This week in Christian history: Catholic theologian dies; pope martyred; France abolishes tithes

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, August 02, 2020

Controversial Catholic theologian dies — August 8, 1694

This week marks the anniversary of when French Catholic theologian Antoine Arnauld, known by some as “The Great Arnauld,” died in Brussels, Belgium.

An ordained priest, Arnauld was a proponent of Jansenism, a Catholic movement which held views on issues like predestination that put them at odds with Catholic Church leadership.

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Religious conflict within France prompted Arnauld to seek refuge in the Netherlands, where he moved to and continued to advocate for Jansenism until his passing.

“Despite the precarious conditions in which he had to work, the amount of Arnauld’s writing during his exile was enormous,” noted Britannica.

“The major written works of Arnauld’s later years were generated by his disagreements with the French philosopher and theologian Nicolas Malebranche and with Pierre Nicole, his ally in the earlier anti-Jesuit polemics.”