Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples

Review from The Catholic Encyclopedia

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Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples, also known as Jacobus Faber Stapulensis (Étaples, Pas-de-Calais, 1450 - Nérac, 1537), was a Renaissance humanist, theologian and French philosopher.

True father of French humanism and one of the most outstanding intellectuals of the Renaissance, the work of this man was decisive for the definitive establishment of humanism in France.

After studying in Paris, he traveled to Italy and on his return he taught philosophy at the College of show more Cardinal Lemoine. During this time he dedicated himself to translate the works of Aristotle, because, in his opinion, the existing versions were mediated by the mentality of the Latin and Byzantine translators. Influenced by these same ideas, he published the works Paraphrasis on Physics and Introduction to Metaphysics.

He maintained contact with Italian humanists such as Ermolao Barbaro, Pico della Mirandola and Marsilio Ficino and, although he was not a great textual critic, he is recognized for his pedagogical work. He was interested in establishing an educational program to train humanists.

After 1508 he left teaching and devoted himself to rereading fundamental texts from the new perspectives that humanism had created. He became interested in the Bible and, especially, in the Epistles of St. Paul, of which he published a series of commentaries in 1512. In 1521 he was called by Guillaume de Briçonnet, bishop of Meaux, who had been his pupil, for the purpose of to help him undertake a diocesan reform. During this time he worked on his translation of the Bible and wrote a commentary on the four Gospels, which later gave rise to accusations of heresy. In 1523, a committee of theologians detected "doctrinal errors" in their exegesis of the Gospels. Lefèvre had to flee to Strasbourg in the summer of 1525, when the Parliament of Paris tried to judge him... show less