Jean-Baptiste Terrien

Jean-Baptiste Terrien (born at Saint-Laurent-des-Autels, Maine-et-Loire, 26 August 1832; d. at Bellevue, near Paris, 5 December 1903) was a French Jesuit dogmatic theologian.

Life

Terrien entered the Society of Jesus at Angers, 7 December 1854. Beginning in 1864, he taught philosophy and dogmatic theology at the seminary of Laval, France. In 1880, the Jesuits were expelled from France under the Third Republic, and the Laval seminary relocated to Saint Helier, Jersey. Terrien continued in his position there until 1888.

Terrien was appointed professor of dogmatic theology at the Catholic Institute of Paris, where he taught from 1891 to 1894. Afterwards, he remained in this city as spiritual father and writer.

Works

During his first period of teaching, he did not publish any theological work, except a treatise, "De Verbo incarnato", Jersey, 1882, for private circulation; there are also five or six other treatises in manuscript or lithographed, which form a substantial body of Positive rather than Scholastic theology, after the manner and doctrine of Johann Baptist Franzelin.

In a quite different style is framed a neo-Thomistic monograph, published at Paris in 1894: "S. Thomæ Aquinatis, O.P., doctrina sincera de unione hypostatica Verbi Dei cum humanitate amplissime declarata". At this time, Terrien began to write more popular works, and published the following doctrinal treatises in French:

• La Dévotion au Sacré-Coeur de Jésus, d'après les documents authentiques et la théologie, 1893; Italian translation by G. M. Rossi (Naples, 1895);
• La grâce et la gloire ou la filiation adoptive des enfants de Dieu étudiée dans sa réalité, ses principes, son perfectionnement, et son couronnement final, 2 vols., 1897; new ed., 1908;
• La Mère de Dieu et la Mère des hommes d'après les Pères et la théologie, 4 vols., 1900, 1902.

Philosophically, Terrien was more sympathetic to Thomism than to the school of Francisco Suárez.

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Jean-Baptiste Terrien — Dogmatic theologian, born at St-Laurent-des-Autels, Maine-et-Loire, 26 Aug., 1832; d. at Bellevue, near Paris, 5 Dec., 1903. He entered the Society of Jesus at Angers, 7 Dec., 1854; taught philosophy for two years and dogmatic theology for twenty-two at the seminaries of Laval (France), 1864-80, and St. Helier (Jersey), 1880-88, then, after being spiritual father at Laval he was appointed professor of dogmatic theology and taught three years, 1891-94, at the Catholic Institute of Paris, remaining afterwards in this city as spiritual father and writer. During his first period of teaching, he did not publish any theological work, except a treatise, "De Verbo incarnato", Jersey, 1882, for private circulation; there are also five or six other treatises in MS. or lithographed, which form a substantial body of Positive rather than Scholastic theology, after the manner and doctrine of Cardinal Franzelin. In a quite different style is framed a neo-Thomistic monograph, published at paris in 1894: "S. Thomæ Aquinatis, O.P., doctrina sincera de unione hypostatica Verbi Dei cum humanitate amplissime declarata". At this time, Father Terrien began to apply his deep knowledge of theology to popular instruction, and published the following doctrinal treatises in French: "La Dévotion au Sacré-Coeur de Jésus, d'après les documents authentiques et la théologie", 1893; Italian translation by G.M. Rossi (Naples, 1895); "La grâce et la gloire ou la filiation adoptive des enfants de Dieu étudiée dans sa réalité, ses principes, son perfectionnement, et son couronnement final", 2 vols., 1897; new ed., 1908; "La Mère de Dieu et la Mère des hommes d'après les Péres et la théologie", 4 vols., 1900, 1902. These three works form unquestionably the most conspicuous part of Terrien's literary performance, as they are highly valuable on account of precision and richness of doctrine.

Bibliography

Attribution