Nihus, Barthold

Nihus, Barthold a learned German theologian, a convert to Romanism, was born in 1589 at Wolpe (duchy of Brunswick), of poor parentage, and after having finished his preparatory studies entered the service of Corn. Martin, professor of theology at Helmstadt, who obtained for him a pension which enabled Nihus to pursue his studies at the university. The violent disputes of the Protestant theologians inspired in him an aversion to Lutheranism, which was to him Protestantism. In 1616 he accompanied two young gentlemen to the university of Jena, and some time after was made preceptor through the favor of the duke Bernhard of SaxeWeimar. In 1622 Nihus went to Cologne, there embraced Romanism, and entered into orders. After having for some time directed the college of the proselytes of that city, he was in 1629 nominated abbot of Ilfeld. At the approach of the Swedish army he retired to Holland; later he became bishop of Myre and suffragan of the archbishop of Mayence. He died in Erfurt, March 10, 1657. We have of his works, Disputationes logicoe (Helmstatdt, 1612, 4to): — De rerum publicarum formis (ibid. 1616, 4to)': — Epistolaphilologica excutiens narrationern Pomp. Melce de navigatione (Hanau, 1622, 4to): Ars Nova, dicto Scripturce unico lucrandi e pontificis plurimos in partes Lutheranorum, defecta non nihil et suggesta theologis Helmstetensibus (Hildesheim, 1633); a work which drew the author into a violent polemic with George Calixtus: — Epigrammata (Cologne, 1642, 12mo): — Anticriticus de fabrica crucis dominicce (ibid. 1644, 8vo): — De cruce epistola ad Bartholinum (ibid. 1647, 8vo):. — Hypodichma quo diluuntur nonnulla contra Catholicos disputata in Corn. Martini tractatu de analysi logica (ibid. 1648, 8vo): — Tractatus chorographicus de nonnullis A siceprovinciis ad Tqrigm, Euphratem, et Mediterraneum et Rubrum maria (ibid. 1658, 8vo). Nihus, who published several other works of controversy against Wedel, Hornejus, etc., also edited several articles of Leon Allace, to which he joined dissertations of his own, such as Adnotationes de communione Orientalium sub unica specie, etc. See Bayle, Hist. Diet. s.v.; Rotermund, Supplement to Jocher, Gelehrten-Lexikon, S. v.