Jacob Vernet

Jacob Vernet ( * August 29, 1698 in Geneva, † March 26, 1789 in Geneva) was a Swiss Protestant theologian, philosopher and a pioneer of education in Switzerland.

Life

Jacob grew up Vernet (1664-1706) and Jeanne, born Richard (1663-1733) in Geneva, the son of businessman Isaac Vernet. The Vernet family emigrated in the 17th century from Provence and his grandfather Jacob became the Civil Rights ( Bourgeois) in the year 1659th His brother Isaac ( 1700-1773 ) was a banker and from 1738 a member of the Council of the Two Hundred ( Conseil des Deux -Cents ' ) and in his bank Labhard et Vernet in Paris Jacques Necker began his career.

When the eight -year-old Jacob lost his father, the medical historian Daniel LeClerc (1652-1728) was an important person for his early education. From 1713 to 1722 studied Vernet humanities, philosophy and theology at the academy there with Jean- Alphonse Turrettini. During his studies he worked from 1720 to 1722 as a private tutor in a wealthy family in Paris. After his ordination in 1722 in Geneva, he returned to Paris, where he continued his tutor activity until 1728 and came into contact with the French philosophers.

With his students, he traveled in 1728 to Italy, where they met Lodovico Antonio Muratori, Montesquieu, and the economist John Law and to Holland, where they various representatives of Kollegialismus ( one by the Enlightenment idea of the social contract influenced Protestant church law theory on the relationship between church and state ) and Jean Barbeyrac visited.

From 1730-1731 he was a pastor in Jussy, in Le Petit- Saconnex and 1734 in Geneva. With Turretinis son and his teacher as he traveled in 1732 to Switzerland, Germany, Holland, England and France, where they were inspired by liberal theological and political developments such as the Naturrechtler Christian Wolff in Marburg. Back in Geneva was Vernet in 1734 pastor at the St. Pierre Cathedral and the Church of St. Gervais. From 1739 to 1756 he was professor of literature, from 1756 to 1786 of theology at the Academy in Geneva and in 1737 its rector.

Work

Enlightenment theology

Vernet advocated under the influence of Jean- Alphonse Turrettini an enlightened theology, which distanced itself from the Calvinist orthodoxy. He was friends with several scouts, but fell out with Voltaire and Jean -Jacques Rousseau, because he defended them against the institution of the church.

He maintained good relations with Geneva highest government circles. His 1734 book published relation of the affaires de Genève dealt with the patrician families who ruled the city and he praised for their efforts for the public good and their wise financial management regime. He did not believe that the people who control the government would have to be free, as long as the government was in good hands.

Influenced by Descartes ' philosophy, the " English moderation " and Arminianism, Vernet sought a middle way between the extremes and the middle path designated as the true religion. He followed Turretinis approach, the defense of reasonable faith, and said that no aspect of theology should be reprehensible for a deists or atheists. He refused to speculate on the mysteries as predestination, reprobation, or the nature of the Trinity.

His main work was the French edition of Turretinis Latin Theses on the Christian religion ( Opera omnia theologica philosophica et philo logica, 3 volumes, 1774-1776 ), which postulated the conformity of faith and reason. In 1751 he published posthumously revolutionary book principles of political justice ( Principes du droit politique ) of his friend Jean -Jacques Burlamaqui, a representative of the western Swiss natural law school.

Vernet said that a heath in Africa could be saved by Christ, without ever having heard of him, if he would react to the revelation that God had given him his nature and his conscience. He believed that God wanted the people to obey him and do good voluntarily and the path of virtue to all stand open.

In his Christian instruction (Instruction chrétienne ) - intended as a theological basis - he tried to reduce the differences between the various sects with a simplified representation of the faith. He was against the perfectionism of Reformed scholasticism, which could lead to divisions.

He said that the main objective of the truly religious man is to honor God as the supreme and infinitely wise masters of the universe, and that this religious practice would lead to personal happiness. However, he did not consider that the choice of one's religion did not matter, because he believed that only Christianity would be based on reasonable grounds.

