GERSON, JOHN CHARMER DE, chancellor of the University of Paris, surnamed the Most Christian Doctor, was born in 1363, at the village of Gerson, iu the diocese of Rheims, whence he took his name. Ho began his studies at Paris, where, having risen by degrees, he attained the place of chancellor of the university, and became canon of Notre Dame. France WWI during that period disturbed by civil wars, and all Europe was agitated by tho religious contest between the popes and anti-popes. Gerson distinguished himself in his own country by loudly inveighing against the assas-ination of the Duke of Orleans, which exposed him to a severe persecution from the Duko of Burgundy's party. His home was pillaged by an infuriated mob, and he escaped with his life only by concealing himself for some time in the vaults of the church of Notre Dame. His courage was not subdued by this occurrence, and as aeon as he resumed his functions he vigorously attacked, before the university and the clergy, the doctrines of Jean Petit, a doctor of the University of Paris, who defended the murder of the Duko of Orleans as a legitimate act in a public oration delivered on the 8th of March 1403, where he main tained that it was permitted, and was even praiseworthy, to kill n tyrant; and that it was allowable to employ for the attainment of that object all possible means. Gerson zealously advocated the convoca tion of the council of Pisa by his memoir 'De iTnitate Eeelesize: At that council be distinguished himself by great firmness united with much prudence, when the two ceutending popes, Gregorius XII. and Benedict XIII., were deposed, and Alexander V. elected. It was on this occasion that he published his celebrated treatise, `De Auferibili tate Palm' He appeared at the council of Constance as the ambas sador of Charles IV. king of France, and the representative of the French Church and of the University of Paris. In that assembly he exercised an immense influence, particularly in the deposition of Pope John XXIII., who had succeeded Alexander V. In all his speeches and in all his writings he maintained that the church had the right to make reforms, not only with relation to her members, but even to her chief; that it had the right of convoking a council without the con sent of the pope, whenever he refused to give it. He also maiutained
that it was necessary to convoke councils general as well as particular, to abolish the annates, and to extirpate simony, which was then very common, &c. By his influence be established as a basis of all tho decrees of council the doctrine of the supremacy of the church over the pope in matters of faith and discipline. Gerson disputed at tho Council of Constance with Huss, against whom he declared himself with violence. Though Gerson would have added to his reputation by preventing the martyrdom of the Bohemian reformers, it must be admitted that he was in many respects superior to the superstitions of his time. He strongly condemned in his treatise Contra Sectant Flagellatortnn ' the self-torments inflicted by those fanatics, which were zealously promoted by St. Vincent Fererius, to whom Gerson addressed his friendly remonstrances on that subject. In his work entitled 'De Probations Spirituum; he established the rules by which a true may be distinguished from a false revelation ; and he is far from being favourable to the revelations of St. Bridget, which made a great noise in his time.
The persecution of Gerson by the Duke of Burgundy's party was so violent, that he durst not return to France, but was obliged to take refuge in Germany. He went from Constance, in the disguise of a pilgrim, to Bavaria, where he wrote his work ' De Consolations Theologize; on the model of the celebrated work of Boathius, De Consolation° Philosophize.' It is written both in prose and verse, and passed through many editions. The Imitation of Jesus Christ,' generally ascribed to Thomas h Kernpis, appeared for the first time appended to a manuscript of Gerson's above-mentioned work, 'De Consolations Theologize,' dated 1421, whence arose a supposition which has found many supporters, that be was the real author of that celebrated work. Gerson remained several years in Germany, after which he returned to France, and fixed his residence in a convent of the Celestine monks at Lyon, of which his brother was the superior, and where he died in 1429.