Theological movement within Catholicism (17th?18th centuries)
Jansenism
was an
early modern
theological movement
within
Catholicism
, primarily active in the
Kingdom of France
, that arose in an attempt to reconcile the theological concepts of
free will
and
divine grace
. Jansenists claimed to profess the true doctrine of grace as put forth by
Augustine of Hippo
. In 1653,
Pope Innocent X
promulgated the bull
Cum occasione
, which condemned five errors attributed to Jansenism, including the idea that Christ did not die or shed his blood for all men.
The movement originated in the posthumously published work of the Dutch theologian
Cornelius Jansen
, who died in 1638. It was first popularized by Jansen's friend
Abbot
Jean du Vergier de Hauranne
of
Saint-Cyran-en-Brenne Abbey
, and after Vergier's death in 1643, the movement was led by
Antoine Arnauld
. Through the 17th and into the 18th centuries, Jansenism was a distinct movement away from the Catholic Church. The theological center of the movement was
Port-Royal-des-Champs Abbey
, which was a haven for writers including Vergier, Arnauld,
Pierre Nicole
,
Blaise Pascal
, and
Jean Racine
.
Jansenism was opposed by many within the
Catholic hierarchy
, especially the
Jesuits
. Although the Jansenists identified themselves only as rigorous followers of Augustine's teachings, Jesuits coined the term
Jansenism
to identify them as having
Calvinist
leanings.
[1]
The
apostolic constitution
Cum occasione
, promulgated by
Pope Innocent X
in 1653, condemned five cardinal doctrines of Jansenism as heretical, especially the relationship between human
free will
and
efficacious grace
, wherein the teachings of Augustine, as presented by the Jansenists, contradicted Jesuit thought.
[1]
Jansenist leaders endeavored to accommodate the pope's pronouncements while retaining their uniqueness, and enjoyed a measure of peace in the late 17th century under
Pope Clement IX
. Further controversy led to the papal bull
Unigenitus
of
Pope Clement XI
in 1713, however, which condemned further Jansenist teachings.
[2]
This controversy did not end until
Louis Antoine de Noailles
, cardinal and archbishop of Paris who had opposed the bull, signed it in 1728.
Origins
[
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]
The origins of Jansenism lie in the friendship of
Jansen
and
Vergier
, who met in the early 17th century when both were studying
Christian theology
at the
University of Leuven
. Vergier was Jansen's patron for several years, getting Jansen a job as a tutor in
Paris
in 1606. Two years later, he got Jansen a position teaching at the bishop's college in Vergier's hometown of
Bayonne
. The two studied the
Church Fathers
together, with a special focus on the thought of
Augustine of Hippo
, until both left Bayonne in 1617.
Vergier became
abbot
of Saint Cyran Abbey in
Brenne
and was known as the
Abbe de Saint-Cyran
for the rest of his life. Jansen returned to the University of Leuven, where he completed his
doctorate
in 1619 and was named professor of
exegesis
. Jansen and Vergier continued to correspond about
Augustine of Hippo
, especially in regards to Augustine's teachings on
grace
. Upon the recommendation of King
Philip IV of Spain
, Jansen was consecrated as
bishop of Ypres
in 1636.
Jansen died in a 1638 epidemic. On his deathbed, he committed a manuscript to his
chaplain
, ordering him to consult with
Libert Froidmont
, a theology professor at Leuven, and
Henricus Calenus
,
canon
at the metropolitan church, and to publish the manuscript if they agreed it should be published, adding "If, however, the
Holy See
wishes any change, I am an obedient son, and I submit to that Church in which I have lived to my dying hour. This is my last wish."
[3]
This manuscript, published in 1640 as
Augustinus
, expounded Augustine's system and formed the basis for the subsequent Jansenist controversy. The book consisted of three volumes:
- The first described the history of
Pelagianism
and Augustine's battle against it and against
Semipelagianism
;
- The second discussed the
fall of man
and
original sin
;
- The third denounced a "modern tendency" (unnamed by Jansen but clearly identifiable as
Molinism
) as
Semipelagian
Jansenist theology
[
edit
]
Even before the publication of
Augustinus
, Vergier publicly preached Jansenism. Jansen emphasized a particular reading of Augustine's idea of
efficacious grace
that stressed that only a certain portion of humanity was
predestined
to be saved. Jansen insisted that the love of God was fundamental, and that only
perfect contrition
, and not
imperfect contrition
(or attrition) could save a person (and that, in turn, only an efficacious grace could tip that person toward God and such contrition). This debate on the respective roles of contrition and attrition, which had not been settled by the
Council of Trent
(1545?1563), was one of the motives of the imprisonment in May 1638 of Vergier, the first leader of
Port-Royal
, by order of
Cardinal Richelieu
.
[4]
Vergier was not released until after Richelieu's death in 1642, and he died shortly thereafter, in 1643.
