MASSILLON, JEAN BAPTISTE French bishop and preacher, was born at Hyeres on June 24, 1663, his father being a royal notary of that town. At the age of eighteen he joined the Congregation of the Oratory and taught for a time in the colleges of his order at Pezenas, and Montbrison and at the Seminary of Vienne. In 1693 he was placed at the head of the famous seminary of Saint Magloire. He soon gained a wide reputation as a preacher and was selected to be the Advent preacher at the court of Versailles in 1699. He was made bishop of Clermont in 1717, and two years later was elected a member of the French Academy. The last years of his life were spent in the faithful discharge of his episcopal duties ; his death took place at Clermont on Sept. 18, 1742. Massillon enjoyed in the 18th century a reputation equal to that of Bossuet and of Bourdaloue, and has been much praised by Voltaire, D'Alembert and kindred spirits among the Encyclopaedists. He has usually been contrasted with his predecessor Bourdaloue, the latter having the credit of vigorous denunciation, Massillon that of gentle per suasiveness. Besides the Petit Careme, a sermon which he de
livered before the young king Louis XV. in 1718, his sermons on the Prodigal Son, on the small number of the elect, on death, for Christmas Day, and for the Fourth Sunday in Advent, may be perhaps cited as his masterpieces. His funeral oration on Louis XIV. is remembered for the opening sentence: "Dieu seul est grand." The first edition of Massillon's complete works was published by his nephew, also an Oratorian (Paris, 2745-48), and upon this, in the absence of mss., succeeding reprints were based. The best modern edition is that of the Abbe Blampignon (Paris, 1865-68, 4 vols.; new ed. 1886).
See Abbe Blampignon, Massillon, d'apres des documents inedits (Paris, 1879) ; and L'Apiscopat de Massillon d'apres des documents inedits, suivi de sa correspondance (Paris, 1884) ; F. Brunetiere "L'Elo quence de Massillon" in Etudes critiques (Paris, 1882) ; Pere Ingold, L'Oratoire et le jansenisme au temps de Massillon (Paris, 188o) ; Pauthe, Massillon, sa predication sous Louis XIV. et Louis XV. (1908).