Jakob Abbadie
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Jakob Abbadie (; 25 September 1727), also known as Jacques or James Abbadie, was a French
Protestant 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 ...
minister and writer. He became
Dean of Killaloe The Dean of Killaloe is based at the Killaloe Cathedral, Cathedral Church of St Flannan in Killaloe in the united diocese of Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe, Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert within the Church of Ireland. The Dean of Killaloe is als ...
, in Ireland.


Life

Jacques Abbadie was born at Nay,
Béarn Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
, probably in 1654, although 1657 and 1658 have been given; he is "most probably the Jacques Abbadie who was the third child of Violente de Fortaner and Pierre Abbadie, baptized on 27 April 1654."
Samuel Smiles Samuel Smiles (23 December 1812 – 16 April 1904) was a British author and government reformer. Although he campaigned on a Chartist platform, he promoted the idea that more progress would come from new attitudes than from new laws. His prim ...
stated that he was "the scion of a distinguished Béarnese family"; although it is probable that the poverty of his parents would have excluded him from a learned career if some of the leading Protestants of the district had not charged themselves with the expenses of his education, which was begun under M. Jean de la Placette, the minister of Nay, He studied at
Puylaurens Puylaurens (; ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. The poet Suzon de Terson was born here in 1657. Population See also *Communes of the Tarn department The following is a list of the 314 communes of the Tarn depa ...
, the
Academy of Saumur The Academy of Saumur () was a Huguenot university at Saumur in western France. It existed from 1593, when it was founded by Philippe de Mornay, until shortly after 1685, when Louis XIV decided on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, ending t ...
, and the
Academy of Sedan The Academy of Sedan ( Fr.: ''Académie de Sedan'') was a Huguenot academy in Sedan in the Principality of Sedan, founded in 1579 and suppressed in 1681. It was one of the main centres for the production of Reformed pastors in France for a hundred ...
, receiving the degree of doctor in
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
, it is said, at the age of seventeen. An obituary notice, however, which appeared in the ''
Daily Courant ''The Daily Courant'', initially published on , was the first British daily newspaper. It was produced by Elizabeth Mallet at her premises next to the King's Arms tavern at Fleet Bridge in London. The newspaper consisted of a single page, wit ...
'' for 5 October 1727, says: "He was not above twenty-two when he undertook of himself his admirable treatise on the ''Truth of the Christian Religion''". About the same time he was sent for by
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg Frederick William (; 16 February 1620 – 29 April 1688) was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1640 until his death in 1688. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as "th ...
, to be minister of the French church at Berlin; the electoral summons found Abbadie at Paris, and it was conveyed through the Count d'Espense, who had been commissioned by his master to make the selection. The congregation of refugees, small enough at first to be accommodated in an apartment of the Count d'Espense's residence, grew gradually from increased emigration to
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, caused by the revocation of the
edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...
in 1685. The elector ordered the ancient chapel of his palace to be prepared for the congregation, and the services were frequently attended by the younger members of his family. Abbadie's arrival in Berlin has been variously assigned to the years 1680 and 1681. During seven or eight years he used his increasing favour with the elector to relieve the distress of the refugees from France, and especially from his native province of Béarn. Abbadie continued to occupy his pastorate at Berlin until the death of the great elector, which took place 29 April 1688. He then accompanied
Marshal Schomberg Frederick Herman de Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg (6 December 1615 – 1 July 1690) was a German-born army officer who served as the English Master-General of the Ordnance from 1689 to 1690. Having fought in the French, Portuguese, Dutch ...
to England in 1688, and the following year became minister of the French Church of the Savoy, London. In the autumn of 1689 he went to Ireland with the marshal. After the
Battle of the Boyne The Battle of the Boyne ( ) took place in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and James's daughter), had acceded to the Crowns of England and Sc ...
, Abbadie returned to London. He subsequently published a revised version of the French translation of the English liturgy used at this church, with an epistle dedicatory to
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. He was often appointed to deliver occasional discourses, both in London and Dublin, but his lack of facility in English prevented his preferment in England, and also excluded him from the deanery of St. Patrick's, Dublin, to which
William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily () * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg (1817–1890) N ...
wished to promote him. Abbadie's health suffered from devotion to his duties in the Savoy and from the English climate. He therefore settled in Ireland, and in 1699 the
deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...
of Killaloe was conferred on him by the king. whose favour he had attracted by a vindication of the Revolution of 1688. The remainder of Abbadie's life was spent in writing and preaching, and in the performance—not too sedulous, for he was frequently absent from his benefice—of the ordinary duties of his office, varied by visits to England and to Holland, where most of his books were printed. Abbadie visited Holland to see his ''La Vérité'' through the press, and stayed more than three years in
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, 1720–23, during the preparation of ''Le Triomphe'' and other works. He returned to Ireland in 1723. Abbadie's income as dean of Killaloe was so small that he could not afford a literary amanuensis; and
Hugh Boulter Hugh Boulter (4 January 1672 – 27 September 1742) was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, the Primate of All Ireland, from 1724 until his death. He also served as the chaplain to George I from 1719. Background and education Boulter wa ...
,
archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...
, having appealed in vain to
Lord Carteret John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, 7th Seigneur of Sark (; 22 April 16902 January 1763), commonly known by his earlier title Lord Carteret, was a British statesman and Lord President of the Council from 1751 to 1763 and worked closely with the ...
, the
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...
, on Abbadie's behalf, gave him a letter of introduction to Dr.
Edmund Gibson Edmund Gibson (16696 September 1748) was a British divine who served as Bishop of Lincoln and Bishop of London, jurist, and antiquary. Early life and career He was born in Bampton, Westmorland. In 1686 he was entered a scholar at Queen's ...
,
bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...
, and Abbadie left Ireland. He established himself at
Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...
. He died at his lodgings at Marylebone on Monday, 25 September 1727, aged 73.