Jansen also insisted on
justification by faith
,
[
clarification needed
]
although he did not contest the necessity of
revering saints
, of
confession
, and of
frequent Communion
. Jansen's opponents condemned his teachings for their alleged similarities to
Calvinism
(though, unlike Calvinism, Jansen rejected the doctrine of
assurance
and taught that even the justified could lose their salvation).
Blaise Pascal
's
Ecrits sur la grace (French)
, attempted to conciliate the contradictory positions of
Molinists
and Calvinists by stating that both were partially right: Molinists, who claimed God's choice concerning a person's sin and salvation was
a posteriori
and
contingent
, while Calvinists claimed that it was
a priori
and
necessary
. Pascal claimed that Molinists were correct concerning the state of humanity before the
Fall
, while Calvinists were correct regarding the state of humanity after the Fall.
The
heresy
of Jansenism, as stated by subsequent
Catholic doctrine
, lay in denying the role of
free will
in the acceptance and use of
grace
. Jansenism asserts that God's role in the infusion of grace cannot be resisted and does not require human assent. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church
states the orthodox position that "God's free initiative demands man's free response"
[5]
?that is, humans freely assent or refuse God's gift of grace.
Controversy and papal condemnation: 1640?1653
[
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]
Augustinus
was widely read in theological circles in
France
,
Belgium
, and the
Netherlands
in 1640, and a new edition quickly appeared in
Paris
under the approval of ten professors at the
College of Sorbonne
(the theological college of the
University of Paris
).
On August 1, 1642, however, the
Holy Office
issued a decree condemning
Augustinus
and forbidding its reading.
[a]
In 1642,
Pope Urban VIII
followed up with a
papal bull
entitled
In eminenti
, which condemned
Augustinus
because it was published in violation of the order that no works concerning grace should be published without the prior permission of the
Holy See
; and renewed the censures by
Pope Pius V
, in
Ex omnibus afflictionibus
in 1567, and
Pope Gregory XIII
, of several propositions of
Baianism
that were repeated in
Augustinus
.
[b]
In 1602,
Marie Angelique Arnauld
became
abbess
of Port-Royal-des-Champs, a
Cistercian convent
in
Magny-les-Hameaux
. There, she reformed discipline after a conversion experience in 1608. In 1625, most of the nuns moved to
Paris
, forming the convent of
Port-Royal de Paris
, which from then on was commonly known simply as Port-Royal. In 1634, Vergier had become the spiritual adviser of Port-Royal-des-Champs and good friend of
Angelique Arnauld
; he convinced her of the rightness of Jansen's opinions. The two convents thus became major strongholds of Jansenism. Under Angelique Arnauld, later with Vergier's support, Port-Royal-des-Champs developed a series of elementary schools, known as the "Little Schools of Port-Royal" (
Les Petites-Ecoles de Port-Royal
); the most famous product of these schools was the playwright
Jean Racine
.
[8]
Through Angelique Arnauld, Vergier had met her brother,
Antoine Arnauld
, and brought him to accept Jansen's position in
Augustinus
. Following Vergier's death in 1643, Antoine Arnauld became the chief proponent of Jansenism. That same year he published
De la frequente Communion
(
On
Frequent Communion
), which presented Jansen's ideas in a way more accessible to the public (e.g., it was written in the vernacular, whereas
Augustinus
was written in
Latin
). The book focused on a related topic in the dispute between
Jesuits
and Jansenists. The Jesuits encouraged
Roman Catholics
, including those struggling with sin, to receive
Holy Communion
frequently, arguing that
Christ
instituted it as a means to holiness for sinners, and stating that the only requirement for receiving Communion (apart from
baptism
) was that the communicant is free of
mortal sin
at the time of reception. The Jansenists, in line with their deeply pessimistic theology, discouraged frequent Communion, arguing that a high degree of perfection, including purification from attachment to
venial sin
, was necessary before approaching the
sacrament
.
The faculty of the College of Sorbonne formally accepted the papal bull
In eminenti
in 1644, and Cardinal
Jean Francois Paul de Gondi
,
archbishop of Paris
, formally proscribed
Augustinus
; the work nevertheless continued to circulate.
The Jesuits then attacked the Jansenists, charging them with
heresy
similar to
Calvinism
.
Arnauld
answered with
Theologie morale des Jesuites
("
Moral Theology
of the Jesuits").
[1]
The Jesuits then designated
Nicolas Caussin
(former confessor to
Louis XIII
) to write
Reponse au libelle intitule La Theologie morale des Jesuites
("Response to the libel titled Moral Theology of the Jesuits") in 1644. Another Jesuit response was
Les Impostures et les ignorances du libelle intitule: La Theologie Morale des Jesuites
("The impostures and ignorance of the libel titled Moral Theology of the Jesuits") by Francois Pinthereau, under the pseudonym of "abbe de Boisic", also in 1644.
[9]
Pinthereau also wrote a critical history of Jansenism,
La Naissance du Jansenisme decouverte a Monsieur le Chancelier
("The Birth of Jansenism Revealed to the Chancellor") in 1654.
During the 1640s,
Vergier's
nephew,
Martin de Barcos
, who was once a theology student under Jansen, wrote several works defending
Vergier
.
