Rosarius Mary Hagius
Encyclopedia
Rosarius Mary Hagius was a minor Maltese mediaeval philosopher who specialised mainly in metaphysics.
friar, and a Master of Theology. He taught philosophy and theology for three decades at most of Malta
’s institutions of higher education, especially at the Dominican Collegium of Portus Salutis at Valletta
, Malta
. His method and style, both of teaching and of writing, were decidedly in the line of Aristotelic-Thomist Scholasticism
. He died on March 14, 1757, and was buried in the church of Portus Salutis.
at Valletta
, Malta
. Unfortunately, no manuscript of Hagius has ever been transliterated, much less translated into any modern language, or even freshly read and studied. Though all of his works basically deal with theological subjects, Hagius consistently examines them from a philosophical point of view, seeking to give sound philosophical basis to his arguments.
Two manuscripts which had formerly been attributed to Hagius are certainly not his. These are Tractatus De Sacramento Eucharistiæ (A Study on the Sacrament of Eucharist; 1710), and Tractatus De Adorando SSme Trinitatis Misterio (A Study on the Worship given to the Most Holy Mystery of the Trinity; 1711).
Hagius’ extant authentic works are the following
Life
Little is known as yet about the private life of Hagius. This is unfortunate because, from his extant works, it can clearly be seen that he possessed a superior mind, and quite dexterous in both philosophy and theology. Hagius was a DominicanDominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
friar, and a Master of Theology. He taught philosophy and theology for three decades at most of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
’s institutions of higher education, especially at the Dominican Collegium of Portus Salutis at Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. His method and style, both of teaching and of writing, were decidedly in the line of Aristotelic-Thomist Scholasticism
Scholasticism
Scholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
. He died on March 14, 1757, and was buried in the church of Portus Salutis.
Extant works
All of Hagius’ works are in Latin, and held at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of Malta
The National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
at Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. Unfortunately, no manuscript of Hagius has ever been transliterated, much less translated into any modern language, or even freshly read and studied. Though all of his works basically deal with theological subjects, Hagius consistently examines them from a philosophical point of view, seeking to give sound philosophical basis to his arguments.
Two manuscripts which had formerly been attributed to Hagius are certainly not his. These are Tractatus De Sacramento Eucharistiæ (A Study on the Sacrament of Eucharist; 1710), and Tractatus De Adorando SSme Trinitatis Misterio (A Study on the Worship given to the Most Holy Mystery of the Trinity; 1711).
Hagius’ extant authentic works are the following
- 1710 – Tractatus De Pœnitentiæ (A Study on the Sacrament of Confession); unnumbered back to back folios, and marked as MS. 32B#3 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. The work is not simply a commentary on Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
’s doctrines, as one might expect, but rather an original exposition by Hagius. Nonetheless, it is Scholastic in nature. - 1715 – Tractatus De Iusticia et Jure (A Study on Justice and Law); unnumbered back to back folios, and marked as MS. 32B#1 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. The work was written under the guidance of the DominicanDominican OrderThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
lector Vincent Farrugia. The work deals with justice and positive law from Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
’ point of view. - 1716 – Tractatus De Religione (A Study on Religion); unnumbered back to back folios, and marked as MS. 32A#1 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. Though the major intellectual source of the work is Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
, it is more of a free-hand exposition by Hagius on religious worship, and the relationship with the divine. The manuscript includes four parts: De devotione (On piety), De oratione (On prayer), De sacrificio Missæ (On the sacrifice of the Mass), and De Voto (On Vows). - 1717 – Tractatus De Ultimo Fine (A Study on the Ultimate Goal); unnumbered back to back folios, and marked as MS. 32#1 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. The work is basically a commentary on some doctrines of Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
regarding the ultimate end and aim of man’s existence. - 1718/19 – Tractatus De Virtutibus In Communi (A Study on Virtues in General); unnumbered back to back folios, and marked as MS. 32#2 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. Hagius writes that the work was composed under the special guidance of the DominicanDominican OrderThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
philosopher Henry ErcoleHenry ErcoleHenry Ercole was a minor Maltese mediaeval philosopher who specialised mainly in ethics and logic. He enjoyed great esteem from his contemporaries, both as an administrator and a philosopher.-Life:...
