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Gerson, Jean le Charlier de
Gerson, Jean le Charlier de (1363–1429), French Churchman and spiritual writer. He studied at Paris, becoming a doctor of theology and in 1395 Chancellor of the University. He worked for the reform of the Church from within and the ending of the Great Schism; the return of France to the obedience of Benedict XIII was largely due to his work. In 1415 he went to the Council of Constance. He asserted the superiority of a General Council over the Pope and demanded that doctors of theology should have a voice in it together with the bishops. He also took part in drawing up the Four Articles of Constance.
Gerson developed the Conciliar theory, but without rejecting the primacy of the Pope. In moral theology he accepted the extreme Nominalist doctrine, according to which nothing is sinful in itself, but the sinfulness or goodness of an action depends solely on the will of God. His mystical teaching had marked Augustinian tendencies; he consciously opposed the spiritual teaching of the ‘antiqui’ to the dry intellectualist activities of the Nominalist ‘moderni’, who threatened to convert theology into mere dialectics. The chief of his many treatises devoted to the spiritual life is The Mountain of Contemplation (1397). Both his Conciliar views and his mystical teaching were immensely influential. The attribution to him of the ‘Imitation of Christ’ has generally been abandoned. |
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Gerson, Jean le Charlier de." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Gerson, Jean le Charlier de." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-GersonJeanleCharlierde.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Gerson, Jean le Charlier de." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-GersonJeanleCharlierde.html |
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Gerson, Jean le Charlier de
Gerson, Jean le Charlier de (1363–1429). French churchman and spiritual writer. All his life he was concerned for a true reform of the Church by a renewal of the spirit of prayer and sacrifice. He played a conciliatory role in the Great Schism and was a supporter of conciliarism (see ANTIPOPE), attending the Council of Constance.
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Gerson, Jean le Charlier de." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Gerson, Jean le Charlier de." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-GersonJeanleCharlierde.html JOHN BOWKER. "Gerson, Jean le Charlier de." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-GersonJeanleCharlierde.html |
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