In 1649,
Nicolas Cornet
,
syndic
of the Sorbonne, frustrated by the continued circulation of
Augustinus
, drew up a list of five propositions from
Augustinus
and two propositions from
De la frequente Communion
and asked the Sorbonne faculty to condemn the propositions. Before the faculty could do so, the
Parliament of Paris
intervened and forbade the faculty to consider the propositions. The faculty then submitted the propositions to the
Assembly of the French clergy
in 1650, which submitted the matter to
Pope Innocent X
. Eleven bishops opposed this and asked Innocent X to appoint a commission similar to the
Congregatio de Auxiliis
to resolve the situation. Innocent X agreed to the majority's request, but in an attempt to accommodate the view of the minority, appointed an advisory committee consisting of five
cardinals
and thirteen
consultors
to report on the situation. Over the next two years, this commission held 36 meetings including 10 presided by Innocent X.
[3]
The supporters of Jansenism on the commission drew up a table with three heads: the first listed the
Calvinist
position (which were condemned as heretical), the second listed the
Pelagian
/
Semipelagian
position (as taught by the
Molinists
), and the third listed the correct
Augustinian
position (according to the Jansenists).
Jansenism's supporters suffered a decisive defeat when the apostolic constitution
Cum occasione
was promulgated by
Innocent X
in 1653, which condemned the following five propositions:
- That there are some commands of God that just persons cannot keep, no matter how hard they wish and strive, and they are not given the grace to enable them to keep these commands;
- That it is impossible for fallen persons to resist interior grace;
- That it is possible for human beings who lack
free will
to
merit
;
- That the
Semipelagians
were correct to teach that
prevenient grace
was necessary for all interior acts, including for faith, but were incorrect to teach that fallen humanity is free to accept or resist prevenient grace; and;
- That it is Semipelagian to say that Christ died for all.
Formulary controversy
[
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]
Background: 1654?1664
[
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]
Antoine Arnauld condemned the five propositions listed in
Cum occasione
. He contended that
Augustinus
did not argue in favor of the five propositions condemned as heretical in
Cum occasione
. Rather, he argued that
Jansen
intended his statements in
Augustinus
in the same sense that
Augustine of Hippo
had offered his opinions, and
Arnauld
argued that since Innocent X would certainly not have wished to condemn Augustine's opinions, Innocent X had not condemned
Jansen's
actual opinions.
Replying to
Arnauld
, in 1654, 38 French bishops condemned
Arnauld's
position to the pope. Opponents of Jansenism in the church refused absolution to
Roger du Plessis, duc de Liancourt
[
fr
]
for his continued protection of the Jansenists. In response to this onslaught, Arnauld articulated a distinction as to how far the Church could bind the mind of a Catholic. He argued that there is a distinction between
de jure
and
de facto
: that a Catholic was obliged to accept the Church's opinion as to a matter of law (i.e., as to a matter of doctrine) but not as to a matter of fact. Arnauld argued that, while he agreed with the doctrine propounded in
Cum occasione
, he was not bound to accept the pope's determination of fact as to what doctrines were contained in Jansen's work.
In 1656, the theological faculty at the Sorbonne moved against Arnauld. This was the context in which
Blaise Pascal
wrote his famous
Lettres provinciales
in defense of Arnauld's position in the dispute at the Sorbonne, and denouncing the "relaxed morality" of
Jesuitism
(Unlike Arnauld, Pascal did not accede to
Cum occasione
but believed that the condemned doctrines were orthodox. Nevertheless, he emphasized Arnauld's distinction about matters of doctrine vs. matters of fact.) The Letters were also scathing in their critique of the
casuistry
of the Jesuits, echoing Arnauld's
Theologie morale des Jesuites
.
However, Pascal did not convince the Sorbonne's theological faculty, which voted 138?68 to degrade Arnauld together with 60 other theologians from the faculty. Later that year, the French Assembly of the Bishops voted to condemn Arnauld's distinction of the pope's ability to bind the mind of believers in matters of doctrine but not in matters of fact; they asked
Pope Alexander VII
to condemn Arnauld's proposition as heresy. Alexander VII responded, in the apostolic constitution
Ad sanctam beati Petri sedem
promulgated in 1656, that "We declare and define that the five propositions have been drawn from the book of
Jansenius
entitled
Augustinus
, and that they have been condemned in the sense of the same
Jansenius
and we once more condemn them as such."
[3]
In 1657, relying on
Ad sanctam beati Petri sedem
, the French Assembly of the Clergy drew up a formula of faith condemning Jansenism and declared that subscription to the formula was obligatory. Many Jansenists remained firmly committed to Arnauld's proposition; they condemned the propositions in
Cum occasione
but disagreed that the propositions were contained in
Augustinus
. In retaliation, Gondi
interdicted
the convent of Port Royal from receiving the
sacraments
. In 1660, the elementary schools run by Port-Royal-des-Champs were closed by the bull, and in 1661, the monastery at Port-Royal-des-Champs was forbidden to accept new novices, which guaranteed the convent would eventually die out.
