French Protestant Pioneers

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FRENCH PROTESTANT PIONEERS


Few opinion makers of 16th century France questioned the need for reform of the Church. Monks denounced the avarice of bishops. Priests denounced the lechery of monks. The writer, Pierre Brantôme (1540?-1613), quotes a phrase then popular in France: "As avaricious or lecherous as a priest or a monk".
The first sentence of Margarite's Heptameron describes the Bishop of Sées as lusting to seduce a married woman, and a dozen of the tales in the book describe similar adventures of various monks. One character in Heptameron exclaims, "I have such a horror of the very sight of a monk that I could not even confess to them, believing them to be worse than all other men."

It was due to King François I -- under influence of mother Louise and sister Marguerite -- that The Reformation began in France a year before "The Reformation" is supposed to have begun in Germany.

In 1516 (one year after ascending the throne), François I obtained from Pope Leo X a Concordat empowering François to appoint French bishops and abbots, making the French Church independent of the Papacy and dependent upon l'État. Thus, François I (a year before Martin Luther posted his "Theses") achieved what the German princes and Henry VIII later won by war or revolution: the nationalization of Christianity, bringing French Protestants "out of hiding".

Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples (1450?-1536, "the French Martin Luther") predated Luther's "Theses" 5 years by arguing that humans can only be saved by Faith in the Grace of God, earned by The Redeeming Sacrifice of Christ -- that is, Lefèvre demanded a return to The Gospels. and translated The New Testament and The Psalms into French. In 1512, while teaching the reconciliation of Plato with St. Paul at the University of Paris, Lefèvre published a Latin translation of The Epistles of Paul, with a commentary on justification by faith, not works that clearly challenged to Roman Catholicism. He also denied the doctrine of transubstantiation: the theological dogma that in the Eucharist the administered bread and wine become, by priestly consecration, the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ, although external manifestations remain.
In 1523 Lefèvre issued a French translation of The New Testament and a year later of The Psalms. This and his negative remarks about the behavior of some of the clergy brought condemnation as a heretic by The Sorbonne. Lefèvre fled to Strasbourg in 1525. But gratitude of François to Marguerite for helping to free him from prison (after François' Pavia defeat) led him to recall both Lefèvre and his disciple, Gerard Roussel, from exile. Lefèvre was appointed Royal Librarian at Blois and tutor to the children of François. But, in 1531, François became angered at Protestants and Lefèvre took refuge in Marguerite's castle in Southern France, where he lived until his death in 1537 at age 87.

At first Lafèvre's writings were well received by church and state officials, but as Luther's radical doctrines began to spread into France, Lafèvre's work was seen to be similar, invoking persecution of his followers. Many leading Protestants fled from France and settled in the republic of Geneva or Switzerland until strengthened in numbers and philosophy by the Calvinistic reformation in Geneva. More than 120 pastors trained in Geneva by Calvin returned to France before 1567 to proselytize for Protestantism. In 1559 delegates from 66 Protestant churches in France met at a national synod in Paris to draw up a confession of faith and rule of discipline based on those practiced at Geneva. In this way the first national Protestant church in France was organized; its members were known as Huguenots.


Gérard Roussel (?-1550) became Marguerite's almoner. In 15??, when François was absent, Marguerite's husband, Henri, King of Navarre, authorized Roussel to preach at the Louvre and attended himself. When Roussel was attacked, Henri put in a word for him with François. Roussel and others drew up for Marguerite a revised confession of faith, "Messe à sept pointe (Mass of seven points)". In 1540 Marguerite procured papal appointment of Roussel to the vacant border bishropic of Oléon.

Guillame Briçonnet (?-1533), Lefèvre's pupil, was appointed Bishop of Meaux in 1516, and historians refer to "The Meaux Group" in fostering reform. Briçonnet appointed to benefices such reformers as Lafère, Farel, Barquin, Roussel, and Vatable, exhorting them to preach "return to the Gospels". Marguerite applauded this, making him her spiritual director. But when, in 1511, the Sorbonne condemned Luther, Briçonnet urged his colleagues to make peace with the Church, believing, with Erasmus and Marguerite, that the Unity of the Church was more important than reform.

Louis de Berquin (1489-1529) translated some of Luther's writings into French, earning condemnation as heretic, in 1523, by The Sorbonne. Marguerite interceded for him. Later, however, François needed mney to ransom his sons from Emperor Charles V. He made a deal with the clergy involving 1,300,000 livres in return for a firmer stand against Lutheranism. And, after an incident in which Catholic images were defaced, and anti-reformist sentiment became uncontrollable, Berquin was burned at the stake.

? Carol, a disciple of Lefèvre. When attacked in 1525, Marguerite made him her almoner (a position left vacant by Roussel, and appointed him to the curacy of Alençon.

Etienne Le Court, by Marguerite's support, was appointed administrator of the hospital of Mortagne and later curate of Condé-sur-Sarthe. In spite of Marguerite's protection, Le Court was burned alive at the end of 1523.

