Gabriel André Aucler (mid 1700s–1815) was a French lawyer who after the French Revolution adopted the name Quintus Nautius and tried to reestablish pagan religiosity with himself as its leader. He created

religious clothing Religious clothing is clothing which is worn in accordance with religion, religious practice, tradition or significance to a faith group. It includes clerical clothing such as cassocks, and religious habit, robes, and other vestments. Accessories ...

for himself and conducted pagan rites at his house. He published a book in 1799, ''La Thréicie'', which presents his religious views. His teachings became the subject of an essay by

Gérard de Nerval Gérard de Nerval (; 22 May 1808 – 26 January 1855), the pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator Gérard Labrunie, was a French essayist, poet, translator, and travel writer. He was a major figure during the era of French romantici ...

, included in ''

Les Illuminés ''Les Illuminés, ou Les Précurseurs du Socialisme'' is a collection of narratives or essays by the French poet and author Gérard de Nerval published in 1852. In 2022, a complete translation by Peter Valente was published by Wakefield Press under ...

'' in 1852.

Early life and professional career

Gabriel André Aucler was born in Argenton-en-Berry in the middle of the 18th century. He became a lawyer by profession.

Pagan revivalism

Aucler admired

ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

and

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

and became a strong supporter of the French Revolution, which he viewed as a way to recreate an ancient

republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

. During the

French First Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (), was founded on 21 September 1792 during the French Revolution. The First Republic lasted un ...

, he became known for his attempt to reinstate paganism. He began to call himself Quintus Nautius, claimed to descend from an ancient Roman priest family and fashioned himself as the leader of a revived paganism, creating priestly clothes for himself. He performed rites conceived as restorations of the ancient mysteries of Orpheus at his house. His followers primarily consisted of his household. Aucler wrote a book about his religious views with the title ''La Thréicie, ou la seule voie des sciences divines et humaines, du culte vrai et de la morale'' (). It is 440 pages long and was published under the name Q Nautius Aucler by Moutardier in Paris in 1799, or VII according to the French Republican calendar. The

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

of the title is

Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...

, referencing an epithet from

Vergil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: the ''Eclogues'' ...

. The book promotes a revival of paganism in contemporary France and a

Pythagorean Pythagorean, meaning of or pertaining to the ancient Ionian mathematician, philosopher, and music theorist Pythagoras, may refer to: Philosophy * Pythagoreanism, the esoteric and metaphysical beliefs purported to have been held by Pythagoras * Ne ...

theme of universal animation. It condemns the conversion to Christianity as violent, presents Christianity as morally bankrupt and dismisses the

esotericism Esotericism may refer to: * Eastern esotericism, a broad range of religious beliefs and practices originating from the Eastern world, characterized by esoteric, secretive, or occult elements * Western esotericism, a wide range of loosely related id ...

Maximilien Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; ; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre ferv ...

. The book was written when the revolutionary fervour had decreased; according to the ''Biographie universelle : ancienne et moderne'', it obscures the full extent of Aucler's teachings. Aucler continued to promote paganism after Catholicism had been restored in France.

Late life

A poem Aucler wrote toward the end of his life has been interpreted as a recantation of his views. It was published in

Bourges Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...

in 1813 in a 32-page booklet with the title ''L'Ascendant de la religion, ou Récit des crimes et des fureurs, de la conversion et de la mort chrétienne d'un grand coupable, qui ont eu lieu récemment dans la ville de Bourges'' (). Aucler died in Bourges in 1815.

Legacy

The

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

ist in

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

was influenced by Aucler and continued to perform pagan rites after the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

. He produced a book in 1823, ''The Science of the Kabbalah'', which combines

Kabbalah Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...

and occultism with themes from ''La Thréicie''.

wrote an essay about Aucler, published in November 1851 in the '' Revue de Paris'' as "Les Païens de la République: Quintus Aucler" () and republished in 1852 as "Quintus Aucler" as the final entry in the book ''

''. Unlike other portraits in ''Les Illuminés'', "Quintus Aucler" provides almost no biographical information, but quotes extensively from ''La Thréicie''. Together with the poem "Christ in the Olive Grove" (1844) and the book ''

Voyage to the Orient ''Voyage to the Orient'' () is one of the works of French writer and poet Gérard de Nerval, published during 1851 in literature, 1851, resulting from his voyage of 1842 to Cairo and Beirut. In addition to a travel account it retells Oriental tales ...

'' (1851), "Quintus Aucler" has been analyzed as central in Nerval's interest in religious decline. Nerval presented Aucler's paganism as an example of the persistence of religiosity in spite of dwindling belief around him. He wrote that Aucler might be taken for a madman when viewed from outside of his social context, but described ''La Thréicie'' as "a book which imposes respect through honesty of intentions and sincerity of beliefs".

Jean-Joseph Gaume Jean-Joseph Gaume (5 May 1802 – 19 November 1879) was a French Roman Catholic theologian and author. Life Gaume was born at Fuans, Franche-Comté. While attached to the Diocese of Nevers, he was successively professor of theology, dire ...

devoted a section to Aucler in his work ''La Révolution'' (1856). Gaume compared Aucler's paganism to contemporaneous projects such as the "allegorical mysticism" of

François Antoine de Boissy d'Anglas François-Antoine de Boissy d'Anglas, Count of the Empire (1756–1826) was a French writer, lawyer and politician during the Revolution and the Empire. Biography Early career Born to a Protestant family in Saint-Jean-Chambre, Ardèche, he s ...

Pierre Gaspard Chaumette Pierre Gaspard Anaxagore Chaumette (; 24 May 1763 – 13 April 1794) was a French politician of the Revolutionary period who served as the president of the Paris Commune and played a leading role in the establishment of the Reign of Terror. ...

and Robespierre, the "timid polytheism" of Jean-Baptiste Chemin-Dupontès and , the

Cult of Reason The Cult of Reason () was France's first established State religion, state-sponsored secular religion, atheistic religion, intended as a replacement for Catholicism, Roman Catholicism during the French Revolution. After holding sway for barely ...

and the plant-covered altars of Theophilanthropy. Gaume wrote that Aucler stood out with his dissatisfaction with everything except the full restoration of ancient polytheism and its establishment as state religion.

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aucler, Gabriel André 1815 deaths 18th-century French lawyers 19th-century French lawyers French critics of Christianity French modern pagans French religious writers French republicans Modern pagan writers People from Indre Year of birth missing