Jean Crespin (c.1520 – 12 April 1572) was a French Protestant lawyer who became a significant printer
and martyrologist in
Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
.
Life
He was born at
Arras and studied law at
Leuven. In 1540 he was in Paris, where he worked with his friend
François Baudouin under the leading jurist and advocate
Charles Du Moulin, and became himself advocate at the
Parlement of Paris
The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...
. He became interested in the doctrines of the
Reformed Church; and when he returned to Arras, his relations with the Protestants caused him to be treated as a heretic.
In 1545 he went to
Strasbourg, where he married. In 1548 he moved near his friend
John Calvin; with his family he settled in Geneva, where he established a printing-press. In 1555 he received citizenship there. He died at Geneva in 1572.
Works
In common with other printers and publishers of his time he also wrote and compiled books, most famously his martyrology, now popularly known as the ''Livre des Martyrs''. This went through several editions between 1554 and 1570, under a variety of titles.
*''Le Livre des Martyrs'' (Geneva, 1554)
*''Recueil de plusieurs personnes qui ont constamment enduré la mort pour le nom de N. S. J. C. depuis Jean Hus jusqu'à cette année présente 1554'' (1555);
*''Troisieme partie du recueil des martyrs'' (1556)
*''Quatrieme partie des actes des martyrs'' (1561)
*''Cinquieme partie des actes des martyrs'' (1563)
*''Actes de Martyrs'' (1564)
*''Histoire des vrays témoins de la vérité de l'Évangile depuis Jean Hus jusqu'à présent'' (1570).
In addition, he is credited with:
*''Le Marchand converti, tragédie nouvelle'' (1558);
See also
*
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
References
*http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc03/Page_305.html
;Attribution
Further reading
;Published by Crespin
* Lexicon Graecolatinum. 1554
External links
* Open Library
Jean Crespin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crespin, Jean
1520 births
1572 deaths
16th-century French lawyers
French printers
French Protestants
Printers from the Republic of Geneva
Writers from the Republic of Geneva
Huguenots
16th-century Calvinist and Reformed Christians