Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 5.djvu/610

 ESGLIS

538

ESKIL

Ion, the thirtieth year after the destruction of Jerusa- lem (the date given is wrong by about a century). In the first vision (iii, 1-v, 20), Esdras is lamenting over the affliction of his people. Why does not God fulfil his promises? Is not Israel the elect nation, and bet- ter, despite her "evil heart", than her heathen neigh- bours? The Angel Uriel chides Esdras for inquiring into things beyond his understanding; the "prophet" is told that the time that is past exceeds the time to come, and the signs of the end are given him. — In an- other vision (v, '21-vi, 34), he learns, with new signs of the end, why God " doeth not all at once". — Then fol- lows (vi, 35-ix, 25) a glowing picture of the Messianic age. "My son" shall come in his glory, attended by those who did not taste death, Moses, Henoch, Elias, and Esdras himself; they shall reign 400 years, then " my son " and all the living shall die ; after seven days of "the old silence", the Resurrection and the Judg- ment. — Ne.xt (ix, 26-x, 60) Esdras beholds, in the ap- pearance of a woman mourning for her son who died on his wedding day, an apocalyptic description of the past and future of Jerusalem. — This vision is followed by another (xi, 1-xii, 39) representing the Roman Em- pire, under the figure of an eagle, and by a third (xiii) describing the rise of the Messianic kingdom. — The last chapter (xiv) narrates how Esdras restored the twenty-four books of the O. T. that were lost, and wrote seventy books of mysteries for the wise among the people.

The Fourth Book of Esdras is reckoned among the most beautiful productions of Jewish literature. Widely known in the early Christian ages and fre- quently quoted by the Fathers(especially St. Ambrose), it may be said to have framed the popular belief of the Middle Ages concerning the last things. The liturgi- cal use shows its popularity. The second chapter has furnished the verse Requiem oeternam to the Office of the Dead (24-25), the response Lux perpetua hicehit Sanctis tuis of the Office of the Martyrs during Easter time (35), the introit Accipite jucunditatem for Whit- Tuesday (36-37), the words Modo coronantur of the Office of the Apostles (45); in like manner the verse Crastina die for Christmas eve, is borrowed from xvi, 53. However beautiful and popular the book, its origin is shrouded in mystery. The introductory and concluding chapters, containing evident traces of Christianity, are assigned to the third century (about A. D. 201-268). The main portion (iii-xiv) is undoubt- edly the work of a Jew — whether Roman, or Alexan- drian, or Palestinian, no one can tell; as to its date, authors are mostly widely at variance, and all dates have been suggested, from 30 b. c. to A. d. 218; schol- ars, however, seem to rally more and more aroimd the year a. d. 97.

Bensly, The Missing Fragment of the Latin Translation of the Fourth Book of Ezra (Cambridge, 1S75): Hilgenfeld, Messias JudtEorum (Leipzig, 1869), IV; Kabiscm, Das IV Buch Esra auf seine Quetlen untersudtt (G6ttin<;en, 1889); Schurer. Apokry- phni dts ,1.7'. in Realencyklopadie fur prot. Theol. und Kirche (lii|.'i;'. Is'.tili; Lagrancie, .^o^es s(/r /' U, <:' ,,, ,111 temps ,1. • l: ,, Bj6;ijuc(190.5).486-501; : i / - " ^^hinisme

,' / Piiris, 1909); LeHih, L. ,, ! Esdras

in / ' ./. r..l.i,,,xirs fParis, 1869). I; Hi ■. v., / ' I ,-- w/./,,.sv dc Van .'/r in U.rue des Deux Mondes (1S75), 1 M.iri-li.

Charles L. Souvay.

