View source for Clericus, Johannes (1657-1736)

[[File:Johannes-Clericus-1657.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''Johannes Clericus (1657-1736). 

Image courtesy of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Johannes-Clericus-1657.jpg Wikimedia Commons]'']]     Johannes Clericus<strong> </strong>(Jean le Clerc), born 19 March 1657 at [[Geneva (Switzerland)|Geneva]], [[Switzerland|Switzerland]], died at [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|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|France]] and visited [[England|England]] and [[Netherlands|Holland]]. In 1684 he was appointed to teach in the [[Remonstrants|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 [[Socinianism|Socinian]] views and an unorthodox position concerning the doctrines of [[God (Trinity), Doctrine of|Trinity]] and [[Original Sin|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. <em>Het protestantsche vaderland: biographisch woordenboek van protestantsche godgeleerden in Nederland, </em>8 vols. Utrecht, 1903-1918: v. II, 83-104.
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