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

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

patrologist Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of Theology, theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Pat ...

, of the Congregation of St. Maur.

Biography

Massuet was born at St. Ouen de Mancelles in the diocese of Évreux, 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 Bec Abbey, formally the Abbey of Our Lady of Bec (), is a Benedictine monastic foundation in the Eure ''département'', in the Bec valley midway between the cities of Rouen and Bernay. It is located in Le Bec Hellouin, Normandy, France, and was ...

, and theology at St. Stephen's, in

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

, he attended the lectures of the university and obtained the degrees of bachelor and licentiate in law. After this he taught a year at

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 t ...

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 city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and taught theology there to the end of his life.

Works

Massuet's principal work, which he undertook rather reluctantly, is his edition of the writings of St. Irenaeus, Paris, 1710, with accompanying essays on the life, writings, and teaching of the saint. His other works include: * editing the fifth volume of the ''Annales Ordinis S. Benediciti'', of

Jean Mabillon Dom Jean Mabillon , (; 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 Mabillon w ...

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

Mabillon Dom Jean Mabillon , (; 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 Mabillon w ...

and

Thierry Ruinart Dom (title), 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, ...

* a letter to John B. Langlois, S.J., in defence of the Benedictine edition of St. Augustine * five letters addressed to Bernard Pez found in J. G. Schelhorn's ''Amoenitates Literariae'' * (in manuscript form) ''Augustinus Graecus'', in which he quotes all the passages of St. John Chrysostom on

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 uni ...

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