Jean Le Clerc

Jean Le Clerc (March 19, 1657 – January 8, 1736), also known as Johannes Clericus, was a Genevan theologian, biblical scholar, and journalist. He was renowned for his advocacy of exegesis, or critical interpretation of the Bible, and was considered a radical for his time. Le Clerc eventually departed from Calvinism due to his interpretations and relocated from Geneva. He was also a proponent of the philosophies of John Locke and the physics of Isaac Newton. Born in Geneva, where his father was a professor of Greek, Le Clerc initially studied philosophy under a Cartesian and attended theological lectures from prominent figures like Philippe Mestrezat, François Turrettini, and Louis Tronchin. He spent time in Grenoble as a tutor before returning to Geneva for ordination. In 1682, he traveled to London, and due to political instability, moved to Amsterdam. There, he formed a close friendship with Philipp van Limborch, a professor at the Remonstrant college, and became acquainted with John Locke. His theological views, which were liberal Remonstrant rather than strictly Calvinist, led to his exclusion from a chair of dogmatic theology but he found a place as a professor of philosophy, belles-lettres, and Hebrew in the Remonstrant seminary in Amsterdam in 1684. He later also took on the chair of church history. Le Clerc's life in Amsterdam was largely uneventful apart from his extensive literary output. He married the daughter of Gregorio Leti in 1691. In his later years, he suffered from paralysis, and he died in Amsterdam in 1736. Le Clerc's work was highly regarded for its learning and exactitude, often compared favorably to that of Pierre Bayle.