Pierre Boquin
Encyclopedia
Pierre Boquin was a French
Reformed Theologian who played a critical role in the Reformation
of the Electoral Palatinate.
. He was briefly a member of the Carmelite Order even serving as prior
of the Bourges community before leaving in 1541 due to his turn toward Protestantism. He fled through Basel
and Leipzig
to Wittenberg
. He joined the faculty of the Strasbourg Academy
in 1542 as the successor of John Calvin
.
Towards the end of that year he returned to Bourges
to lecture at the university
under the protection of Queen Marguerite de Navarre
. Bouquin also served as cathedral preacher in Bourges, but he lost this position in short order due to his Protestant convictions. Because of this he was brought up on charges before the Archbishop of Paris
, which he wholly escaped by fleeing again to Strasbourg in 1555. He served there for two years from 1555 as preacher for the church of the French refugee community.
of the theological faculty, and Frederick III
tapped him to serve on the church council due to his Reformed opinions. In June 1560, he participated in a disputation
with Saxon Lutherans from the court of John Frederick II
on the Lord’s Supper, chiefly against Johann Stössel
. He also he participated in the Maulbronn Colloquy in April 1564, a debate with the Lutheran theologians of Württemberg
, chiefly Jakob Andreae
, over the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. There is currently no consensus on how large a role should be attributed to Boquin in the composition of the Heidelberg Catechism
, although he was certainly a prime theological authority in that period alongside the principal author Zacharias Ursinus
. His supported the doctoral promotion of the Englishman George Withers at the University of Heidelberg in 1568, which in part helped to ignite the controversy over church discipline
between the Calvinist disciplinist party and Thomas Erastus
.
returned the Palatinate to the Lutheran confession. To this end he released Reformed teachers and preachers, and therefore, Bouquin lost his post. He accepted a position in Bernese territory as preacher and instructor at the Lausanne Academy
in 1578. He died four years later.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
Reformed Theologian who played a critical role in the Reformation
Reformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
of the Electoral Palatinate.
Origins and early career
Pierre Boquin was probably born after 1518 in Guyenne in Western France. He earned a doctorate in theology in 1539 at the University of BourgesUniversity of Bourges
The University of Bourges was a university located in Bourges, France. It was founded by Louis XI in 1463 and deleted during french Revolution.-Notable alumni:* Patrick Adamson * John Calvin * Hugues Doneau...
. He was briefly a member of the Carmelite Order even serving as prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of the Bourges community before leaving in 1541 due to his turn toward Protestantism. He fled through Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
and Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
to Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
. He joined the faculty of the Strasbourg Academy
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
in 1542 as the successor of John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
.
Towards the end of that year he returned to Bourges
Bourges
Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...
to lecture at the university
University of Bourges
The University of Bourges was a university located in Bourges, France. It was founded by Louis XI in 1463 and deleted during french Revolution.-Notable alumni:* Patrick Adamson * John Calvin * Hugues Doneau...
under the protection of Queen Marguerite de Navarre
Marguerite de Navarre
Marguerite de Navarre , also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was the queen consort of Henry II of Navarre...
. Bouquin also served as cathedral preacher in Bourges, but he lost this position in short order due to his Protestant convictions. Because of this he was brought up on charges before the Archbishop of Paris
Archbishop of Paris
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris is one of twenty-three archdioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created in the 3rd century by St. Denis and corresponded with the Civitas Parisiorum; it was elevated to an archdiocese on...
, which he wholly escaped by fleeing again to Strasbourg in 1555. He served there for two years from 1555 as preacher for the church of the French refugee community.
Activity in the Electoral Palatinate
He was appointed Professor of Theology at the University of Heidelberg in 1557. He served as deanDean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the theological faculty, and Frederick III
Frederick III, Elector Palatine
Frederick III of Simmern, the Pious, Elector Palatine of the Rhine was a ruler from the house of Wittelsbach, branch Palatinate-Simmern-Sponheim. He was a son of John II of Simmern and inherited the Palatinate from the childless Elector Otto-Henry, Elector Palatine in 1559...
tapped him to serve on the church council due to his Reformed opinions. In June 1560, he participated in a disputation
Disputation
In the scholastic system of education of the Middle Ages, disputations offered a formalized method of debate designed to uncover and establish truths in theology and in sciences...
with Saxon Lutherans from the court of John Frederick II
John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony
John Frederick II of Saxony , was duke of Saxony, and briefly, Elector of Saxony .He was the eldest son of John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, and Sybille of Cleves.-Reign and military ambitions:...
on the Lord’s Supper, chiefly against Johann Stössel
Johann Stössel
Johann Stössel was a Lutheran Theologian and Reformer.-Life:...