. It is basically a commentary of some of Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
’ doctrines. In fact, the manuscript itself is divided into five ‘Books’, each corresponding to the relevant parts of Aquinas’ Summa Theologiæ. - 1719 – Tractatus De Vitiis et Peccatis (A Study on Vices and Sins); unnumbered back to back folios, and marked as MS. 32#3 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. Like the preceding one, this work was composed under the guidance of the DominicanDominican OrderThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
philosopher Henry ErcoleHenry ErcoleHenry Ercole was a minor Maltese mediaeval philosopher who specialised mainly in ethics and logic. He enjoyed great esteem from his contemporaries, both as an administrator and a philosopher.-Life:...
. Similarly, since it is a commentary of some of Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
’ doctrines, it is divided into sections corresponding to the relevant parts of Aquinas’ Summa Theologiæ. - 1719 – Brevis Tractatus De Legibus (A Short Study on Laws); unnumbered back to back folios. Like the two former works, this was composed with the assistance of Henry ErcoleHenry ErcoleHenry Ercole was a minor Maltese mediaeval philosopher who specialised mainly in ethics and logic. He enjoyed great esteem from his contemporaries, both as an administrator and a philosopher.-Life:...
too. It is a examination of all aspects, albeit in brief, of positive law. - 1720 – Tractatus De Fide, Spe et Charitate (A Study on Faith, Hope and Charity); unnumbered back to back folios, and marked as MS. 59#3 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. The work deals with the three theological virtues from a Scholastic point of view. - 1722 – De Effectu Excommunicatinis (On the Effect of Excommunication); unnumbered back to back folios, and marked as MS. 32B#4 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. This is an interesting work. It is not a commentary of Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
, as one might expect, but rather an original study by Hagius. Though the method used is clearly that common to ScholasticismScholasticismScholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
, Hagius ventures to break off from the beaten track and explore themes which were usually not dealt with very frequently by Scholastics. The work is a collection of nine ‘Books’. An alternative title to the composition, entered at the head of the manuscript, is De quarto effectu Excommunicationis (On the Four Effects of Excommunication). - 1723 – Tractatus De Sacramento Matrimonii (A Study on the Sacrament of Matrimony); unnumbered back to back folios, and marked as MS. 32B#5 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. The work is a fairly straight-forward exposition of the doctrine on matrimony according to the traditional style and view-point of Aristotelic-Thomist ScholasticismScholasticismScholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
. - 1740 – Tractatus de Sacra Scriptura (A Study on Holy Scripture); 331 back to back folios, and marked as MS. 32A#3 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. Unlike the other manuscripts in the collection, Hagius’ handwriting here is far from neat. This might suggest that, though positively inscribed by Hagius, this extant document is not a final version of the work. In fact, the manuscript is illegible at times. The work is a highly detailed and extensive study on many technicalities related to the writing and composition of the Bible. - Undated – Tractatus De Indulgentiis (A Study on Indulgencies); unnumbered back to back folios, and marked as MS. 32A/2 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. Though the work is undated, it must have been composed around the first half of the 18th century. Basically it is a fierce attack on heretic doctrines concerning indulgencies. - Undated – Tractatus De Divina Gratia (A Study on Divine Grace); unnumbered back to back folios, and marked as MS. 59#2 at the National Library of MaltaNational Library of MaltaThe National Library of Malta began in 1555. It is currently the legal deposit and copyright for Malta. Its collection spans the personal libraries of the Knights of Malta , including archives from the medieval Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta.-Early history:The idea of a public Library...
. The work must have been composed around 1719/20. It deals with divine grace from a purely Scholastic point of view.
Sources
- Mark Montebello, Il-Ktieb tal-Filosofija f’Malta (A Source Book of Philosophy in Malta), PIN Publications, Malta, 2001.
See also
Philosophy in MaltaPhilosophy in Malta
Philosophy in Malta refers to philosophy done by Maltese nationals or of Maltese descent, whether living in Malta or abroad, whether writing in their native Maltese language or in a foreign language.-Short history:...