Jean Réville was a French Protestant theologian who was born in Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

, Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. He was the son of theologian Albert Réville

Albert Reville

Albert Réville was a distinguished French Protestant theologian, known for his 'extremist' liberal views. He is also known for being one of the first "intellectuals" to join the Dreyfusard cause when the Dreyfus Affair erupted in the 1890s.Réville was born in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime...

 (1826-1906).

He studied theology at Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

, Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

 and Heidelberg

Heidelberg

-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...

, and in 1880 obtained his licentiate in theology in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. He subsequently became a pastor

Pastor

The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

 in Sainte-Suzanne, Doubs

Sainte-Suzanne, Doubs

Sainte-Suzanne is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-Geography:The commune lies southwest of Montbéliard. It forms an arc of which each end rejoins the Allan River.-Population:-External links:* *...

, and in 1886 received his doctorate in theology at the Protestant Faculty of Theology in Paris

Protestant Faculty of Theology in Paris

The Protestant Faculty of Theology of Paris was a Protestant institution moved to Paris from Strassburg in 1877 in the buildings of the former collège Rollin, Rue Lhomond....

. In 1894 he was appointed professor of patristics

Patristics

Patristics or Patrology is the study of Early Christian writers, known as the Church Fathers. The names derive from the Latin pater . The period is generally considered to run from the end of New Testament times or end of the Apostolic Age Patristics or Patrology is the study of Early Christian...

 to the theological faculty at the Sorbonne

Sorbonne

The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...

.

Réville was a prominent figure in French Liberal Protestantism. From 1884 until his death, he was editor of the Revue de l'Histoire des Religions. Among his better known publications are the following:

• La Doctrine du logos (1881)
• La Religion à Rome sous les Sévères (1886)
• Les Origines de l'épiscopat (1895)
• Le Protestantisme libéral, ses origines, sa nature, sa mission (1903)