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AMYRAUT, MOSES (1506-1664)

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Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 902 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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AMYRAUT, See also:MOSES (1506-1664) , also known as AMYRAI,DUS, See also:French See also:Protestant theologian and metaphysician, was See also:born at Bourgueil, in the valley of See also:Anjou, in 1596. His See also:father was a lawyer, and, designing Moses for his own profession, sent him on the completion of his study of the humanities at See also:Orleans to the university of See also:Poitiers. Here he took the degree of licentiate (B.A.) of See also:laws. On his way See also:home from the university he passed through See also:Saumur, and, having visited the pastor of the Protestant See also:church there, was introduced by him to Philippe de See also:Mornay, See also:governor of the See also:city. Struck with See also:young Amyraut's ability and culture, they both urged him to See also:change from See also:law to See also:theology. His father advised him to revise his philological and philosophical studies, and read over See also:Calvin's Institutions, before finally deter-See also:mining. He did so, and decided for theology. He thereupon removed to Saumur—destined to be for ever associated with his name—and studied under J. See also:Cameron, who ultimately regarded him as his greatest See also:scholar. He had a brilliant course, and was in due See also:time licensed as a See also:minister of the French Protestant Church. The contemporary See also:civil See also:wars and excitements hindered his See also:advancement. His first church was in St Aignan, in the See also:province of See also:Maine.

There he remained two years. The eminent theologian, See also:

Jean Daille, being then removed to See also:Paris, advised the church at Saumur to secure Amyraut as his successor, praising him " as above himself." The university of Saumur at the same time had fixed its eyes on him as See also:professor of theology. The See also:great churches of Paris and See also:Rouen also contended for him, and to win him sent their deputies to the provincial See also:synod of Anjou. Amyraut had See also:left the choice to the synod. He was appointed to Saumur in 1633, and to the professor's See also:chair along with the pastorate. On the occasion of his inauguration he maintained for thesis De Sacerdotio Christi. His co-professors were See also:Louis See also:Cappel and Josue de la See also:Place, who also were Cameron's pupils. Very beautiful was the lifelong friendship of these three remark-able men, who collaborated in the Theses Salmurienses, a colIection of theses propounded by candidates in theology prefaced by the inaugural addresses of the three professors. Full of See also:energy, Amyraut very speedily gave to French Protestantism a new force. In 1631 he published his Traite See also:des religions, a See also:book that still lives; and from this See also:year onward he was a foremost See also:man in the church. Chosen to represent the provincial synod of Anjou, See also:Touraine and Maine at the See also:national synod held in 1631 at Charenton, he was appointed as orator to See also:present to the See also:king " The Copy of their Complaints and Grievances for the Infractions and Violations of the See also:Edict of See also:Nantes." Previous deputies had addressed the king on their bended knees, whereas the representatives of the Catholics had been permitted to stand. Amyraut consented to be orator only if the See also:assembly authorized him to stand.

There was intense resistance. See also:

Cardinal See also:Richelieu himself, preceded by lesser dignitaries, condescended to ,visit Amyraut privately, to persuade him to kneel; but Amyraut held resolutely to his point and carried it. His " oration " on this occasion, which was immediately published in the French See also:Mercury, remains a striking landmark in the See also:history of French Protestantism. During his See also:absence on this See also:matter the assembly debated " Whether the See also:Lutherans who desired it, might be admitted into communion with the Reformed Churches of See also:France at the See also:Lord's Table." It was decided in the affirmative previous to his return; but he approved with astonishing eloquence, and thereafter was ever in the front See also:rank in maintaining inter-communication between all churches holding the See also:main doctrines of the See also:Reformation. P. See also:Bayle recounts the See also:title-pages of no fewer than See also:thirty-two books of which Amyraut was the author, These show that he took See also:part in all the great controversies on, See also:predestination and Arminianism which then so agitated and harassed all See also:Europe. Substantially he held fast the Calvinism of his See also:preceptor Cameron; but, like See also:Richard See also:Baxter in See also:England, by his breadth and charity he exposed himself to all manner of misconstruction. In 1634 he published his Traite de la pre-destination, See also:ill which he tried to mitigate the harsh features of predestination by his " Universalismus hypotheticus." See also:God, he taught, predestines all men to happiness on See also:condition of their having faith. This gave rise to a See also:charge of See also:heresy, of which he was acquitted at the national synod held at See also:Alencon in 1637, and presided over by See also:Benjamin See also:Basnage (1580-1652). The charge was brought up again at the national synod of Charenton in 1644, when he was again acquitted. A third attack at the synod of See also:Loudun in 1659 met with no better success. The university of Saumur became the university of French Protestantism.

Amyraut had as many as a See also:

hundred students in attendance upon his prelections. Another historic part filled by Amyraut was in the negotiations originated by See also:Pierre le Gouz de la Berchere (1600—16J3), first See also:president of the See also:parlement of See also:Grenoble, when exiled to Saumur, for a reconciliation and See also:reunion of the Catholics of France with the French Protestants. Very large were the concessions made by Richelieu in his See also:personal interviews with Amyraut; but, as with the See also:Worcester See also:House negotiations in England between the Church of England and nonconformists, they inevitably See also:fell through. On all sides the statesmanship and eloquence of Amyraut were conceded. His De l'See also:elevation de la See also:foy et de l'abaissement de la raison en la creance des mysteres de la See also:religion (1641) gave him See also:early a high place as a metaphysician. Exclusive of his controversial writings, he left behind him a very voluminous See also:series of See also:practical evangelical books, which have See also:long remained the fireside favourites of the peasantry of French Protestantism. Amongst these are Estat des fideles apres la mort; Sur l'oraison dominicale; Du Write des ceuvres; Traite de la See also:justification; and paraphrases of books of the Old and New Testament. His closing years were weakened by a severe fall he met with in 1657. He died on the 18th of See also:January 1664. See Edm. Saigey, Moses Amyraut, sa See also:vie et ses ecrits (1849); Alex. Schweizer in Tub. theol.

Jahrbb., 1852, pp. 41 if. 155 if., Protestant. Central-Dogrnen(1854 ff.), ii. 225 if., and in See also:

Herzog-Hauck, Realencyklopadie; Bayle, s.v.; Biog. Univ., s.v.; See also:John See also:Quick's Synod. in See also:Gall. Reform. pp. 352-357; Ibid. MS. hones Sacrae Gallicanae; See also:Life of Cameron.

End of Article: AMYRAUT, MOSES (1506-1664)

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