Louis Thomassin ( la, Ludovicus Thomassinus; 28 August 1619,
Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
– 24 December 1695, Paris) was a French theologian and
Oratorian.
Life
At the age of thirteen he entered the Oratory and for some years was professor of literature in various colleges of the congregation, of theology at
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 ...
, and finally in the seminary of Saint Magloire, in Paris, where he remained until his death.
Thomassin was one of the most learned men of his time, "Vir stupendae plane eruditionis", as
Hugo von Hurter
The von Hurter family belonged to the Swiss nobility; in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries three of them were known for their conversions to Roman Catholicism, their ecclesiastical careers in Austria and their theological writings.
Friedri ...
says, in his ''Nomenclator literarius recentioris'' II (Innsbruck, 1893), 410.
Works
His chief works are:
*"Ancienne et nouvelle discipline de l'église touchant les bénéfices et les bénéficiers" (2 vols. in fol., Paris, 1678–79 with an additional volume pub. 1681), which passed through several French and Latin editions and several abridgments (in Latin the title is 'Vetus et nova ecclesiae disciplina circa beneficia et beneficiarios');
*"Dogmatum theologicorum ... de Incarnatione, de Dei proprietatibus ... etc." (3 vols. in fol., Paris, 1680–89), likewise re-edited several times (the treatise on the Incarnation is regarded as Thomassin's masterpiece)
*a series of "Traités historiques et dogmatiques" on ecclesiastical fasts, feasts, the Divine Office, the unity of the Church, truth and lying, alms, business and usury (1680–97)
*a series of methods of studying and teaching the humanities, philosophy, grammar, history (1681–92)
*the "Glossarium universale hebraicum" (in fol., Paris, 1697)
*"Traité dogmatique et historique des édits et d'autres moyens ... dont on s'est servi . . . pour établir et maintenir l'unité de l'église" (3 vols., in 4°, Paris, 1705).
The last-named two posthumous works were published by
P. Bordes, who wrote a life of Thomassin at the beginning of the "Glossarium".
References
*
External links
''Ancienne et nouvelle discipline de l'Eglise''on the
Cujas Library
Cujas Library (french: Bibliothèque Cujas), named after the French jurist and scholar Jacques Cujas (1520–1590), is an academic research library, and the largest law library in Europe.Oswald, Godfrey (2008). '' Library world records'' (2nd ...
website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomassin
1619 births
1695 deaths
People from Aix-en-Provence
17th-century French Catholic theologians
Bishops of Sisteron
Bishops of Vence
French Oratory