René Massuet (13 August 1666 – 11 January 1716) was a French

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

patrologist Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...

, of the

Congregation of St. Maur The Congregation of St. Maur, often known as the Maurists, were a congregation of French Benedictines, established in 1621, and known for their high level of scholarship. The congregation and its members were named after Saint Maurus (died 565), ...

. He was born at St. Ouen de Mancelles in the

diocese of Évreux In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

, and made his solemn profession in religion in 1682 at Notre Dame de Lire, and studied at Bonnenouvelle in

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Abbey of Bec An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conc ...

, and theology at St. Stephen's, in

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Jumièges Jumièges () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north-western France. Geography A forestry and farming village situated in a meander of the river Seine, some west of Rouen, at the junction of the D 65 and the ...

and three years at Fécamp. He spent the year 1702 in Rome in the study of Greek. The following year he was called to St. Germain des Prés in

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 ...

and taught theology there to the end of his life. His principal work, which he undertook rather reluctantly, is the edition of the writings of

St. Irenaeus Irenaeus (; grc-gre, Εἰρηναῖος ''Eirēnaios''; c. 130 – c. 202 AD) was a Greeks, Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christianity, Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, mor ...

, Paris, 1710. An elegant edition of these writings had appeared at Oxford, 1702, but the editor

John Ernest Grabe John Ernest Grabe (July 10, 1666 – November 3, 1711), Anglicanism#Anglican divines, Anglican divine, was born at Königsberg, where his father, Martin Sylvester Grabe, was professor of theology and history. Life In his theological studies ...

was less intent on an accurate rendering of the text than on making Irenaeus favour Anglican views. Massuet enriched his edition with valuable dissertations on the heresies impugned by St. Irenaeus and on the life, writings, and teaching of the saint. He also edited the fifth volume of the ''Annales Ordinis S. Benediciti'', of

Jean Mabillon Dom Jean Mabillon, O.S.B., (; 23 November 1632 – 27 December 1707) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar of the Congregation of Saint Maur. He is considered the founder of the disciplines of palaeography and diplomatics. Early life Mabil ...

, with some additions and a preface inclusive of the biographies of

Mabillon Dom Jean Mabillon, O.S.B., (; 23 November 1632 – 27 December 1707) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar of the Congregation of Saint Maur. He is considered the founder of the disciplines of palaeography and diplomatics. Early life Mabil ...

and

Thierry Ruinart Dom Thierry Ruinart (also Theodore, Theodoricus) (1657–1709) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar. He was a Maurist, and a disciple of Jean Mabillon. Of his many works, the one now cited is his ''Acta sincera'', a martyrology, written in La ...

. We owe him, moreover, a letter to John B. Langlois, S.J., in defence of the Benedictine edition of St. Augustine, and five letters addressed to

Bernard Pez Bernhard Pez (22 February 1683, at Ybbs near Melk – 27 March 1735, at Melk, Lower Austria) was an Austrian Benedictine historian and librarian. Life He studied at Vienna and Krems an der Donau, Krems, and in 1699 entered Melk Abbey. Having s ...

found in J. G. Schelhorn's ''Amoenitates Literariae''. He left in manuscript a work entitled ''Augustinus Graecus'', in which he quotes all the passages of

St. John Chrysostom John Chrysostom (; gr, Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος; 14 September 407) was an important Early Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of ab ...

grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massuet, Rene 1666 births 1716 deaths 17th-century French people 18th-century French people French Benedictines People from Eure University of Caen Normandy alumni