Louis Thomassin

Biography

After having made its studies with the college of Marseilles, it entered very young person the Congrégation of the Oratory; it taught there the humanities in various colleges, and philosophy with Pézénas, where it adopted the method Plato ician, like cleaner than very other to lay out it with the teaching of theology. He professed during six years this last science with Saumur, while making contribute together the study and the method of the Fathers to that of the Scolastique S, and with a real success. Called, in 1654, with the seminar of Saint-Magloire to Paris, Thomassin taught during twelve years positive theology there, and made conferences there on the history and the ecclesiastical discipline, in the taste of those which holy Charles Borromée had established with Milan; they attracted a big competition of listeners.

Until its arrival with St-Magloire, the P. Thomassin had been in favor of the received doctrines with Port-Royal; in its new station, he deserted this party, without nevertheless passing in the opposite party. Naturally peaceful, he sought to reconcile the two schools, while taking in each one of them what seemed to him most specific to bring them closer one to the other. It is in this sight that it composed, in 1667, its Latin essays, seventeen, on the councils; but hardly some specimens they had appeared of it in the public, that they caused a great rumor. Unnecessarily the author put at it thirty-six paperboards required by the critics, the complaints did not continue any less with even more glare. One wanted to even make all the congregation responsible for the doctrines of one of his members. The regent was obliged to stop circulation of it, according to the representations of the Parliament, and the P. Sénault to address a letter Apologétique to the Archevêque of Paris, to prevent the effect of the denunciation which was to be about it made at the assembly of the clergy of 1670, whose this prelate was a president. The reproaches made with this work were to teach that to the pope alone the right belongs to convene the general councils that these councils are not necessary; that the sovereign pontiff only has an authority higher than that of the councils as regards discipline, restriction which displeased to the Romans extremely; that one should never agitate the question of the infallibility of the pope, but stick to saying that it is larger than itself when it is joined to the council, and the council smaller than itself when it is separated from the pope. These essays were to have three volumes; the two last were never printed.

Thomassin does not succeed better in its Mémoires on the grace , where he undertook to reconcile all the opinions on this delicate matter. It rejects there the average science of the molinists and the physical predetermination of the Thomiste S, and makes consist the effectiveness of the grace in the effectiveness of several helps, of which each one does not have anything infallible, but which, quickly following one another the ones the others, takes effect by their unit, and take their source in free predestination. The chancellor Pierre Séguier, fearing that this work did not ressuscitât the quarrels recently dormant by the peace of Clément IX prevented the impression of it but as it had run some handwritten copies from there, it appeared with Leuwen, in 1668, 3 vol. in-8°, without the participation of the author.

It was only in 1682 that it could, under the auspices of Mr. of Harlay, to give of it one second edition, 2 volumes in-4°, often connected in a volume; it bears its name and is covered privilege of the king, and increased considerably. The P. of Holy-Marthe, general of the oratory, apprehending that the system exposed in this work and the noise which it made in the world did not harm the seminar of St-Magloire, urged Thomassin to be withdrawn in the house of the institution, where it would have more leisure to be delivered to the composition of the other works than it meditated. It is indeed during the sixteen years of its stay in this retirement that it composed the majority of those about which we will speak.

Most considerable, that to which it owes its reputation, is the Ancienne and new discipline of the Church , etc, 3 vol. in-fol., which had two consecutive editions, in 1678 and 1679; they had the fastest flow. The pope Innocent XI of it was so satisfied that he wanted to attract the author with Rome, where he proposed to raise it with the dignity of cardinal, and where the cardinal Casanate intended to him a place of assistant librarian of the the Vatican. But the humility of the P. Thomassin and the refusal which his kingdom made the king deprive of a scientist of this merit ruined this project. Though the Romans did not taste some of its opinions, especially that where it gave a rather recent date to the rights of the pope on erection of évêchés, they wished nevertheless that one made a Latin translation of it, in order to return it of a general utility. Thomassin took care some, with the invitation of the cardinal Cibo; and it is ensured that it cost him only eighteen months of work. It appeared in 1688, in the same number of volumes as the French editions, but with rather considerable changes in those, the matters were distributed according to the order of times, so that, on each subject, one was obliged to consult three volumes, which made from there the use very inconvenient; in that one, it arranged them according to their natural order, without any interruption, and besides enriches it by several corrections and additions. It is on this Latin edition that the P. Bougerel, wrote the last of the French editions, that it published in 1725, in the same number of volumes. The editor changed some terms which had become, out of use; he cut several sentences, which tired by their excessive length. II put tables very useful at the end of each volume, and he added to this edition the Vie of the author.

