Jacques Saurin (January 6, 1677 – December 30, 1730) was a major French religious figure in the late 17th century and early 18th century who was particularly well-known as a preacher. While he began his career as a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest, Saurin ultimately converted and became a pastor of the

Reformed Church of France The Reformed Church of France (french: Église réformée de France, ERF) was the main Protestant denomination in France with a Calvinist orientation that could be traced back directly to John Calvin. In 2013, the Church merged with the Evangel ...

Early life and education

Jacques Saurin was born in

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...

, France on January 6, 1677. He was the oldest child of Jean Saurin (1632-1705), a lawyer and the secretary of the Academy of Nîmes, and Hippolyte de Tournière. Jacques Saurin had three younger siblings: Louis, Marc-Antoine, and Anne-Marie. Saurin and his siblings were raised as

huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss politica ...

. In 1685, when the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV and granted the Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was in essence completely Catholic. In the edict, Henry aimed pr ...

was revoked by

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

, Saurin and his family were forced to flee from France. The family ultimately settled in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, Switzerland. There, Saurin studied

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 ...

and

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

. Saurin's studies were briefly interrupted in 1694, when he decided to volunteer to serve in the army of Victor Amadeaus II of Sardinia during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

against Louis XIV. He remained in the army until the

Treaty of Ryswick The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance, which included England, ...

was signed in 1697. He then returned to his studies in Geneva where he was taught by

Louis Tronchin Louis Tronchin (born at Geneva Dec. 4, 1629; died there Sept. 8, 1705) was a Genevan Calvinist theologian and the son of Théodore Tronchin. Life He studied at the Protestant Academy of Saumur under Moses Amyraut, whose "hypothetical universalis ...

, Bénédict Pictet, and Jean-Alphonse Turretin. He completed his studies on July 5, 1700.

Career

While Saurin lived in Geneva, he embraced Catholicism and decided to become a Catholic

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

after completing his studies. Specifically, he found success preaching in

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

. In 1700, Saurin moved briefly to

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

before settling in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. There, in 1701 he was appointed to serve as a pastor for a Walloon church. He also served as a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

for a regiment of soldiers stationed in England. London's weather unfortunately did not agree with Saurin's health, and after only four years, he decided to leave England. In 1705, he settled in The Hague. There, he underwent a religious conversion experience and became a pastor of the Reformed Church of France.

Personal life

In 1703, Saurin married Catherine Boitoult. Together, they had five children between 1707 and 1724: Philippe, Antoine, Jeanne-Isabelle, Jacques-Antoine et Guillaume- Sicco. His brother

Louis Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...

moved to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

around 1727. He had numerous descendants, of whom the most notable was his grandson

William Saurin William Saurin (1757 – 11 February 1839) was an Irish barrister, Crown official and politician. He was Attorney-General for Ireland from 1807 to 1822, and for much of that period, he acted as the effective head of the Irish Government. He was ...

, for many years

Attorney General for Ireland The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800) United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. With the es ...

, and a key figure in the Irish administration.

Major works

* ''Sermons sur divers textes de l'Écriture Sainte,'' The Hague, 1708-1725 * ''Discours historiques, critiques, théologiques et moraux sur les événements les plus mémorables du Vieux et du Nouveau Testament'', Amsterdam, 1720-1728 * ''Abrégé de la théologie et de la morale chrétiennes, en forme de catéchisme'', Amsterdam, 1722 * ''État du christianisme en France'', The Hague, 1725 * ''Nouveau Sermons sur la Passion'', Rotterdam, 1732

References

External links

Jacques Saurin sermons, 1792
at Pitts Theology Library,

Candler School of Theology Candler School of Theology is one of seven graduate schools at Emory University, located in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. A university-based school of theology, Candler educates ministers, scholars of religion and other leaders. It is also one ...

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saurin, Jacques 1677 births 1730 deaths French religious leaders French Christians