Jacques Basnage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jacques Basnage
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Jacques Basnage De Beauval
8 August 1653 |
| Died | 22 December 1723 |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Parent(s) | Henri Basnage |
Jacques Basnage De Beauval (born August 8, 1653 – died December 22, 1723) was a famous French writer and an important leader in the Protestant church. He was also a skilled speaker and knew many languages. Basnage wrote important books, including a History of the Reformed Churches and a book about Jewish Antiquities.
About Jacques Basnage
Jacques Basnage was born in Rouen, a city in Normandy, France. He was the oldest son of Henri Basnage de Franquesnay, a well-known lawyer. Jacques studied old languages like Latin and Greek at Saumur. Later, he studied theology (the study of religious faith) in Geneva.
From 1676 to 1685, he worked as a pastor (a religious leader) in Rouen. However, in 1685, a law called the Edict of Nantes was canceled. This law had protected Protestants in France. Because of this, Jacques Basnage had to leave France. He moved to Holland.
In Holland, he became a paid minister in Rotterdam. By 1691, he was chosen to be a pastor at the Walloon church. This was a church for French-speaking Protestants.
Working for His Country
In 1709, a powerful Dutch leader named Anthonie Heinsius helped Basnage become a pastor at the Walloon church in The Hague. Heinsius wanted Basnage to help with government matters.
Basnage then became involved in secret talks. He spoke with a French diplomat named Marshal d'Uxelles during important peace meetings in Utrecht. After this, he was given several other important tasks.
In 1716, a French official named Dubois asked Basnage for help. Dubois was in The Hague to arrange an agreement called the Triple Alliance. This agreement was between France, Great Britain, and Holland. Even though Basnage had not been allowed to visit France the year before, he worked hard to help these talks succeed. The French government also asked him for help when there was a risk of a rebellion in the Cevennes region of France.
Basnage supported the return of the Protestant church in France. He told the French government that Protestants would not actively fight against them. Following the ideas of Calvin, he spoke out against the rebellion of the Camisards. He wrote a book called Instructions pastorales aux Réformés de France sur l'obéissance due aux souverains (1720). This book told French Protestants to obey their rulers. The French court ordered this book to be printed and shared widely in southern France.
His Important Books
Jacques Basnage wrote several books about religious beliefs and arguments. But his most important books were about history. Some of these include:
- Histoire de la religion des églises reformées (History of the Religion of the Reformed Churches), published in 1690.
- Histoire de l'église depuis Jésus-Christ jusqu'à présent (History of the Church from Jesus Christ to the Present), published in 1699. Both of these books were written from a Protestant point of view.
He also wrote two books that are considered more scientific:
- Histoire des Juifs (History of the Jews), published in 1706. An English version came out in 1708.
- Antiquités judaiques ou remarques critiques sur la république des Hébreux (Jewish Antiquities or Critical Remarks on the Hebrew Republic), published in 1713.
Basnage also wrote short introductions and notes for a collection of detailed pictures. These pictures showed stories from the Old and New Testaments. The collection was called Histoires du Vieux et du Nouveau Testament, représentées par des figures gravées en taille-douce par R. de Hooge (1704).
In 1697, Jacques Basnage was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected group of scientists in London.