. He also he participated in the Maulbronn Colloquy in April 1564, a debate with the Lutheran theologians of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, chiefly Jakob Andreae
Jakob Andreae
Jakob Andreae was a significant German Lutheran theologian, involved in the drafting of major documents.-Life:He was born in Waiblingen, in the Duchy of Württemberg. He studied at the University of Tübingen from 1541...
, over the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. There is currently no consensus on how large a role should be attributed to Boquin in the composition of the Heidelberg Catechism
Heidelberg Catechism
The Heidelberg Catechism is a Protestant confessional document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine...
, although he was certainly a prime theological authority in that period alongside the principal author Zacharias Ursinus
Zacharias Ursinus
Zacharias Ursinus was a sixteenth century German Reformed theologian, born Zacharias Baer in Breslau . He became the leading theologian of the Reformed Protestant movement of the Palatinate, serving both at the University of Heidelberg and the College of Wisdom...
. His supported the doctoral promotion of the Englishman George Withers at the University of Heidelberg in 1568, which in part helped to ignite the controversy over church discipline
Church discipline
Church discipline comes in two types: formative and corrective. Formative discipline, or discipleship, seeks to help form the character and life of the believer. In this sense, every church disciplines it members. Jonathan Leeman has noted that "every church disciplines its members formally...
between the Calvinist disciplinist party and Thomas Erastus
Thomas Erastus
Thomas Erastus was a Swiss physician and theologian best known for a posthumously published work in which he argued that the sins of Christians should be punished by the state, and not by the church withholding the sacraments...
.
Late career
When Frederick III died on 26 October 1576, his son Elector Louis VILouis VI, Elector Palatine
In the history of the Holy Roman Empire, Louis VI, Elector Palatine was an Elector from the Palatinate-Simmern branch of the house of Wittelsbach. He was the first-born son of Frederick III, Elector Palatine and Marie of Brandenburg-Kulmbach...
returned the Palatinate to the Lutheran confession. To this end he released Reformed teachers and preachers, and therefore, Bouquin lost his post. He accepted a position in Bernese territory as preacher and instructor at the Lausanne Academy
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of theology, before being made a university in 1890. Today about 12,000 students and 2200 researchers study and work at the university...
in 1578. He died four years later.
Works
- Ad calumnias doctoris cujusdam Avii in Evangelii professores Defensio n.p., 1558
- Apodeixis antichristianismi, qua christianismum veram religionem, pharisaismum christianismo contrarium, papismum pharisaismo simillimum esse ostenditur (Geneva 1583)* Examen libri, quem D. Til. Heshusius nuper scripsit de praesentia corporis Christi in coena Domini (Basel 1561)
- Assertio veteris et veri christianismi adversus novum et fictum jesuitismum (Heidelberg 1579)
- Exegesis divinae atque humanae koinonías (Heidelberg 1561)
- Oratio de Vita et morte illustrissimi Principis D.D. Friderici III.... [Heidelberg]: Apud Ioannem Mareschallum, 1577.
Further reading
- Lyle Bierma, et. al. (2005) An Introduction to the Heidelberg Catechism: Sources, History, and Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker.
- Dagmar Drüll, Heidelberger Gelehrtenlexikon 1386-1651, Berlin: Springer, 2002, pp. 48-49.
- Ruth Wesel-Roth, Thomas Erastus: Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der reformierten Kirche und zur Lehre von der Staatssouveränität [Veröffentlichungen des Vereins für Kirchengeschichte in der evang. Landeskirche Badens 15]. Lahr/Baden: Moritz Schauenberg, 1954.