Antoine Court (27 March 1696 – 13 June 1760) was a French reformer called the "Restorer of

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

." He was born in

Villeneuve-de-Berg Villeneuve-de-Berg (; ) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Geography The village lies in the north central part of the commune, on the right bank of the river Ibie, which flows southward through the commune. Popula ...

, in

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...

, on 27 March 1696, although at least one source lists a different date. His parents were

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

s, adherents of the

Reformed church Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

, which was at the time a target of state

persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

following the 1685

Edict of Fontainebleau The Edict of Fontainebleau (18 October 1685, published 22 October 1685) was an edict issued by French King Louis XIV and is also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted Huguenots the right to prac ...

. Antoine (sometimes translated as Anthony) was ordained by Pierre Corties at a Synod in 1718. He founded a school for clergy and encouraged Paul Rabaut to join the ministry of the church.

Early life

When he was 17 years old, Court began to speak at secret meetings of the

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, and in 1715 he convoked the first Synod of the Desert, or synod of the French Reformed Church. He was ordained in 1718, and continued holding religious gatherings for Protestants across France. His proposals for the improvement of the French Protestant church were: # regular religious meetings for teaching and worship; # suppression of the fanaticism of those who professed to be inspired, and of the consequent disorders; # restoration of discipline by the establishment of consistories, conferences, and synods; # the careful training of a body of pastors.

Later life

In 1724, France issued a decree that further criminalized Protestantism, and made preaching punishable by death. A price was set on Court's head, and in 1729 he fled to

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, where there was a seminary for Protestant clergyman. He founded a college there for the education of the clergy, and was the chief director there until his death on 13 June 1760. This college sent forth all of the pastors of the Reformed Church of France until the close of the eighteenth century.

Works

Court intended to write a history of Protestantism and made extensive collections for the purpose, but he did not live to do the work. His writings include: * ''An Historical Memorial of the Most Remarkable Proceedings Against the Protestants in France from 1744-51'' (English translation, London, 1832) * ''Histoire des troubles des Cévennes ou de la guerre des Camisards'' (1760; new edition, three volumes, Alais, 1819) * ''Autobiography'', edited by E. Hugues (Toulouse, 1885) * ''Letters'', from 1739, edited by C. Dardier (Paris, 1885; 1891)

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Court, Antoine 1696 births 1760 deaths People from Villeneuve-de-Berg French Calvinist and Reformed ministers Huguenots 18th-century French historians French male non-fiction writers Writers from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Early life

Later life

Works

See also

References