Formulary: 1664
[
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]
Four bishops sided with Port-Royal,
[c]
arguing that the Assembly of the French clergy could not command French Catholics to subscribe to something that was not required by the pope. At the urging of several bishops, and at the personal insistence of King
Louis XIV
, Pope Alexander VII sent to France the
apostolic constitution
Regiminis Apostolici
in 1664, which required, according to the
Enchiridion symbolorum
, "all ecclesiastical personnel and teachers" to subscribe to an included
formulary
, the
Formula of Submission for the Jansenists
.
[10]
: n. 2020
Formulary controversy: 1664?1669
[
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]
The
Formula of Submission for the Jansenists
was the basis of the
Formulary Controversy
. Many Jansenists refused to sign it; while some did sign, they made it known that they were agreeing only to the doctrine (questions of law
de jure
), not the allegations asserted by the bull (questions of fact
de facto
). The latter category included the four Jansenist-leaning bishops, who communicated the bull to their flocks along with messages that maintained the distinction between doctrine and fact. This angered both Louis XIV and Alexander VII. Alexander VII commissioned nine French bishops to investigate the situation.
Alexander VII died in 1667 before the commission concluded its investigation and his successor,
Pope Clement IX
, initially appeared willing to continue the investigation of the nine Jansenist-leaning bishops. However, in France, Jansenists conducted a campaign arguing that allowing a papal commission of this sort would be ceding the traditional liberties of the
Gallican Church
, thus playing on traditional French opposition to
ultramontanism
. They convinced one member of the cabinet (Lyonne) and nineteen bishops of their position, these bishops argued, in a letter to Clement IX, that the
infallibility of the Church
applied only to matters of
revelation
, and not to matters of fact. They asserted that this was the position of
Caesar Baronius
and
Robert Bellarmine
. They also argued, in a letter to Louis XIV, that allowing the investigation to continue would result in political discord.
Under these circumstances, the
papal nuncio
to France recommended that Clement IX accommodate the Jansenists. Clement agreed, and appointed
Cesar d'Estrees
,
bishop of Laon
, as a mediator in the matter.
[d]
D'Estrees convinced the four bishops, Arnauld, Choart de Buzenval, Caulet, and Pavillon, to sign the
Formula of Submission for the Jansenists
(though it seems they may have believed that signing the formulary did not mean assent to the matters of fact it contained). The pope, initially happy that the four bishops had signed, became angry when he was informed that they had done so with reservations. Clement IX ordered his nuncio to conduct a new investigation. Reporting back, the nuncio declared: "they have condemned and caused to be condemned the five propositions with all manner of sincerity, without any exception or restriction whatever, in every sense in which the Church has condemned them". However, he reported that the four bishops continued to be evasive as to whether they agreed with the pope as to the matter of fact. In response, Clement IX appointed a commission of twelve cardinals to further investigate the matter.
[3]
This commission determined that the four bishops had signed the formula in a less than entirely sincere manner, but recommended that the matter should be dropped to forestall further divisions in the Church. The pope agreed and thus issued four briefs, declaring the four bishops' agreement to the formula was acceptable, thus instituting the "Peace of Clement IX" (1669?1701).
Case of Conscience and aftermath: 1701?1709
[
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]
Although the Peace of
Clement IX
was a lull in the public theological controversy, several clergies remained attracted to Jansenism. Three major groups were:
- The
duped Jansenists
, who continued to profess the five propositions condemned in
Cum occasione
;
- The
fins Jansenistes
, who accepted the doctrine of
Cum occasione
but who continued to deny the infallibility of the Church in matters of fact;
- The
quasi-Jansenists
, who formally accepted both
Cum occasione
and the
infallibility
of the Church in matters of fact, but who nevertheless remained attracted to aspects of Jansenism, notably its stern morality, commitment to virtue, and its opposition to
ultramontanism
, which was also a political issue in France in the decades surrounding the 1682
Declaration of the clergy of France
.
The quasi-Jansenists served as protectors of the "duped Jansenists" and the
fins Jansenistes
.
The tensions generated by the continuing presence of these elements in the French church came to a head in the Case of Conscience of 1701. The case involved the question of whether or not
absolution
should be given to a cleric who refused to affirm the infallibility of the Church in matters of fact (even though he did not preach against it but merely maintained a "respectful silence"). A provincial conference, consisting of forty theology professors from the Sorbonne, headed by
Noel Alexandre
, declared that the cleric should receive absolution.
The publication of this "Case of Conscience" provoked outrage among the anti-Jansenist elements in the Catholic Church. The decision given by the scholars was condemned by several French bishops; by Cardinal
Louis Antoine de Noailles
,
archbishop of Paris
; by the theological faculties at Leuven,
Douai
, and eventually Paris; and, finally, in 1703, by
Pope Clement XI
. The scholars who had signed the Case of Conscience now backed away, and all of the signatories withdrew their signatures and the theologian who had championed the result of the Case of Conscience,
Nicolas Petitpied
[
fr
]
, was expelled from the Sorbonne.
