Clericus, Johannes (1657-1736)
Johannes Clericus (Jean le Clerc), born 19 March 1657 at Geneva, Switzerland, died at Amsterdam in 1736, first belonged to the Calvinists, but soon withdrew from them because of the doctrine of predestination. He studied at the universities of Geneva and Saumur in France and visited England and Holland. In 1684 he was appointed to teach in the Remonstrant seminary of Amsterdam. He taught here for nearly 50 years—until 1728. His field was Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and afterwards also philosophy. He published a large number of learned books in Latin and French. By his contemporaries he was accused of Socinian views and an unorthodox position concerning the doctrines of Trinity and original sin; he laid much stress upon practical Christianity, which Clericus said is taught very clearly in the Scriptures. As a professor of the Remonstrant seminary he had some influence on Mennonite ministers, many of whom, when training for the ministry, attended his lectures, until a Mennonite seminary was established in 1735.
Bibliography
Visscher, H. and L. A. van Langeraad. Het protestantsche vaderland: biographisch woordenboek van protestantsche godgeleerden in Nederland, 8 vols. Utrecht, 1903-1918: v. II, 83-104.
| Author(s) | Nanne van der Zijpp |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1953 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Zijpp, Nanne van der. "Clericus, Johannes (1657-1736)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Clericus,_Johannes_(1657-1736)&oldid=120090.
APA style
Zijpp, Nanne van der. (1953). Clericus, Johannes (1657-1736). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Clericus,_Johannes_(1657-1736)&oldid=120090.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 623. All rights reserved.
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