Guy de Brès
Brief carreer
His brief fifteen-year career, interrupted by periods of exile in England and Switzerland, was abruptly terminated by his execution at the age of 45. His writings, all of which were in French, are far from numerous: three books, five short treatises and a number of letters are all that have come down to us. One of his works, Le Baston de la foy chrestienne, enjoyed a certain notoriety, and appeared in at least fifteen editions during his lifetime within a period of just ten years.
His Works
His works belong to the genre of apologetics: against the Roman Catholic Church he defends the perpetuation of the faith of the first Christians, notwithstanding the distortions of the medieval theologians, while Le Baston is primarily a collection of biblical quotations and texts by the Church Fathers. In La Racine, he attacks the claims of the Anabaptists, vindicating the true doctrine of the Incarnation, the value of baptism especially of infants, Scriptural authority, the pastoral ministry, eternal life and the immortality of the soul, the legitimacy of the solemn oath, and the conditional nature of obedience to secular authority.
His last letters
His last letters, which appear in collected form in the Procédures, and his Interrogatoires, tell the story of his various controversies, especially that concerning the conflict between the Mass and Holy Communion, and shed profound light on his piety and his loyalty to his Saviour.
Dr. Emile M. Braekman
Brief carreer
His brief fifteen-year career, interrupted by periods of exile in England and Switzerland, was abruptly terminated by his execution at the age of 45. His writings, all of which were in French, are far from numerous: three books, five short treatises and a number of letters are all that have come down to us. One of his works, Le Baston de la foy chrestienne, enjoyed a certain notoriety, and appeared in at least fifteen editions during his lifetime within a period of just ten years.
His Works
His works belong to the genre of apologetics: against the Roman Catholic Church he defends the perpetuation of the faith of the first Christians, notwithstanding the distortions of the medieval theologians, while Le Baston is primarily a collection of biblical quotations and texts by the Church Fathers. In La Racine, he attacks the claims of the Anabaptists, vindicating the true doctrine of the Incarnation, the value of baptism especially of infants, Scriptural authority, the pastoral ministry, eternal life and the immortality of the soul, the legitimacy of the solemn oath, and the conditional nature of obedience to secular authority.
His last letters
His last letters, which appear in collected form in the Procédures, and his Interrogatoires, tell the story of his various controversies, especially that concerning the conflict between the Mass and Holy Communion, and shed profound light on his piety and his loyalty to his Saviour.
Dr. Emile M. Braekman