Marsilio Ficino (1433-99), Italian philosopher and theologian, whose translations of and commentary on the works of Plato contributed to the Platonic revival during the Renaissance. Ficino was born at Figline, near Florence. After studying medicine and philosophy and preparing for the priesthood, he undertook to learn Greek. Encouraged by the Italian banker and statesman Cosimo de' Medici -- particularly by his gift of a villa outside Florence -- Ficino set up the Platonic Academy and made the first complete translation of Plato's writings into Latin (1463-69). He later translated works by the Roman philosopher Plotinus and other Neoplatonic writers. Following his ordination as a priest in 1473, Ficino became a canon of the Cathedral of Florence. His original work, Theologica Platonica (1482), a study of the immortality of the human soul, demonstrates Ficino's knowledge of St. Thomas Aquinas; it also takes account of the Plotinian cosmology and of the influence of the stars on human lives. His commentary on Plato's Symposium introduced the notion of platonic love. This concept of a special friendship based on love of God was seminal in the literature of the later Renaissance.

Guilliame Farel (1498-1565) has been called "John the Baptist to Calvin" -- a homology wherein Farel plays the presaging role to Calvin that John the Baptist played to Jesus. Farel was a member of Briçonnet's "Meaux group", and Briccedil;onnet appointed him to a benfice. In 1523, during the riotous "Affair of the Placards", it was rumored that Farel was the author of the writing on the Placards. Influenced by Lefère, Farel disdained ordination and wandered the France and Switzerland as an independent preacher, denouncing the pope as the Anti-Christ, the Mass as sacrilege, church icons as idols to be destroyed. Farel was short in stature, weak-boned but strong of voice, with fiery eyes and a flaming red beard. In 1532, Farel began to preach in the Geneva, persuading the Council of Twenty-Five to his views. Aided by Peter Viret and Antoine Froment, Farel aroused such support that nearly all the Catholic clergy fled, the Mass was abolished, relics removed from the churches, ecclesiastical properties taken for Protestant purposes. Citizens were exhorted to delare allegiance to The Gospel, and those refusing to attend Reformed Seervices were banished.
It was to this reformed Geneva that Calvin came, when Farel was 47 and Calvin was 20 years younger. Recognizing Calvin's ability, but reacting to Calvin's reluctance, Farel threatened Calvin with a holy curse if he preferred private studies to the dangerous teaching of "The Word". The same year, Calvin accompanied Farel and Viret to Lausanne, where an entire district was occupied by prostitutes, under the rule of their Reine du Bordel (Brothel Queen) Shocked by this and other evidences of "immorality", Farel issue a Confession of Faith and Discipline and Calvin issued a popular Catechism, both approved by the Council, and Protestant ecclesiastical rule spread through the city. But the Geneva Council and the populace drove out Farel and Calvin. Farel accepted a call to Neufchatel where he preached to the end of his days in 1565. But Calvin eventually returned to Geneva, transforming into his conception of "The City of God", with incursions into France. Farel again became closely involved with Calvin as a result of the troubles stirred up by Michael Servetus (x1511-1553), whose "heresies" included the support of the Copernican solar system and the (unBibilical) belief that blood circulates in the body. Condemened to die, Calvin offered to speak for Servetus if he would renounce his hereticla beliefs, but the aged Farel reproved such tolerance, and Servetus was burned at the stake.


François Vatable, a renowned Hebrew scholar, "an "upright and oustanding exegete", was one of the tutors which Louise of Savoy procured for her young children, Marguerite and François. Later, Vatable taught Hebrew at the Collège Royale (later renamed Collège de France). In 1534, a suit was brought by the Sorbonne against Vatable and some other lecturers at the Collège Royale, enjoining them not to teach Hebrew and Greek; but king François squelched the suit. Vatable asked Clement Marot to translate the Psalms into French, which pleasedFrançois I.

Clement Marot(1495?-1544), at instigation of François Vatable of the Collège Royals, translated some of the Psalms into French. This translation pleased François I so much that he sent a copy to Emperor Charles V, then his friend. And Charles sent Marot 100 crowns ($5000?). Marot translated more of the Psalms, issuing them in 1543 with a dedication to "the ladies of France". Goudimel set them to music, to be sung in many sections of France. But their approval by Luther and Calvin instigated suspicions of heresy from the Sorbonne. Marot fled to Geneva, but failed to find sanctuary, so slipped into Italy, where he died (1544) in Turin at age 49, leaving an illegitmate daughter in the care of Marguerite.

Pierre Leclerc was the brother of Jean Leclerc who instigated a riot in 1523. Bishop Briçonnet published on his cathedral door a papal bull of indulgences. Jean Leclerc tore this down and replaced it by a placard denouncing the pope as anti-Christ. For this Jean Leclerc was burned alive. In 1546, Pierre Leclerc led a group of Lutherans at Meaux. Fourteen of the group were tortured and burned alive.
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