Louis XIV and his grandson,
Philip V of Spain
, now asked the pope to issue a papal bull condemning the practice of maintaining a respectful silence as to the issue of the infallibility of the Church in matters of the dogmatic fact.
The pope obliged, issuing the apostolic constitution
Vineam Domini Sabaoth
, dated July 16, 1705. At the subsequent
Assembly of the French Clergy
, all those present, except P.-Jean-Fr. de Percin de Montgaillard,
bishop of Saint-Pons
, voted to accept
Vineam Domini Sabaoth
and Louis XIV promulgated it as binding law in France.
Louis also sought the dissolution of
Port-Royal-des-Champs
, the stronghold of Jansenist thought, and this was achieved in 1708 when the pope issued a bull dissolving Port-Royal-des-Champs. The remaining nuns were forcibly removed in 1709 and dispersed among various other French convents and the buildings were razed in 1709. The convent of Port-Royal Abbey, Paris, remained in existence until it was closed in the general
dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution
.
Case of Quesnel
[
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]
Pasquier Quesnel
had been a member of the
Oratory of Jesus
in Paris from 1657 until 1681, when he was expelled for Jansenism. He sought the protection of
Pierre du Cambout de Coislin
,
bishop of Orleans
, who harbored Quesnel for four years, at which point Quesnel joined Antoine Arnauld in
Brussels
,
Flanders
. In 1692, Quesnel published
Reflexions morales sur le Nouveau Testament
, a devotional guide to the
New Testament
that laid out the Jansenist position in strong terms. Following Arnauld's death in 1694, Quesnel was widely regarded as the leader of the Jansenists. In 1703, Quesnel was imprisoned by
Humbertus Guilielmus de Precipiano
,
archbishop of Mechelen
, but escaped several months later and lived in
Amsterdam
for the remainder of his life.
Reflexions morales
did not initially arouse controversy; in fact, it was approved for publication by Felix Vialart de Herse,
bishop of Chalons-sur-Marne
, and recommended by Noailles.
Neither Vialart nor Noailles appeared to have realized that the book had strongly Jansenist overtones, and had thought that they were simply approving a pious manual of devotion.
[
citation needed
]
However, in the years that followed, several bishops became aware of the book's Jansenist tendencies and issued condemnations:
Joseph-Ignace de Foresta
[
fr
]
,
bishop of Apt
, in 1703; Charles-Beningne Herve,
bishop of Gap
, in 1704; and both
Francois-Joseph de Grammont
[
fr
]
,
bishop of Besancon
, and
Edouard Bargede
[
fr
]
,
bishop of Nevers
, in 1707. When the
Holy Office
drew the
Reflexions morales
to the attention of Clement XI, he issued the
papal brief
Universi dominici
(1708), proscribing the book for "savoring of the Jansenist heresy"; as a result, in 1710, Jean-Francois de l'Escure de Valderil,
bishop of Lucon
, and
Etienne de Champflour
[
fr
]
,
bishop of La Rochelle
, forbade the reading of the book in their dioceses.
[3]
However, Noailles, who was now the cardinal archbishop of Paris was embarrassed and reluctant to condemn a book he had previously recommended and thus hesitated. As a result, Louis XIV asked the pope to settle the matter.
[
citation needed
]
The result was the apostolic constitution
Unigenitus Dei Filius
, promulgated by Pope Clement XI on September 8, 1713. It was written with the contribution of Gregorio Selleri, a lector at the College of Saint Thomas, the future
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
,
Angelicum
,
[11]
and later
Master of the Sacred Palace
, fostered the condemnation of Jansenism by condemning 101 propositions from the
Reflexions morales
of Quesnel as
heretical
, and as identical with propositions already condemned in the writings of Jansen.
Those Jansenists who accepted
Unigenitus Dei Filius
became known as
Acceptants
.
After examining the 101 propositions condemned by
Unigenitus Dei Filius
, Noailles determined that as set out in
Unigenitus Dei Filius
and apart from their context in the
Reflexions morales
, some of the propositions condemned by
Unigenitus Dei Filius
were in fact orthodox. He, therefore, refused to accept the apostolic constitution and instead sought clarifications from the pope.
In the midst of this dispute, Louis XIV died in 1715, and the government of France was taken over by
Philippe II, Duke of Orleans
,
regent
for the five-year-old
Louis XV of France
. Unlike Louis XIV, who had stood solidly behind
Unigenitus Dei Filius
, Philippe II expressed ambivalence during the
Regence
period. With the change in political mood, three theological faculties that had previously voted to accept
Unigenitus Dei Filius
? Paris,
Nantes
, and
Reims
? voted to rescind their acceptance.
