Claude Pajon

Claude Pajon (1626 – September 27, 1685) was a 17th-century

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. He followed the teachings of John Cameron which was at odds with the dominant

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

views which led to the "Pajonist controversy" in 1668. After studying at

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the ...

under Paul Testard, he was declared for the ministry on 25 August 1650. He was soon appointed to be pastor at

Marchenoir Marchenoir () is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France. The nearby forest of Marchenoir was the site of L'Aumône Abbey, a Cistercian daughter house of Cîteaux Abbey. The Earl of Buckingham stayed at the Abbey in 1380 whilst ...

. He studied at the

University of Saumur The Academy of Saumur (french: Académie de Saumur) was a Huguenot university at Saumur in western France. It existed from 1593, when it was founded by Philippe de Mornay, until shortly after 1685, when Louis XIV decided on the revocation of the Ed ...

, where in 1666 he was hired as a professor of theology. Two years later, however, in 1668, Pajon was forced to resign from the position following the so-called "Pajonist controversy" surrounding his views on salvation. Pajon had disseminated a manuscript expounding his radical view that the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

operates on human intellect and reason through the Word of God, a view which was seen as contrary to the University's prevailing

doctrine. Following his resignation, Pajon became a pastor at

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Arminianist Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the ''Rem ...

and a Pelagianist. He died on September 27, 1685, in Carré, near

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and 17th-century French Catholic theologians 1626 births 1685 deaths