G. Henry Wouters

Historian, b. at Oostham, Belgian Limburg, 3 May, 1802; d. 5 January, 1872. In 1829 he became professor of moral theology, and later also of ecclesiastical history at the University of Liège. At the reorganization of the University of Louvain in 1834 he became professor of ecclesiastical history to the faculty of theology, which post he filed until 1871. The first edition of his “Historiae ecclesiasticae compendium” appeared in three volumes (1842-43). In its time it had wide renown, and became a classical handbook in many countries. It was supplemented by the “Dissertationes in selecta historiae ecclesiasticae capita”, four volumes (1868-72), which was to treat at greater length controverted questions from the earliest times to the Council of Trent, but which stopped at the fourteenth century. He drew his inspiration from Baronius, Pagi, and Noel Alexandre. He regarded ecclesiastical history as an auxiliary science to theology.