Pasquier Quesnel

Pasquier Quesnel (* July 14, 1634 in Paris, † December 2, 1719 in Amsterdam) was a French Jansenist theologian.

Life

After he left the Sorbonne in 1653 with an excellent degree, Quesnel joined in 1657, founded by Pierre de Bérulle French Oratory in. He quickly became known - among other things he published the works of Charles de Condren - but his sympathies for Jansenism led in 1681 to his exile from Paris. He found refuge in Coislin Cardinal, Bishop of Orléans; Four years later, in anticipation of further persecution by the Jesuits, he fled again, this time to Brussels, where he contacted to Antoine Arnauld. He remained in Brussels until 1703, when he was arrested by order of the Archbishop of Mechelen. After three months in prison Quesnel succeeded in dramatic circumstances to escape, and he settled in Amsterdam, where he spent the rest of his life.

Effect

After Antoine Arnauld's death in 1694 Quesnel was widely regarded as a leading figure of the Jansenist movement. His reflection morales sur le Nouveau Testament was almost as great importance to Jansenism Jansen as ' Augustine. As the title suggests, it was a pious commentary on the writings of the New Testament, which succeeded in Quesnel, represent the ideas Jansen ' in a generally intelligible form, and therefore enjoyed great popularity. Precisely because they also provoked anger and violent opposition from the Jesuits that. Pope Clement XI Finally, the papal bull Unigenitus erwirkten of 8 September 1713 by no less than 101 sentences from the reflection morales were condemned as heretical without Quesnel had an opportunity to defend his views. Because the bull, in principle, some phrases Augustine condemned as heretical, raised a number of bishops, however, protest, which culminated on 5 March 1717, when four bishops and the Sorbonne appealed to a general council. Rome rejected the appeal.

Works

• Reflexions morales sur le Nouveau Testament, Paris 1668ff