Pasquier Quesnel facts for kids
Pasquier Quesnel (born July 14, 1634, died December 2, 1719) was a French theologian. He was a key leader of a religious movement called Jansenism. This movement had different ideas about faith and God's grace compared to the main Catholic Church at the time.
Contents
Quesnel's Life Story
Pasquier Quesnel was born in Paris, France. He was a very bright student. In 1653, he graduated with honors from the Sorbonne, a famous university. A few years later, in 1657, he joined a religious group called the French Oratory. He quickly became well-known there. He even took part in important scholarly debates.
Moving Because of His Beliefs
Quesnel supported the Jansenist movement. Because of his beliefs, he was forced to leave Paris in 1681. This happened after a big argument about religious ideas. He found safety with a friendly church leader, Cardinal Coislin, who was the bishop of Orléans.
However, four years later, Quesnel felt that more trouble was coming. He decided to move to Brussels, where he stayed with another important Jansenist, Antoine Arnauld.
Arrest, Escape, and Leadership
Quesnel lived in Brussels until 1703. That year, he was arrested by order of the archbishop of Mechelen. After being in prison for three months, he made a very exciting escape! He then moved to Amsterdam, where he lived for the rest of his life.
After Antoine Arnauld died in 1694, Quesnel became the main leader of the Jansenist group. His book, Réflexions morales sur le Nouveau Testament, became almost as important to the Jansenist movement as Jansen's own book, Augustinus.
His Important Book: Réflexions morales
Quesnel's book, Réflexions morales sur le Nouveau Testament, was a religious guide. It explained the goals and ideas of the Jansenist movement better than anyone before him. Because of this, it became a main target for another powerful religious group, the Jesuits.
The book was published in many different versions over the years. The first full edition came out in 1692.
The Papal Bull Unigenitus
On September 8, 1713, Pope Clement XI issued a special official letter called a papal bull. This bull was named Unigenitus. In it, 101 sentences from Quesnel's Réflexions morales were officially declared to be wrong or "heretical." This meant the Church believed these ideas went against its teachings.
The Unigenitus bull was a big moment. It officially ended the Catholic Church's acceptance of Jansenist ideas. The bull stated that Quesnel's ideas were the same as those already condemned from Jansen's writings. Pasquier Quesnel died in Amsterdam in 1719.
See also
In Spanish: Pascasio Quesnel para niños
