Théodore Tronchin () (17 April 1582 – 19 November 1657) was a Genevan

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

theologian, controversialist and Hebraist.

Life

He was born at

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, on 17 April 1582, the son of Rémi Tronchin and Sara Morin. He married Théodora Rocca, the adopted daughter of

Théodore de Bèze Théodore is the French version of the masculine given name Theodore. Given name * Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny (1798–1871), French landscape painter and engraver * Théodore Anne (1892–1917), French playwright, librettist, and novelist * Théo ...

.''Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse''
/ref> He studied theology at Geneva,

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

Franeker Franeker (; ) is one of the eleven historical City rights in the Low Countries, cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Waadhoeke. It is located north of the Van Harinxmakanaal and about west of Leeuwarden. As of 2023, it had 13,0 ...

, and

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

. He became professor of oriental languages at the academy of Geneva in 1606; he was preacher there in 1608, and professor of theology in 1618. He was rector in 1610. In 1618, he was sent with his colleague Giovanni Diodati to the

Synod of Dort The Synod of Dort (also known as the Synod of Dordt or the Synod of Dordrecht) was a European transnational Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618–1619, by the Dutch Reformed Church, to settle a divisive controversy caused by the rise of Arminianism. ...

, as Genevan delegate, where he spoke in favour of the

perseverance of the saints Perseverance of the saints, also known as preservation of the saints, is a Calvinist doctrine asserting that the elect will persevere in faith and ultimately achieve salvation. This concept was initially developed by Augustine of Hippo in the ea ...

. In 1632, he was army chaplain under Henri, Duke of Rohan, during his final campaign in

Valtellina Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; (); or ; ; ) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its ski centre, hot spring spas, bresa ...

. In 1655, he was one of the delegation that conferred in Geneva with

John Dury John Dury (1596 in Edinburgh – 1680 in Kassel) was a Scottish Calvinist minister and an intellectual of the English Civil War period. He made efforts to re-unite the Calvinist and Lutheran wings of Protestantism, hoping to succeed when he move ...

. He died in Geneva on 19 November 1657. The theologian Louis Tronchin was his son. His daughter Renée married the printer Pierre Chouet, and the theologian Jean-Robert Chouet was their son.

Views

He was an orthodox Calvinist, opposed to

Amyraldism Amyraldism (sometimes Amyraldianism) is a Calvinist doctrine. It is also known as the School of Saumur, post redemptionism, moderate Calvinism, or hypothetical universalism. It is one of several hypothetical universalist systems. Amyraldism is ...

Works

He was asked to reply to the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

Pierre Coton Pierre Coton (7 March 1564, at Néronde in Forez – 19 March 1626, at Paris) was a French Jesuit and royal confessor. Life Coton studied law at Paris and Bourges, entered the Society of Jesus at the age of twenty-five, and was sent to Milan to ...

, who in ''Genève plagiaire'' (1618) had attacked the Genevan Bible translation, the '' Bible de Genève''. Benédict Turrettini answered quickly in 1618, to the early parts of the book; and Coton published a rebuttal. Tronchin's answe
''Coton plagiaire''
(also ''Cotton'') appeared at the beginning of 1620. Other works were: *''De bonis operibus'' (1628);
''Oratio funebria de Henrico duce Rohani''
(1638); *''De peccato originali'' (1658). His 1628 funeral oration for Simon Goulart is known for the hint in it that Goulart knew the author of the ''

Vindiciae contra tyrannos ''Vindiciae contra tyrannos'' (meaning: "Defences f libertyagainst tyrants") was an influential Huguenot tract published in Basel in 1579. Its author remains uncertain, since it was written under the pseudonym of "Stephen Junius Brutus". Likely ...

''. Hubert Languet, George Garnett (editor), ''Vindiciae contra tyrannos, or, Concerning the legitimate power of a prince over the people, and of the people over a prince'' (1994), p. xix
Google Books

References

External links

*
CERL page

Old dictionary entry
;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Tronchin, Théodore 1582 births 1657 deaths Theologians from the Republic of Geneva Supralapsarians Calvinist and Reformed Christians Christian Hebraists Participants in the Synod of Dort 17th-century clergy from the Republic of Geneva 17th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians Academic staff of the University of Geneva Théodore