The Life of Denis the Carthusian, of Blessed Memory
By Theodoric Loer
Vicar of the Cologne Charterhouse
Denis is commended for his dedication to learning, the fruitfulness of his natural abilities, and his astonishing memory. He burns with desire for Carthusian piety. He devotes himself to theological studies in Cologne. In praise of the writings of Denis.
DenisDionysius in Latin. was a son of the Carthusian Order—a man renowned for his great holiness, sublime contemplation, prolific knowledge, remarkable intelligence, singular memory, and incomparable piety. He flourished around the year 1450 A.D., both profitable to mankind and beloved by God. He was from the village of Ryckel in the Liège diocese of the Hesbaye,Born in 1402, modern-day Eastern Belgium. about two and a half milesLiterally 20 stades. from the town of Sint-Truiden. He had quite respectable parents, not of the lowest class according to the prosperity of the times, whose ancestral lineage gave him the surname "Leuwis." Furthermore, it is recounted that as a young boy he was instructed in scholarship outside the home. There was in him, however, an incredible desire for learning, even to such an extent that at night on many occasions (as he admits in the book On the Benefits and Generosity of God),Article 26. having been awoken by the brightness of the moon, cosidering it as daytime, he would have gotten up and left for school if he would not have found the doors of the building bolted shut. He was also gifted with a remarkable memory, so that whatever he had read once, he could recall without difficulty. From which it came to pass that with much natural ability, as well as constant attention to his studies, he shortly became so educated as to be counted among the most excellent of philosophers, to the astonishment of many.
Yet because he had grown into a young man of good natural quality—not only in knowledge, but also in piety—he had intended from an early age to submit his innocent neck to the yoke of the Lord. For he desired to leave the world behind so he would not be entangled in its snares. Burning with a desire for the Carthusian desert, he did not know what he should do or how he should obtain it. For he had not yet reached twenty years old, the age required by that Order for admission. But to remain in the secular world, navigating through stormy waters with moral purity seemed impossible. Therefore, with his love of the Carthusian Order growing daily, he decided to try and gain admittance to two Carthusian monesteries, although he was too young—to see whether he might earn their fellowship and a share in their customs. So he hastened to the Charterhouse of St. John the Baptist in ZelemModern-day Belgian Limburg. near Diest; and he departed from there to Roermond,Modern-day Dutch Limburg. which is a town of Gelderland. In both he offered his petitions, but the Fathers of both charterhouses postponed admission, rather than denied it, because of his age. So Denis, with the desire that had begun in his soul frustrated at that time, did not abandon it, but delayed it until a more opportune time.
Yet he began to consider what he should do in the meantime, how he should safely place himself in the world to grow more suited for Carthusian solitude. And it came to his mind that after the frequent celebration of those exercises of that Order which move the soul towards God, nothing would be sweeter or more desirable to him than knowledge of the Scriptures. Therefore, without delay, he immediately brought himself to Cologne, where he knew there was German University of great renown. There, he zealously applied himself to his Theological studies in order to become most educated. How greatly he succeeded is attested to by the book On Being and Essence,This work which Denis wrote before becoming a monk has not been discovered. which he wrote immediately after attaining the rank of "master." And it is also attested to by his other books, always praised by the educated, which he wrote afterwards in the Carthusian Order—most especially those on the Old and New Testaments, and other various and nearly countless works. Indeed, in the Church of God, there is no one held equal who has toiled with so much writing, who has produced so many books filled with both erudition and piety. Though the Abbot of SponheimJohannes Trithemius (1462-1516). would give preference to Augustine alone, whom we would as well if it were a contest of erudition and piety in writing, it is nevertheless most certain from his own book surveying ecclesiastical writersLiber de scriptoribus ecclesiasticis, 1494. that no one has written as much as Denis the Carthusian. From which I conclude that the Abbot of Sponheim had not seen all the works of Denis. For the number is truly so great that even if the world swore it were possible, I would not have believed so many books could be produced by the same author, among which there are a great many volumes, unless I had directly witnessed in each one of them both the quality and manner of expression (likewise the handwriting and the style) of Denis alone. For he himself composed his own books—rereading them, correcting them, and illuminating the headings. All of which are most notable, as they bear witness to his unique handwriting and style. Indeed, we leave this undisputed.
For this reason, I never heard of anyone who saw the work of this man without astonishment and did not feel as I do: that it could not have been done without an extraordinary miracle, that one man could not have written so many books, that he could not have had that much time. What is more (to speak truthfully), it seems just as incredible that anyone, even one free from all other labor, should be able to read them all. For even if I pass over his other occupations which delayed his writing, he certainly resided in the Carthusian Order, from whose divine Office (which is quite lengthy) he was never absent, and in which he served as Procurator and Prior for a considerable time. And taken from the monastery by the Lord Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa, a papal legate, he served the business of the Church for some time. In addition, he was most dedicated to prayer and contemplation in a special way.
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