Abauzit, Firmin

▪ French theologian

born Nov. 11, 1679, Uzès, Fr.

died March 20, 1767, Geneva, Switz.

 scholar who contributed to a French translation of the New Testament.

      Abauzit was born of Huguenot parents and was sent at age 10 to live in Geneva so that he would escape the strictures (enforced Roman Catholicism) brought about by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. In 1698 he undertook an extensive journey through Germany, the Netherlands, and England. While on this journey he met such prominent people as Pierre Bayle and Isaac Newton. He was offered residence in England, which he declined, and in 1723 he also turned down the offer of a professorship of philosophy at the University of Geneva. Widely known for his erudition and modest nature, Abauzit was appreciated by many of the leading thinkers of his time. He collaborated on the French-language New Testament in 1726. In 1727 he was granted citizenship in Geneva, and that same year he accepted a post as an honorary librarian there. This position enabled him to write a number of theological and scholarly works, including the article “Apocalypse,” which Denis Diderot commissioned for his Encyclopédie.

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