Guillaume-François Berthier (7 April 1704 – 15 December 1782) was a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

professor and writer, tutor of the French Dauphin's sons, and

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

of the court library. Berthier was born at

Issoudun Issoudun () is a commune in the Indre department, administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is also referred to as ''Issoundun'', which is the ancient name. Geography Location Issoudun is a sub-prefecture, located in the east o ...

; he taught philosophy at

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

and

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

, and

theology 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 ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Berthier was one of the authors of the multi-volume '' Histoire de l'église Gallicane'', which was started by

Jacques Longueval Jacques Longueval (18 March 1680 – 14 January 1735) was a French Jesuit priest, theologian, scholar and historian of the Catholic Church in France. Biography Jacques Longueval was born on 18 March 1680 in Péronne, France. He entered the Je ...

. In 1745 he was appointed editor of the influential Jesuit periodical the ''

Journal de Trévoux The ''Journal de Trévoux'', formally the ''Mémoires pour l'Histoire des Sciences & des beaux-Arts'', but often called the ''Mémoires de Trévoux'', was an influential academic journal that appeared monthly in France between January 1701 and Dec ...

'', holding the post until 1762 and doing much to expand the circulation. Because of his powerful opposition to the infidel "

encyclopédistes The Encyclopédistes () (also known in British English as Encyclopaedists, or in U.S. English as Encyclopedists) were members of the , a French writers' society, who contributed to the development of the ''Encyclopédie'' from June 1751 to Decembe ...

" he was bitterly attacked, especially by

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

. The Jesuits were banished from France in 1762, and Berthier promptly resigned. The Dauphin appointed Berthier tutor of his sons and librarian of the court library, but two years later his position at court became so disagreeable that he left France and spent the following ten years in Germany. On his return in 1774, he retired to

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

, where he died on 15 December 1782. After his death several of his works were published by Father de Querbuef: (1) A translation of the Psalms with notes (8 vols.); this was often reprinted. (2) Five volumes on Isaiah. (3) Five volumes of "Réflexions Spiritualles."

References

1704 births 1782 deaths 18th-century French Jesuits 18th-century French historians Historians of the Catholic Church French librarians French male writers {{RC-clergy-stub