Jean Le Clerc, also Johannes Clericus (March 19, 1657 – January 8, 1736), was a
Genevan
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 ...
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 ...
and
biblical scholar
Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 Fo ...
. He was famous for promoting
exegesis
Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...
, or critical interpretation of the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
, and was a radical of his age. He parted with
Calvinism
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 Cal ...
over his interpretations and left Geneva for that reason.
Early life
Le Clerk was born 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 ...
, where his father, Stephen Le Clerc, was professor of
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
. The family originally belonged to the neighborhood of
Beauvais
Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris.
The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most populous ...
in France, and several of its members acquired some name in literature. Jean Le Clerc applied himself to the study of philosophy under
Jean-Robert Chouet (1642-1731) the Cartesian, and attended the theological lectures of
Philippe Mestrezat Philippe Mestrezat (October 14, 1618 in Geneva – February 1, 1690, in Geneva) was a Genevan Calvinist minister and professor at Geneva.
Life
He studied theology at the Geneva Academy, and became a pastor in 1644. He was nephew of Jean Mestrezat, ...
,
François Turrettini and
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 ...
(
de) (1629-1705). In 1678-1679 he spent some time in
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
as tutor in a private family; on his return to Geneva he passed his examinations and received
ordination
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...
. Soon afterwards he went to
Saumur
Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...
.
[
In 1682 he went to ]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 ...
, where he remained for six months, preaching on alternate Sundays in the Walloon church and in the Savoy Chapel
The King's Chapel of St John the Baptist in the Precinct of the Savoy, also known as the King's Chapel of the Savoy, is a church in the City of Westminster, London. Facing it are 111 Strand, the Savoy Hotel, the Institution of Engineering and Te ...
. Due to political instability, he moved to Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, where he was introduced to John Locke
John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...
and to Philipp van Limborch
Philipp van Limborch (19 June 1633 – 30 April 1712) was a Dutch Remonstrant theologian.
Biography
Limborch was born on 19 June 1633 in Amsterdam, where his father was a lawyer. He received his education at Utrecht, at Leiden, in his native city ...
, professor at the Remonstrant
The Remonstrants (or the Remonstrant Brotherhood) is a Protestant movement that had split from the Dutch Reformed Church in the early 17th century. The early Remonstrants supported Jacobus Arminius, and after his death, continued to maintain his ...
college. He later included Locke in the journals he edited; and the acquaintance with Limborch soon ripened into a close friendship, which strengthened his preference for the Remonstrant theology, already favorably known to him by the writings of his grand-uncle, Stephan Curcellaeus
Stephan may refer to:
* Stephan, South Dakota, United States
* Stephan (given name), a masculine given name
* Stephan (surname), a Breton-language surname
See also
* Sankt-Stephan
* Stefan (disambiguation)
* Stephan-Oterma
* Stephani
* Step ...
(d. 1645) and by those of Simon Episcopius
Simon Episcopius (8 January 1583 – 4 April 1643) was a Dutch theologian and Remonstrant who played a significant role at the Synod of Dort in 1618. His name is the Latinized form of his Dutch name Simon Bisschop.
Life
Born in Amsterdam, in 160 ...
.[
A last attempt to live at Geneva, made at the request of relatives there, satisfied him that the theological atmosphere was uncongenial, and in 1684 he finally settled in ]Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, first as a moderately successful preacher, until ecclesiastical jealousy reportedly shut him out from that career, and afterwards as professor of philosophy, belles-lettres
is a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing. In the modern narrow sense, it is a label for literary works that do not fall into the major categories such as fiction, poetry, or drama. The phrase is sometimes used pejora ...
and Hebrew in the Remonstrant seminary. This appointment, which he owed to Limborch, he held from 1684, and in 1725 on the death of his friend he was called to occupy the chair of church history also.[
Apart from literary work, Le Clerc's life at Amsterdam was uneventful. In 1691 he married a daughter of ]Gregorio Leti
Gregorio Leti (29 May 1630 – 9 June 1701) was an Italian historian and satirist from Milan, who sometimes published under the pseudonym Abbe Gualdi, L'abbé Gualdi, or Gualdus known for his works about the Catholic Church, especially the papa ...
. From 1728 onward he was subject to repeated strokes of paralysis
Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...
