JURIEU, PIERRE, was born at Mer, near Blois, December 24, 1637, of which place his father was Protestant minister. He commenced his studies at Saumur, where he became M.A. when barely nineteen, and continued them in IIolland and England, in which latter country, according to Moreri, he received Episcopal ordina tion, but on being recalled to succeed his father in the pastorate at Mer, was reordained according to the Genevan form. He was already known as a distinguished scholar, and was chosen professor of theology in the university of Sedan in 1674, where he shortly afterwards obtained the chair of philo sophy for the famous Bayle, whose correspond ence with his favourite pupil Basnage had caused him to entertain a high opinion of his abilities. The university of Sedan having been suppressed by Louis XIV. in 1681, Jurieu followed his colleague Bayle to Rotterdam, where Ile became pastor of the Walloon Church, and then, by Bayle's influ ence, professor of theology in the newly established academy. While resident in France Ile had made himself known as one of the ablest and most zealous defenders of the reformed faith, though the ardour with which Ile maintained the necessity of baptism for salvation had displeased the leaders of the Protestant Church, by whom his thesis was condemned at the synod of Saintonge. natural irritability was much exasperated by the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685, which deprived him of all hope of returning to France, and his life was thenceforward one perpetual scene of varying controversy, in which friend or foe, Protestant or Catholic, received the same severe handling, and were denounced with a rancorous hostility very unbecoming a Christian minister. His suspicious irritability at last amounted to a disease, under which both his mental and bodily powers gradually gave way, and after a languishing illness of some years, he died at Rotterdam, January I I, r713, at the age of seventy-five. His private life was characterised by many virtues. His bene
ficence exceeded his means, and he employed his considerable influence with foreign courts for the relief of the sufferings of his exiled Protestant brethren.
As an author, his fame rests chiefly on his con troversial writings, which, apart from their undue harshness, sometimes amounting to rancour to wards his adversaries, merit much commendation. His learning was profound ; his quotations exact ; and his acuteness in discovering the weak points in the writings of his antagonists very considerable. None of his works deal with Scripture definitely, but they are held in esteem by theologians of every school as a storehouse of exact learning to be used with advantage in illustration and expcsition of Holy Writ. The principal of them are-0 .) Pre servatif contre le changement de religion, Rouen 16So, in reply to Bossuet's Exposition de la Foi ; (2.) Politiqzte clerge de France pour detruire la religthn protestante, Amst. 1681; and its sequel (3.) Les deretiers tyrorts de rinnocenee affligefe, Rott. 1682 ; (4.) Histoire a'e Calvinisme et du Papisme nzise en parallRe, a reply to Maimbourg, Rott. 16S2 ; (5) L'Esprit de M. Arnauld, Rott. 1684 ; and (6.) Yustification a'e la morale des Reformes, Hag. 1685 ; (7.) L'accomplissement des propheties, Rott. 1686, a commentary on the Apocalypse, fix ing the downfall of the Papacy in less than three years and a half ; followed in 1688 by (S.) Lettres Pastorales aux fidNes de France ; (9.) Le Tableau Socinianisme, Hag-ue 1691, answered by Jaque lot ; (to.) La religion du Latitudinare, Rott. 1696.
a violent attack on Saurin for supposed tarian views ; (11.) Examen de l'Emizaristie de Ramain, Rott. 1683 ; (12.) Trait,' de mo rale, Hague 1687 • 03.) Trail,' de rammer de Dien, Rott. 17o0 ; (14.') Histoire critique des dogmes a des cultes, Amst. 17°4, perhaps his most valuable work, which has been translated into English. Jurieu also condensed Sarpis' History of the Coun cil of Trent, which was published at Geneva in 1682.—E. V.