Gerson, JOHN

Gerson, JOHN, one of the most eminent scholars and divines of his time, was born at the village of Gerson, in the diocese of Rheims, December 14, 1363, his proper name being Jean Charlier. He was educated in Paris, at the College of Navarre, under the celebrated Peter d'Ailly. Here he rose to the highest honours of the university, and ultimately to its chancellorship, having acquired by his extraordinary learning the title of Doctor Christianissimus. He was a clear and rational theologian, an enemy to scholastic subtleties, while his reason found rest from all its difficulties in a devout Christian mysticism. During the unhappy contests which arose out of the rival claims of the two lines of pontiffs in the time of the Western Schism, the university of Paris took a leading part in the negotiations for union; and Gerson was one of the most active supporters of the proposal of that university for putting an end to the schism by the resignation of both the contending parties. With this view he visited the other universities, in order to obtain their assent to the plan proposed by that of Paris. But, although he had the satisfaction of seeing this plan carried out in the Council of Pisa, it failed, as is well known, to secure the desired union. In a treatise inscribed to his friend D'Ailly he renewed the proposal that the rival pontiffs (now not two, but three since the election of John XXIII. at Pisa) should be required to resign; and in the new council held at Constance in 1414 he was again the most zealous advocate of the same expedient of resignation. But his own fortunes were marred by the animosity of the Duke of Burgundy and his adherents, to whom Gerson had become obnoxious, and from whom he had already suffered much persecution, on account of the boldness with which he had denounced the murder of the Duke of Orleans. To escape their vengeance he was forced to remain in exile; and he retired from Constance, in the disguise of a pilgrim, to Rattenberg in the Tyrol, where he composed his celebrated work, De Consolatione Theologie, in imitation of that of Boëthius, De Consolatione Philosophiæ. It was only after the lapse of several years that he was enabled to return to France, and take up his residence in a monastery at Lyons, of which his brother was the superior. He devoted himself in this retirement to works of piety, to study, and to the education of youth. The only fee he took from his pupils was a promise to repeat the prayer, 'Lord, have mercy on thy poor servant Gerson.' He died 12th July 1429, in his sixty-sixth year. His works fill five volumes in folio (Antwerp, 1706). The famous treatise on the Imitation of Christ (q.v.) has been ascribed to him by some writers, but it is now hardly doubtful that the true author was Thomas à Kempis. The authority of Gerson is much relied on by the advocates of Gallican principles; but the Ultramontanes allege that the principles laid down by him as to the authority of the pope are only applicable to the exceptional case in which he wrote. See German studies by Schmidt (1839) and Schwab (1858).