The P. Mansi published of it a fourth, in 1723, with Venice, dedicated to the cardinal Alberoni, 4 vol. in. - fol. Of Hericourt an excellent summary in a volume gave some in-4°. That of the Father Julien Loriot is only one extract of, which this great work contains on morals. It was followed of its theological Dogmes , 1680 - 1684 and 1689, 3 vol. in-fol., to serve as following those of the P. Pétau. The scientist Jesuit had treated the matters more as a historian that as a theologist, with the place that the oratorien sticks mainly to the bottom of the mysteries.

Nicole, whose judgment could not be suspect when it is about the P. Thomassin, could not cease admiring its astonishing penetration, especially in the first volume which treats Verbe incarnated and where he gathered all that the S. Fathers said of more sublime on this matter, the same ones; qualities, are pointed out in the second, who concerns God and his attributes. He exposes to it in the manner the happiest all doctrines of Platonic on this matter. The third contains theological Prolégomène S and the treaty of the Trinity. The P. Thomassin was distracted from the immense work which so many scientists works by historical and dogmatic treaties required on various points of discipline and morals, on the manner of studying and of teaching the human letters, poetry, the history, philosophy, grammar, languages; they were followed other treaties on various parts of doctrines and liturgy, such as the fasts, the divine office, the trade and wear, the worn one of the temporal goods, the unit of the Church, the truth and the lie.

All these works breathe the same spirit that the first, and offer the same scholarship. It had composed one of them on the homicide and the larceny, which remained handwritten, like its Conférences on the ecclesiastical history . The P. Thomassin had made a particular study of the Hebrew ; he had convinced himself that all the languages had their root in the Hebraic language, and consequently that they had drawn all from them their origin. This system did not make fortune; but its work supposes immense research and an infinite patience. It exhausted it so much so that it became unable of any application, and was obliged to give up any species of study.

It was P. Border, which was used to him as secretary, who undertook to direct the impression of it, by making it precede by the Vie of the author. The work was printed in 1697, with royal printing works, in a folio volume, under this title: Glossarium universal hebraïcum . The foreword, which is of more than one hundred pages, belongs to, P. Thomassin, though the P. Bougerel allots it to the P. Bordes and Mr. Barat. The P. Thomassin, private last times of its life, its mental faculties and even of the word, languishes during three years in this state and finished its career with the seminar of St-Magloire, the December 24th 1695.

Its memory was extraordinary, but he did not contemplate enough his works; one can however look them like excellent repertories. Its great defect is to have sought to reconcile all the opinions. It formed initially a plan, then collected on all sides of materials to put it at execution. To deny its works which were made public is a dogmatic Traité and history of the edicts and other means of which one was used for oneself to establish and maintain the unit in the Church , 2 vol. in-4°, followed of third composed by the P. Bordes, editor of this treaty, and who also composed the forewords of the two first, Paris, 1703. This work was undertaken at the time of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Thomassin establishes there that the edict of Louis XIV, on this subject, is much less hard than the laws of the codes Théodosien and Justinien, which was however approved by the Pères of the most human Church the most pious and. The P. Bordes attempts to refute the monstrous history of the edict of Nantes published by Benoît, and other seditious writings of the Calviniste S.

It remained of this scientist man, in manuscript, in the library of Saint-Magloire, in addition to its Conférences on the ecclesiastical history , of the Remarques on the councils , 3 vol. in-fol. ; others Remarks on the décrétales of Gregoire IX ; - a Treated freedoms of the Church gallicane ; - Remarks on several works of Holy Augustin, in particular on his Confessions.

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