Voltaire and Rousseau

Vernet met Voltaire in Paris for the first time in 1733 and corresponded with him about the publication of Voltaire's work in Geneva. After Voltaire had moved to Geneva in 1754, the two were arguing about various topics. When the controversy became public, the Syndics were contrived to settle the dispute. As d' Alembert came to Geneva to collect material for his Encyclopedia information about the city of Geneva, he stayed in Voltaire, while Vernet provided him with material on the history and government.

1754 wrote Jean- Jacques Rousseau to Vernet to be readmitted to the Church of Geneva, and Rousseau 1758 Vernet praised for its recognition that all citizens are connected to each other in a state constitution. As d' Alembert claimed in his article on Geneva, Geneva's pastors that were included Vernet have swung from Calvinism to pure Socinianism, they were defended by Rousseau. Come under pressure from the pastors, to d' Alembert justified so that all water that would not accept the Roman Catholic Church, would call sociality nesting. When Rousseau in 1762 his social contract and published in the book Emile or on Education denounced the religion, broke Vernet - who took a leading role in the prosecution of these works in Geneva - the relationship with him from.

Writings

• Le Livre de l' Académie du Recteur de Genève 1559-1878. T. VI, Notices biographiques of étudiants, Livre du Recteur 6, 143 f, publishing Droz, Geneva 1959, ISBN 9,781,160,741,675th
• Défense des deux lettres à adressees Mr. *** chanoine de Notre Dame de ... sur le mandement Monseigr. le cardinal de Noailles, au sujet de la guérison de la dame de la Fosse: contre la Réponse d'un docteur de Sorbone you diocèse d' Annecy. 1727th
• Nicolas Malebranche, Jacob Vernet, Pierre Varignon: Pièces fugitives sur l' Eucharist. 1730.
• Pietro Giannone, Jacob Vernet: Anecdotes ecclésiastiques: La La Police and Discipline de l' Eglise Chretienne. In 1738.
• Jean- Alphonse Turrettini, Jacob Vernet: Traité de la vérité de la religion chrétienne. Part 4 Chez Henri -Albert Gosse & Companie, 1740.
• De humaniorum literarum amoenitate et usu oratio inaug. In 1740.
• Charles -Louis de Montesquieu de Secondat, Jacob Vernet: De l' esprit des Loix: ou du rapport que les Loix doivent avoir avec la constitution de chaque gouvernement, les moeurs, le climat, la religion, le commerce, etc. Chez Barrillot et fils, 1748.
• Principles of political justice ( Principes du droit politique ) by Jean -Jacques Burlamaqui, 1751st ( as Editor)
• Lettres sur la coutume modern d' employer le " vous " au lieu du "tu": et sur ​​cette question: doit -on bannir le " tutoyement " de nos versions, particulièrement de celles de la Bible? In 1752.
• Instruction chrétienne. Aux depens d'une Société de Gens de Lettres, 1754.
• Dialogues sur divers sujets entretiens socratiques ou de morale. 1756th
• Lettres d' un voyageur anglois critiques sur l'article Genève du Dictionnaire encyclopédique, et sur ​​la lettre de Mr d' Alembert à Mr Rousseau touchant les spectacles. A l' enseigne de la Vérité, in 1766.
• Louis Jean Lévesque de Pouilly, Jacob Vernet: The theory of agreeable sensations: In which, after the laws Observed by nature in the distribution of pleasure are Discovered, hey principles of natural theology, and moral philosophy are established. To Which is subjoined, relative to the same subject, a dissertation upon harmony of style. Printed for J. Dickson, in 1766.
• Jacob Vernet, Voltaire: Mémoire à présenté Mr le premier sindic par Jacob Vernet sur ​​un dragonfly qui concerne le: avec la lettre de curieuse Robert Covelle ... à la louange MV de ... à laquelle le mémoire sert de réponse. J. Bosch, 1767th
• Réflexions sur les moeurs, la religion et le culte. Chez Claude Philibert & beard. Chirol. , In 1769.
• 7 theses seu Commentationes theologicae. 1770.
• Opera Omnia Theologica, philosophica et philo logica of Turretini, as a translator into French and editor, 3 vols. From 1774 to 1776.
• Jacob Vernet, N. Cheveniere: Commentatio ... in totum caput Paulinum 1 Corinth. XV. Maxime autem circa introitum mortis in mundum. 1784th
• Jacobi Verneti, Theologiae in Academia Genevensi Professoris Opuscula Selecta. 1784th