In 1717, four French bishops attempted to appeal
Unigenitus Dei Filius
to a
general council
; the bishops were joined by hundreds of French priests, monks, and nuns, and were supported by the
parlements
. In 1718, Clement XI responded vigorously to this challenge to his authority by issuing the bull
Pastoralis officii
by which he excommunicated everyone who had called for an appeal to a general council. Far from disarming the French clergy, many of whom were now advocating
conciliarism
, the clergy who had appealed
Unigenitus Dei Filius
to a general council, now appealed
Pastoralis officii
to a general council as well. In total, one cardinal, 18 bishops, and 3,000 clergy of France supported an appeal to a general council. However, the majority of clergy in France (four cardinals, 100 bishops, 100,000 clergymen) stood by the pope. The schism carried on for some time, and it was not until 1728 that
Louis Antoine de Noailles
submitted to the pope and signed
Unigenitus Dei Filius
.
Factionalism
[
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]
Jansenism persisted in France for many years but split "into antagonistic factions" in the late 1720s.
One faction developed from the
convulsionnaires
of Saint-Medard, who were religious pilgrims who went into frenzied
religious ecstasy
at the grave of
Francois de Paris
, a Jansenist deacon in the parish cemetery of Saint-Medard in Paris. The connection between the larger French Jansenist movement and the smaller, more radical
convulsionnaire
phenomenon is difficult to state with precision. Brian Strayer noted, in
Suffering Saints
, almost all
convulsionnaires
were Jansenists, but very few Jansenists embraced the
convulsionnaire
phenomenon.
[12]
: 236
"The format of their seances changed perceptibly after 1732," according to Strayer. "Instead of emphasizing prayer, singing, and healing miracles, believers now participated in 'spiritual marriages' (which occasionally bore earthly children), encouraged violent convulsions [...] and indulged in the
secours
(erotic and violent forms of torture), all of which reveals how neurotic the movement was becoming." The movement descended into brutal cruelties that "clearly had sexual overtones" in their practices of penance and
mortification of the flesh
. In 1735 the
parlements
regained jurisdiction over the convulsionary movement, which changed into an underground movement of clandestine sects. The next year "an alleged plot" by
convulsionnaire
revolutionaries to overthrow the
parlements
and assassinate
Louis XV
was thwarted. The "Augustinian
convulsionnaires
" were then absconded from Paris to avoid police surveillance. This "further split the Jansenist movement."
[12]
: 257?265
According to Strayer, by 1741 the leadership was "dead, exiled, or imprisoned," and the movement was divided into three groups. The police role increased and the
parlements
role decreased "in the social control of Jansenism" but cells continued engaging in seances, torture,
[e]
and apocalyptic and treasonous rhetoric. By 1755 there were fewer than 800
convulsionnaires
in France. In 1762 the
parlements
criminalized some of their practices "as 'potentially dangerous' to human life."
[12]
: 266?269, 272
The last crucifixion was documented in 1788.
[12]
: 282
Jansenists continued to publish anti-Jesuit propaganda through their magazine
Nouvelles ecclesiastiques
and played a central role in plotting and promoting the
expulsion of the Jesuits from France in 1762?64
.
[13]
In the Spanish Netherlands and the Dutch Republic
[
edit
]
As noted by
Jonathan Israel
[14]
Jansenism initially had strong support in the
Spanish Netherlands
, where Jansen himself had been active, supported by such major figures of the Church Hierarchy as
Jacobus Boon
,
Archbishop of Mechelen
and
Antonie Triest
,
Bishop of Ghent
. Though the Church in the Spanish Netherlands eventually took up persecution of Jansenism ? with Jansenist clergy being replaced by their opponents and the monument to Jansen in the
Cathedral of Ypres
being symbolically demolished in 1656 ? the Spanish authorities were less zealous in this persecution than the French ones.
Where Jansenism persisted longest as a major force among Catholics was in the
Dutch Republic
, where Jansenism was actively encouraged and supported by the Republic's authorities. Jansenist refugees from France and the Spanish Netherlands were made welcome, increasing the Jansenist influence among Dutch Catholics. Politically, the Dutch Jansenists were more inclined than other Catholics to reach accommodation with the Protestant authorities and sought to make themselves independent of Papal control. Moreover, theologically the Jansenist doctrines were considered to be closer to the dominant Dutch Calvinism. Indeed, Dutch Jansenism (sometimes called "Quesnelism" after
Pasquier Quesnel
, who emerged as a major proponent of Jansenism in the 1690s) was accused by its opponents of being "Crypto-Calvinism within the Church". The controversy between Jansenists and anti-Jansenists (the latter naturally led by the Jesuits) increasingly tore up the Dutch Catholic Church in the late 17th and early 18th century ? with the authorities of the Dutch Republic actively involved on the one side and the Papacy and Kings of France, Spain, Portugal, and Poland ? on the other. Moreover, some Dutch Catholics seeking greater independence from Papal control were identified as being "Jansenists", even if not necessarily adhering to the theological doctrines of Jansenism.
Things came to an open split in April 1723, with the adherents of what would come to be known as the
Old Catholic Church
breaking away and appointing one of their numbers, the Amsterdammer
Cornelis Steenhoven
, as
Archbishop of Utrecht
to rival the Archbishop recognized by the Pope. Throughout the 18th century, these two rival Catholic Churches were active in competition. The question of whether, and to what degree, this breakaway Church was Jansenist was highly controversial ? the Jesuits having a clear polemical interest in emphasizing its identification as such.