, and he died 8 years later, on 8 January, in Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
.[
]
Views
His suspected Socinianism
Socinianism () is a nontrinitarian belief system deemed heretical by the Catholic Church and other Christian traditions. Named after the Italian theologians Lelio Sozzini (Latin: Laelius Socinus) and Fausto Sozzini (Latin: Faustus Socinus), uncle ...
was the cause, it is said, of his exclusion from the chair of dogmatic theology.[
]
Published works
In 1679 in Saumur were published ''Liberii de Sancto Amore Epistolae Theologicae'' (Irenopoli: Typis Philalethianis), usually attributed to Leclerc. They deal with the doctrine of the Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
, the Hypostatic union
''Hypostatic union'' (from the Greek: ''hypóstasis'', "sediment, foundation, substance, subsistence") is a technical term in Christian theology employed in mainstream Christology to describe the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one h ...
of the two natures in Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
, original sin
Original sin is the Christian doctrine that holds that humans, through the fact of birth, inherit a tainted nature in need of regeneration and a proclivity to sinful conduct. The biblical basis for the belief is generally found in Genesis 3 (t ...
, and other topics, in a manner unorthodox for the period.[ In 1685 he published with ]Charles Le Cène
Charles Le Cène (1647?–1703) was a French Huguenot controversialist, in exile in England and the Netherlands after 1685.
Life
He was born around 1647 at Caen in Normandy, of well-to-do parents. He studied theology at Sedan from 1667 to 1669, ...
''Entretiens sur diverses matières de théologie''.
In 1685 he published ''Sentimens de quelques theologiens de Hollande sur l'histoire critique du Vieux Testament composée par le P. Richard Simon'', in which, while pointing out what he believed to be Richard Simon's faults, he advanced views of his own. These included: arguments against the Mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
authorship of the Pentateuch
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...
; his views as to the manner in which the five books were composed; and his opinions on the subject of divine inspiration
Divine inspiration is the concept of a supernatural force, typically a deity, causing a person or people to experience a creative desire. It has been a commonly reported aspect of many religions, for thousands of years. Divine inspiration is ofte ...
in general, in particular on the Book of Job
The Book of Job (; hbo, אִיּוֹב, ʾIyyōḇ), or simply Job, is a book found in the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), and is the first of the Poetic Books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Scholars ar ...
, Book of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs ( he, מִשְלֵי, , "Proverbs (of Solomon)") is a book in the third section (called Ketuvim) of the Hebrew Bible and a book of the Christian Old Testament. When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different ...
, Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes (; hbo, קֹהֶלֶת, Qōheleṯ, grc, Ἐκκλησιαστής, Ekklēsiastēs) is one of the Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly use ...
, and Canticles
A canticle (from the Latin ''canticulum'', a diminutive of ''canticum'', "song") is a hymn, psalm or other Christian song of praise with lyrics usually taken from biblical or holy texts. Canticles are used in Christian liturgy.
Catholic Church
...
. Simon's ''Réponse'' (1686) drew from Le Clerc a ''Defence des sentimens'' in the same year, which was followed by a new ''Réponse'' (1687).[
In 1692 appeared his ''Logica sive Ars Ratiocinandi'', and also ''Ontologia et Pneumatologia''; these, with the ''Physica sive de rebus corporeis'' (1696), are incorporated with the ''Opera Philosophica'', which have passed through several editions.][ In his ''Logica'', Le Clerc rewrites the Catholic Port-Royal ''Logique'' from a protestant Remonstrant perspective and supplements the ''Logique'' with analyses taken from '']Essay
An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...
'' of his friend, John Locke
John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...
.
In turn, Charles Gildon
Charles Gildon (c. 1665 – 1 January 1724), was an English hack writer who was, by turns, a translator, biographer, essayist, playwright, poet, author of fictional letters, fabulist, short story author, and critic. He provided the source for ma ...
published a partial and unattributed translation of Le Clerc's ''Logica'' as the treatise "Logic; or, The Art of Reasoning" in the second (1712) and subsequent editions of John Brightland's ''Grammar of the English Tongue''.
In 1728, Ephraim Chambers
Ephraim Chambers ( – 15 May 1740) was an English writer and encyclopaedist, who is primarily known for producing the '' Cyclopaedia, or a Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences''.
Biography
Chambers was born in Milton near Kendal, Westmor ...
used Gildon's translation of Le Clerc's version of the Port-Royal ''Logique'' as one of his sources when he compiled his '' Cyclopaedia''. John Mills
Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...
and Gottfried Sellius
Gottfried Sellius (real name Gottfried Sell)Blom, p. 36. (1704?–1767) was a German academic and translator. He is known for his work on ''Teredo navalis''. and to be one of the three original initiators of an encyclopedia project, which subsequen ...
later translated Chambers's ''Cyclopaedia'' into French. Their translation was appropriated by Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the ''Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promine ...
and Jean le Rond d'Alembert
Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert (; ; 16 November 1717 – 29 October 1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. Until 1759 he was, together with Denis Diderot, a co-editor of the ''Encyclopédie ...
as the starting point for their Encyclopédie
''Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers'' (English: ''Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts''), better known as ''Encyclopédie'', was a general encyclopedia publis ...