Esglis, Loui.s-Philippe Mahiauchau d', eighth Bishop of Quebec, Canada ; b. Quebec, 24 April, 1710;d. 4June, 1788. After completing his .studies at the Quebec Seminary, he was ordained priest in 1734 and appointed pastor of Saint-Pierre-d'0rl6ans. After thirty-five years of humble ministry, he was called to the episco- pate and consecrated coadjutor of Quebec, 12 July, 1772, the first native of Canada to attain to the tlignity of bishop. On the resignation of Bishop Briand, he succeeded to the 8ee of Quebec 29 Nov., 1784. In his first pastoral letter he alludes to the appointment of a coadjutor, a precaution ju.stified l)y age, infirmity, and the necessity of securing a successor. Bishop

Jean-Frangois Hubert was nominated coadjutor that same year, but the approval of the British Govern- ment was withheld till 1786. Bishop d'Esglis tried unsuccessfully to supply the dearth of clergy by ob- taining priests from France. The British Government favoured preferably the emigration of priests for the settlements in Upper Canada and the Maritime Prov- inces. Pending the arrival of a missionary for the Aca- dians, a layman was authorized to baptize and witness marriage contracts. Bishop d'Esglis issued (1787) a pastoral letterto all the faithful of the lower provinces, exhorting them to union and steadfastness in the Faith. He died in the fifty-fifth year of his priesthood and was buried at Saint-Pierre.

TkTV, Les EvCgues de Quebec (Quebec, 1889); Archives of the Archdiocese of Quebec; Le Canada Ecclesiastique (Montreal, 190S).

Lionel Lindsay.

Eskil, Archbishop of Lund, Skane, Sweden; b. about 1100; d. at Clairvaux, 6 (7?) Sept., 1181; one of the most capable and prominent princes of the Church in Scandinavia. A man of profound piety, lie was always zealous for the welfare of the church, and was a courageous and unselfish defender of the rights of the hierarchy in its struggle against the civil power and clerical usurpers. His father Christian was descended from an illustrious dynastic family of Jutland and was related to several royal families. When twelve years of age the young Eskil was received into the renowned cathedral school at Hildesheim. Here, during a dan- gerous illness, he was honoured by a vision of the Mother of God, who, chiding him with his frivolous conduct, saved him from imminent perdition and re- stored his health, demanding five measures of different varieties of corn as a thank-offering. This vision was interpreted to mean that Eskil would attain high ec- clesiastical dignity and establish five confraternities. In 1131, his uncle, Asser (Asger), the first Archbishop of Lund, nominated him provost of the cathedral. In 1134 he was consecrated Bishop of Roskilde, and after Asser's death (1 137) succeeded him as archbishop. He successfully defended the metropolitan rights of his see in spite of the protestations of the archbishops of Bremen. He received the pallium from Innocent II through the papal legate. Cardinal Theodignus, who, with many Scandinavian bishops, was present at the provincial Synod of Lund (1139). Eskil completed the new cathedral (Romanesque), which he conse- crated in 1145. On this occasion he increased the membership and the endowments of the cathedral chapter, and improved the condition of the cathedral school.

On various occasions Eskil was involved in the in- ternal political disputes of rival kings, even to the ex- tent of being temporarily held captive in his own cathedral, for which he was, however, later indemni- fied by various land-grants. During the Crusailes, Eskil, animated by the example of St. Bernard, also preached a crusade against the pagan Wends, which, unfortunately, proved unsuccessful. lie, nevertlie- less, continued his campaign with youthful ardour, even in his old age, till, after the conquest of Riigen, the Wends accepted Christianity. In 1152 Cardinal Nicholas Breakspear, as papal legate, was sent to Scandinavia to settle ecclesiastical affairs. Norway was constituted a separate ecclesiastical province with its metropolitan see at Trondhjem (Nidaros). Eskil remained Arclibishop of Lund. He was also nomin- ated Primate of Sweden and papal legate for the North. By a proper selection of persons for the higher ecclesiastical offices he effected an immense improvement in the standard of religious life. In 1161 he drew up a code of canon law for Sk&ne, which, ten years later, was introduced into Seeland. The monastic orders are especially indebted to Eskil. As Bishop of Roskilde he called tlie Benedictines to NiBstved; and the monastery of the Regular Augus-