Works

Abbadie is best known by his religious treatises, several of which were translated from the original French into other languages and had a wide circulation throughout Europe. The most important of these are ''Traite de la verité de la religion chrétienne'' (1684); its continuation, ''Traité de la divinité de Jesus-Christ'' (1689); and ''L'Art de se connaitre soi-meme'' (1692). While at Berlin, he made several visits to the Netherlands, in 1684, 1686, and 1688, chiefly for the purpose of superintending the printing of several of his works, including the ''Traité de la Vérité'', Rotterdam, 1684. The book went through a vast number of editions and was translated into several languages, an English version, by
Henry Lussan Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainment ...
, appearing in 1694. Completed by a third volume, the ''Traité de la Divinité de Nôtre Seigneur Jésus-Christ'', it appeared at Rotterdam, 1689. An English translation, entitled ''A Sovereign Antidote against Arian Poyson'', appeared in London, 1719, and again "revised, corrected, and, in a few places, abridged", by
Abraham Booth Abraham Booth (20 May 1734 – 27 January 1806) was an English dissenting minister and author, known as a Baptist apologetical writer. Life Booth was born at Blackwell, Bolsover, Blackwell, near Alfreton, Derbyshire, on 20 May 1734; while he w ...
, under the title of ''The Deity of Jesus Christ essential to the Christian Religion'', 1777. The entire apology for Christianity formed by the three volumes of the ''Traité'', which combated severally the
heresies Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...
of
atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...
,
deism Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin term '' deus'', meaning "god") is the philosophical position and rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge and asserts that empirical reason and observation ...
, and
Socinianism Socinianism ( ) is a Nontrinitarian Christian belief system developed and co-founded during the Protestant Reformation by the Italian Renaissance humanists and theologians Lelio Sozzini and Fausto Sozzini, uncle and nephew, respectively. ...
, was received with praise. ''La Vérité de la Religion Chrétienne Réformée'' (1717) was a controversial treatise which in its four parts attacks the characteristic doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church; it was translated into English, for the use of the Roman Catholics of his diocese of Dromore, by Dr. Ralph Lambert, afterwards
bishop of Meath The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric. History Until the ...
. The work was completed in 1723 in ''Le Triomphe de la Providence et de la Religion; ou, l'Ouverture des sept Seaux par le Fils de Dieu, où l'on trouvera la première partie de l'Apocalypse clairement expliquée par ce qu'il y a de plus connu dans l'Histoire et de moins contesté dans la Parole de Dieu. Avec une nouvelle et très-sensible Démonstration de la Vérité de la Religion Chrétienne''. It was in the Irish camp with Schomberg that Abbadie commenced one of his most successful works, which was published at
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in 1692, as ''L'Art de se connoître soi-même; ou, La Recherche des Sources de la Morale'', and went through many editions and amplifications. Translations of this work into other languages include a popular English version by the Rev. Thomas Woodcock, ''The Art of Knowing One-self'', 1694. The last 50 pages of this 274-page work deals with
pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...