.
In particular, the article on définition (1754) in the ''Encyclopédie'' can be traced through this chain of writers, editors, translators, and compilers to the Port-Royal ''Logique'' through the ''Logica'' of Jean Le Clerc.
In 1693 his series of Biblical commentaries began with that on the Book of Genesis
The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning") ...
; the series was not completed until 1731. The portion relating to the New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
books included the paraphrase and notes of Henry Hammond
Henry Hammond (18 August 1605 – 25 April 1660) was an English churchman, who supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
Early life
He was born at Chertsey in Surrey on 18 August 1605, the youngest son of John Hammond (c. 155 ...
. Le Clerc's commentary challenged traditional views and argued the case for inquiry into the origin and meaning of the biblical books, It was hotly attacked on all sides.[
His ''Ars Critica'' appeared in 1696, and, in continuation, ''Epistolae Criticae et Ecclesiasticae'' in 1700. Le Clerc produced a new edition of the Apostolic Fathers of Cotelerius (]Jean-Baptiste Cotelier Jean-Baptiste Cotelier or Cotelerius (born December, 1629, Nîmes; died 19 August 1686, Paris) was a Patristic scholar and Catholic theologian.
Life
His early education was under the personal direction of his father, at one time a Protestant mi ...
, 1627-1686), published in 1698. He also edited journals of book notices and reviews: the ''Bibliothèque universelle et historique'' (Amsterdam, 25 vols, 1686-1693), begun with J. C. de la Croze; the ''Bibliothèque choisie'' (Amsterdam, 28 vols, 1703-1713); and the ''Bibliothèque ancienne et moderne'', (29 vols, 1714-1726).[
Other works were Le Clerc's ''Parrhasiana ou, Pensées diverses sur des matiéres de critique, d'histoire, de morale et de politique avec la défense de divers ouvrages de M. L. C. par Théodore Parrhase'' (Amsterdam, 1699); and ''Vita et opera ad annum MDCCXI, amici ejus opusculum, philosophicis Clerici operibus subjiciendum'', also attributed to himself. The supplement to Hammond's notes was translated into English in 1699, ''Parrhasiana, or Thoughts on Several Subjects'', in 1700, the Harmony of the Gospels in 1701, and ''Twelve Dissertations'' out of 211.] Other works include the collected works of Erasmus, begun in 1703, and ''Harmonia evangelica'', 1700. One of his final works was his three-volume
Histoire des Provinces-Unies des Pays Bas
', covering the history of the Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
up to the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht
The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne o ...
and published between 1723 and 1728.
Notes
References
* Vincent, Benjamin (1877) "Leclerc, Jean (1657-1736)" ''A Dictionary of Biography, Past and Present: Containing the chief events in the lives of eminent persons of all ages and nations'' Ward, Lock, & Co., London;
* Hargreaves- Mawdsley, W.N. (1968) "Leclerc, Jean (1657-1736)" ''Everyman's Dictionary of European Writers'' Dutton, New York, ;
* Watson, George (ed.) (1972) "Leclerc, Jean (1657-1736)" ''The New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature'' Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, ;
* Lueker, Erwin L. (ed.) (1975)
Arminianism
'' Lutheran Cyclopedia'', accessed November 7, 2006 ;
* Pitassi, Maria Cristina (1987) ''Entre croire et savoir. Le problème de la méthode critique chez Jean Le Clerc'', E.J. Brill, Leiden ;
* Le Clerc, Jean (1987-1997) "Epistolario", 4 vols., ed. M. e M.G. Sina, Leo S. Olschki, Firenze, , 88 222 3872 9, 88 222 4211 4, 88 222 4536 9 ;
* Yolton, John W. ''et al.'' (1991) "Leclerc, Jean (1657-1736)" ''The Blackwell Companion to the Enlightenment'' Basil Blackwell, Cambridge, MA, ;
* Walsh, Michael (ed.) (2001) "Leclerc, Jean (1657-1736)" ''Dictionary of Christian Biography'' Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, ;
* Asso, Cecilia (2004) "Erasmus redivivus. alcune osservazioni sulla filologia neotestamentaria di Jean Le Clerc" ''Vico nella storia della filologia'', ed. Silvia Caianiello e Amadeu Viana, Alfredo Guida, Napoli, ;
* Bocast, Alexander K (2016). ''Chambers on Definition''. McLean: Berkeley Bridge Press.
External links
Literature by and about Jean Leclerc in the ''Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek''
in German.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leclerc, Jean
1657 births
1736 deaths
17th-century clergy from the Republic of Geneva
Theologians from the Republic of Geneva
Dutch Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Remonstrants
Arminian theologians
Dutch biblical scholars
17th-century Protestant theologians
18th-century Protestant theologians