, 1904. He studied at Torre-Pellice and at Geneva (under Merle d'Aubign^), was ordained in 1863, and until 1872 was an evangelist,chiefiy in Venice. In Sept., 1872, he became' professor of historical theology and homiletics in the Waldensian college, Horence. He was also for many years pastor of a Waldensian church in Florence, and after 1873 the editor of the monthly Rivista Cristiana which he bad founded. He defended with learning and success the proposition that the original Waldensians oate from Peter Waldo in the twelfth century and
not from the days of the apostles, also that they had much to learn from the Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century. His publications are very numerous. Besides reprinting in his Biblioteca della Riforma Italiana Sec. XVI. works of Vergerio
(1883) , Vermigli (1883), Valdes (1884), Ochino
(1884) , Parravicino (1886), and Virginio (1886), he wrote Francesco Spier a (Florence, 1872), Enrico Arnaud (1889, also in French, ffewri Arnaud,La, Tour, 1889), and / nostri protestanti, 2 vols., Florence, 1895-97; but his life-work was upon the history of his own people, drawn from the sources, which he told best in the Histoire des Vaudois (Paris, 1901); unfortunately he brought out only the first part, De Valdo a la reforme. The English reader has these researches in their earlier form in the History of the Waldenses of Italy, from Their Origin to the Reformation (London, 1889).
COMBEFIS, con"be"fi', FRANCOIS: Patristic scholar; b. at Marmande (30 m. s.e. of Bordeaux), France, Nov., 1605; d. in Paris Mar. 23, 1679. He studied with the Jesuits in Bordeaux, and joined the Dominicans in 1624; taught philosophy and theology in various houses of his order, and in 1640 was sent to Paris; here he soon retired from teaching and devoted himself to the preparation of texts, translations, etc. , of the works of the Fathers. His publications include Novum auctarium Grcecolatince bibliothecw patrum (2 vols., Paris, 1648), a work which was not well received at Rome because of certain statements about the Monothelite controversy; Bibliotheca patrum concionatoria (8 vols., 1662; reprinted 1747); a complete edition of the works of Basil the Great (2 vols., 1679); the works and fragments of Amphilochus, Methodius, Andrew of Crete, Maximus, and others.
COMBER, THOMAS JAMES: Baptist pioneer missionary to the Kongo; b. in Clarendon street, Camberwell, London, Nov. 7, 1852; d. at Loango, French Kongoland, June 27, 1887. He studied at Regent's Park College, was sent in 1876 by the Baptist Missionary Society to western Africa, labored in Victoria and the Kamerun, and the next year was sent into the Kongo. After a brief visit to England in 1878-79 he returned to his post. In 1882 he reached Stanley Pool and conducted missionary operations. In 1885 h.> paid another visit to England, but before that yef-." closed was again at work in the Upper Kongo. There sickness overtook him and he hastened to the coast, only to die. His work was in new fields of difficulty and danger.
Bibliography: J. B. Myers, T. J. Comber, Missionary Pioneer to the Congo, London, 1888.
COMENIUS, co-me'ni-us, JOHANNES AMOS (Latinized from Komenski,ko-men'ski): Moravian bishop; b. at Niwnitz (near Ungarisch-Brod,48 m. e. of Brunn), in Moravia, July 28, 1592; d. at Amsterdam Nov. 15, 1670. In his sixteenth year he entered the Latin school, and in 1611 was able to enter Herborn University, where he came under the influence of the encyclopedist Alsted. After an educational journey as far as Holland, he completed his studies in Heidelberg under the care of Pareus. Returning to his home in 1614, he took charge of the high
Comenius
Commendatory Letters