, which he divided into five branches: love of esteem, presumptuousness, vanity, ambition and arrogance. Among the early writings of Abbadie were four ''Sermons sur divers Textes de l'Ecriture'', 1680; ''Réflexions sur la Présence réelle du Corps de Jésus-Christ dans l'Eucharistie'', 1685; and two highly adulatory addresses on persons in high stations, entitled respectively ''Panégyrique de Monseigneur l'Electeur de Brandebourg'', 1684; and ''Panégyrique de Marie Stuart, Reine d'Angleterre, d'Ecosse, de France, et d'Irlande, de glorieuse et immortelle mémoire, décédée à Kensington le 28 décembre 1694'', 1695, also published in England as ''A Panegyric on our late Sovereign Lady'', 1695. These four productions, with other occasional sermons, were in 1760 republished collectively, in three volumes, at Amsterdam, and preceded by an ''Essai historique sur la Vie et les Ouvrages de M. Abbadie''. The pamphlet on the
Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...
was also reprinted at
Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
, in 1835, under the title of ''Quatre Lettres sur la Trans-substantiation'', and appeared in an English translation, by John W. Hamersley, as the ''Chemical Change in the Eucharist'', 1867. ''Défense de la Nation Britannique'', 1693 was an elaborate defence of the
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
, written in answer to Pierre Bayle's ''Avis important aux Réfugiés'', 1690. He gave a funeral oration on Queen Mary. Abbadie had also written, at the request of the king, ''Histoire de la dernière Conspiration d'Angleterre'', 1696, a history of the conspiracy of 1696, which was reprinted in Holland and translated into English, and for which the
Earl of Portland Earl of Portland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England, firstly in 1633 and secondly in 1689. What proved to be a long co-held title, Duke of Portland, was created in 1716 and became extinct in 1990 upon the death of t ...
and Secretary Sir
William Trumbull Sir William Trumbull, PC (8 September 163914 December 1716) was an English diplomat and politician who was a member of the First Whig Junto. Early life Trumbull was born at Easthampstead Park in Berkshire and baptised on 11 September 1639. ...
placed original documents at the author's disposal. This work helped Abbadie's preferment. After its production, "his majesty sent him to Ireland, with an order to the lords justices to confer upon him some dignity in the church, which order was complied with by his promotion to the deanery of Killalow" (''Daily Courant,'' 5 October 1727). He revised his works for a complete edition in four volumes, in which were also to be included two unpublished treatises, ''Nouvelle Manière de prouver l'Immortalité de l'Ame'', and ''Notes sur le Commentaire philosophique de M. Bayle''. No trace of them could be found after his death.


Works

* 1684
''Traité de la Vérité''
* 1689
''Traité de la Divinité de Nôtre Seigneur Jésus-christ''
* 1695
A Panegyric on our late Sovereign Lady''
* 1696
''Histoire de la derniere conspiration d'Angleterre, avec le detail de diverses enteprises contre le roy et la nation''
* 1717
''La Vérité de la Religion Chrétienne Réformée''
* 1719
''Traité de la Divinité de Nôtre Seigneur Jésus-Christ''
* 1723 - ''Le triomphe de la Providence et de la religion ou l'ouverture des sept seaux par le fils de Dieu; ou l'on trouvera la premiere partie de l'Apocalypse ... avec une nouvelle & tres sensible demonstration de la verité de la Religion chretienne'' *
Tome premier
*
Tome second
*
Tome troisième
*
Tome quatrième
* 1777
''The Deity of Jesus Christ essential to the Christian Religion''


Notes


References

* *


External links


Abbadie, Jacques
in the Christian Cyclopedia *
Works by Jacques Abbadie
at
Early English Books Online The Text Creation Partnership (TCP) is a not-for-profit organization based in the library of the University of Michigan . Its purpose is to produce large-scale full-text electronic resources (especially in the humanities) on behalf of both member i ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbadie, Jakob 1650s births 1727 deaths People from the Province of Béarn Deans of Killaloe Huguenots Protestant writers 17th-century Swiss writers 18th-century Swiss writers