NICOLAUS OF LYRA (c. French commen tator, was born in Lire, now Vieille-Lyre (Eure). He entered the Franciscan order at Verneuil about 130o, and studied at Paris, where, becoming a doctor some time before 1309, he taught for many years. From 1319 he was provincial of his order in France, and was present in that capacity at the general chapter at Perouse (1321) . In 1325 he was provincial of Burgundy, and as executor of the estate of Jeanne of Burgundy, widow of King Philip VI., he founded the college of Burgundy at Paris, where he died in the autumn of 1349, being buried in the chapter hall of the convent of the Cordeliers.
Among the authentic works of Nicolaus of Lyra are: (t) two com mentaries on the whole Bible, one (Postilla litteralis, 1322-31) following the literal sense, the other (Postilla mystica seu moralis, 1339) follow ing the mystic sense. There are numerous editions (Rome, 1471-72 ; Douai, 1617; Antwerp, 1634)• (2) Tractatus de nostrae translationis (i.e., Vulgate) ab Hebraica veritate, 1333. (3) Two
treatises against the Jews. (4) A theological treatise on the Beatific Vision, directed against pope John XXII. (1334), unpublished. (5) Contemplatis de vita S. Francisci, a book of devotions.
In addition to the notices in Wadding, du Moustier, Sbaraglia and Fabricius, see C. Siegfried, in Archiv. f. wissenschaftliche Erforschung des A.T., vols. i., ii.; A. Merx, Die Prophetie des Joel und ihre Ausleger (1879, pp. 305-366) ; M. Fischer in Jahrbiicher f. protestantische The ologie, xv.; F. Maschkowski, in Zeitschrtft f. alttestamentliche Wissett schaft, xv. ; Neumann in Revue des etudes juives, vols. 26 and 27 ; H Labrosse in Positions des theses de l'Ecole des Chartes (1906).