In the 19th century, Jansenists were part of the abolition societies in France. The Janists had criticized Jesuit missions in the New World and advocated for liberation.
Legacy
[
edit
]
Unigenitus Dei Filius
marks the official end of toleration of Jansenism in the Church in France, though quasi-Jansenists would occasionally stir in the following decades. By the mid-18th century, Jansenism proper had totally lost its battle to be a viable theological position within Catholicism. However, certain ideas tinged with Jansenism remained in circulation for much longer; in particular, the Jansenist idea that Holy Communion should be received very infrequently, and that reception required much more than freedom from mortal sin, remained influential until finally condemned by
Pope Pius X
, who endorsed frequent communion, as long as the communicant was free of mortal sin, in the early 20th century.
In 1677, a pro-Baianism faction from the theological faculty at Louvain submitted 116 propositions of moral laxity for censure to
Pope Innocent XI
, who selected 65 propositions from the submission and "limited himself to condemning the deviations of moral doctrine."
[10]
: p. 466
On the other hand,
Pascal's criticism of the Jesuits also led Innocent XI to condemn,
[
citation needed
]
through the Holy Office, those 65 propositions in 1679,
[10]
: nn. 2101?2167
[f]
"without naming the
probabilism
prevalent in Jesuit circles."
[15]
Those 65 propositions were taken chiefly from the writings of the Jesuits
Antonio Escobar y Mendoza
and
Francisco Suarez
.
[
according to whom?
]
All 65 propositions were censured and prohibited "as at least scandalous and pernicious in practice."
[10]
: n. 2167
At the pseudo-
Synod of Pistoia
, a proposition of Jansenist inspiration, to radically reform the Latin liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, was passed. This proposition along with the entire Synod of Pistoia was condemned by Pius VI's bull
Auctorem Fidei
several years later.
[16]
Jansenism was a factor in the formation of the independent
Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands
from 1702 to 1723, and
is said to continue to live on in some
Ultrajectine
traditions, but this proposition began with accusations from the Jesuits.
[
according to whom?
]
In
Quebec
, Canada, in the 1960s, many people rejected the Church, and many of its institutions were secularized.
This process was justified frequently by charges that the Church in Quebec was "Jansenist".
[
citation needed
]
For instance,
Paul-Emile Borduas
' 1948 manifesto
Le Refus global
accused the Church in Quebec as being the result of a "Jansenist colony".
[
failed verification
?
see discussion
]
[17]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
The decree was powerless in France since the tribunal was unrecognized by the law.
[6]
- ^
In eminenti
was, for a time, treated as invalid because of an alleged ambiguity about the date of its publication. Jansenists attempted to prevent the reception of
In eminenti
, both in
Flanders
and in
France
. They pretended that it could not be genuine, since the document attested to be promulgated at
Rome
on March 6, 1641, whereas the copy sent to
Brussels
by the Nuncio at
Cologne
was dated in 1642. In reality, the difference between the
Old Style and New Style dates
was because two calendars were in use.
[6]
- ^
Antoine and Angelique Arnauld's brother,
Henri Arnauld
,
bishop of Angers
;
Nicolas Choart de Buzenval
[
fr
]
,
bishop of Beauvais
;
Francois-Etienne Caulet
,
bishop of Pamiers
; and
Nicolas Pavillon
,
bishop of Alet
.
- ^
Two bishops who had signed the letter to the pope,
Louis Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin
,
archbishop of Sens
, and Felix Vialart de Herse,
bishop of Chalons-sur-Marne
, assisted d'Estrees.
- ^
For example, Strayer related a case documented in 1757 where a woman was "beat [...] with garden spades, iron chains, hammers, and brooms [...] jabbed [...] with swords, pelted [...] with stones, buried [...] alive, [...] crucified." In another case documented in 1757, a woman "was cut with a knife numerous times" causing gangrene.
[12]
: 269
- ^
The Holy Office decree that censured 65 propositions of moral doctrine is dated March 2, 1679.
[10]
: p. 466
The Holy Office previously censured 45 propositions of moral doctrine between two decrees dated September 24, 1665, and March 18, 1666.
[10]
: nn. 2021?2065
According to
Denzinger
, the propositions submitted, by both the University of Louvain and the University of Paris, were "frequently taken out of context and sometimes expanded by elements that are not found in the original, so that most often one must speak of fictitious authors."
[10]
: p. 459
The censure was that the 45 propositions were "at the very least scandalous."
[10]
: n. 2065
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Carraud, Vincent (21 January 2008) [20 June 2007].
"Le jansenisme"
[Jansenism].
Bibliotheque electronique de Port-Royal
(lecture) (in French). Societe des Amis de Port-Royal.
ISSN
1776-0755
.
Archived
from the original on 11 November 2008.
- ^
Toon Quaghebeur, "The Reception of Unigenitus in the Faculty of Theology at Louvain, 1713-1719",
Catholic Historical Review
93/2 (2007), pp. 265-299.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
public domain
:
Forget, Jacques (1910). "
Jansenius and Jansenism
". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
Catholic Encyclopedia
. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^
Pascal, Blaise (2004). Ferreyrolles, Gerard; Sellier, Philippe (eds.).
Les provincials; Pensees; [et opuscules divers]
. Paris: Livre de Poche. pp. 430?431.
ISBN
2253132772
.
- ^
Catholic Church (2003).
Catechism of the Catholic Church
. Doubleday. n. 2002.
ISBN
0-385-50819-0
.
- ^
a
b
Jervis, Lady Marian (1872).
Tales of the boyhood of great painters
. T. Nelson and Sons. pp. 386?387
. Retrieved
23 March
2022
.
- ^
"Jansenism: a movement of great influence"
.
Musee protestant
.
- ^
Abbe de Boisic (pseud. of Pinthereau, Francois) (1644).
Les impostures et les ignorances du libelle, intitule: la theologie morale des Jesuites
(in French). [s.l.]: [s.n.]
OCLC
493191187
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Denzinger, Heinrich; Hunermann, Peter; et al., eds. (2012). "Compendium of Creeds, Definitions, and Declarations on Matters of Faith and Morals".
Enchiridion symbolorum: a compendium of creeds, definitions and declarations of the Catholic Church
(43rd ed.). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
ISBN
978-0898707465
.
- ^
Miranda, Salvador (ed.).
"Selleri, O.P., Gregorio"
.
The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
. Florida International University Libraries.
Archived
from the original on 2005-05-02
. Retrieved
2012-02-05
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Strayer, Brian E. (2008).
Suffering Saints: Jansenists and Convulsionnaires in France, 1640?1799
. Brighton, UK: Sussex Academic Press.
ISBN
9781845195168
.
- ^
Dale Van Kley,
The Jansenists and the Expulsion of the Jesuits from France 1757?1765
- ^
Jonathan Israel
, "The Dutch Republic, Its Rise, Greatness and Fall", Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995, pp. 649-653, 1034-1047)
- ^
Kelly, John N. D.; Walsh, Michael J. (2010).
"Innocent XI, Bl"
.
A dictionary of popes
. Oxford paperback reference (2nd ed.). Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford University Press. pp. 290?291.
ISBN
9780199295814
.
- ^
Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1911).
"Synod of Pistoia"
.
Catholic Encyclopedia
. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^
"Refus Global by Paul-Emile Borduas"
. Archived from
the original
on 25 March 2015
. Retrieved
13 June
2015
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Abercrombie, Nigel (1936).
The Origins of Jansenism
. Oxford Studies in Modern Languages and Literature. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
OCLC
599986225
.
- Hamscher, Albert N. (1977). "The Parlement of Paris and the Social Interpretation of Early French Jansenism".
Catholic Historical Review
.
63
(3). Catholic University of America Press: 392?410.
ISSN
0008-8080
.
JSTOR
25020157
.
- Doyle, William (1999).
Jansenism--Catholic Resistance to Authority from the Reformation to the French Revolution
. Studies in European History. New York: St. Martin's Press.
ISBN
9780312226763
.
- Hudson, David (1984). "The 'Nouvelles Ecclesiastiques', Jansenism, and Conciliarism, 1717-1735".
Catholic Historical Review
.
70
(3). Catholic University of America Press: 389?406.
ISSN
0008-8080
.
JSTOR
25021866
.
- Ogg, David.
Europe in the 17th Century
(8th ed. 1960): 323-
364
.
- Schmaltz, Tad M. (Jan 1999). "What has Cartesianism to do with Jansenism?".
Journal of the History of Ideas
.
60
(1). University of Pennsylvania Press: 37?56.
doi
:
10.1353/jhi.1999.0009
.
ISSN
0022-5037
.
JSTOR
3653999
.
S2CID
170706121
.
- Van Kley, Dale (Fall 2006). "The Rejuvenation and Rejection of Jansenism in History and Historiography: Recent Literature on Eighteenth-century Jansenism in French".
French Historical Studies
.
29
(4). Duke University Press: 649?684.
doi
:
10.1215/00161071-2006-016
.
ISSN
0016-1071
.
- Strayer, E. Brain,
Suffering Saints: Jensenits and Convulsionaries in France, 1640?1799
(Eastborne, Sussex Academic Press, 2008)
- Crichton. D. J.,
Saints or Sinners?: Jansenism and Jansenisers in Seventeenth Century France
(Dublin, Veritas Publications, 1996)
- Swann Julian,
Politics and the Parliament of Paris under Louis XV 1754?1774
(Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1995)
- Doyle William,
Jansenism: Catholic Resistance to Authority from the Reformation to the French Revolution: Studies in European History
(Basingstoke, Macmillan Press Ltd, 2000)
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Jansenism
.
Wikiquote has quotations related to
Jansenism
.
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