Subverting the system : D'Aubigné and Calvinism / by Catharine Randall Coats.

Literary constructs for theological conventions : authorizing the word of the self. The reconciliation of sin and writing in d'Aubigné's "Méditations sur les pseaumes" Zones of accommodation between Calvinism and literary creations in "Les Tragiques" Self and other : writing and scripture in "La Confession du Sieur de Sancy" Appearance and being : fact and fiction in the "Avantures du Baron de Faeneste" "Sa Vie à ses enfants" : the scripture of the self  Conclusion : strategies of overcoming.

The basic assumption of this book is addressing the way in which Calvinist theology affected the literary endeavors of Calvinist writers, not only Agrippa d'Aubigné, but all French Protestant authors of the later sixteenth century. The author argues that Calvinist theology created special problems of conscience because its emphasis on the authority of scripture made believers regard their proper task as exposition and presentation of the truth already revealed, while any effort to create an imaginary world of creative fiction seemed a rejection of the truth and a self-glorification of the author that amounted to rebellion against the authority of God. D'Aubigné represents a clear and conscious rebellion against such constraints; through his career d'Aubigné openly dared to engage in independent literary creation, and to assert his right as a sincerely reformed Christian to do so. In this study, theology and literature come together to illuminate a major problem in the literary history of the French Reformed tradition.

Vincent de Paul, the Lazarist mission, and French Catholic reform / Alison Forrestal.
Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Vincent de Paul, the Lazarist Mission, and French Catholic Reform' offers a major re-assessment of the thought and activities of the most famous figure of the seventeenth-century French Catholic Reformation, Vincent de Paul. Confronting traditional explanations for de Paul's prominence in the devot reform movement that emerged in the wake of the Wars of Religion, the volume explores how he turned a personal vocational desire to evangelize the rural poor of France into a congregation of secular missionaries, known as the Congregation of the Mission or the Lazarists, with three inter-related strands of pastoral responsibility: the delivery of missions, the formation and training of clergy, and the promotion of confraternal welfare. Alison Forrestal further demonstrates that the structure, ethos, and works that de Paul devised for the Congregation placed it at the heart of a significant enterprise of reform that involved a broad set of associates in efforts to transform the character of devotional belief and practice within the church. The central questions of the volume therefore concern de Paul's efforts to create, characterize, and articulate a distinctive and influential vision for missionary life and work, both for himself and for the Lazarist Congregation, and Forrestal argues that his prominence and achievements depended on his remarkable ability to exploit the potential for association and collaboration within the devot environment of seventeenth-century France in enterprising and systematic ways. This is the first study to assess de Paul's activities against the wider backdrop of religious reform and Bourbon rule, and to reconstruct the combination of ideas, practices, resources, and relationships that determined his ability to pursue his ambitions. A work of forensic detail and complex narrative, 'Vincent de Paul, the Lazarist Mission, and French Catholic Reform' is the product of years of research in ecclesiastical and state archives."--OCLC note.

Cover; Vincent de Paul, the Lazarist Mission, and French Catholic Reform; Copyright; Acknowledgements; Contents; Abbreviations; Introduction; I; II; III; IV; Part I: A Wealth of Resources; 1: A Foothold in Paris; I; II; III; IV; 2: Early Patrons and Favours; I; II; III; 3: Identifying Pastoral Strategies; I; II; III; IV; Part II: The Anatomy of a Mission; 4: Founding a Congregation of Missionaries; I; II; III; IV; 5: The Lazarist Missionary: Ethos and Praxis; I; II; III; IV; Part III: Expansion and Collaboration; 6: Saint-Lazare, Bons-Enfants, and Clerical Formation; I; II; III; IV

7: Patrons and Houses (1635-1643)I; II; III; IV; V; 8: New Houses, New Purposes, New Problems (1643-1660); I; II; III; IV; V; VI; Part IV: Engaging with Lay Mission; 9: The Confraternities of Charity; I; II; III; IV; V; VI; 10: Affinities, Associations, and Projects of Charity; I; II; III; IV; V; Part V: Consolidation; 11: Power to Appoint?; I; II; III; IV; V; VI; 12: Leaving a Legacy in a Fragmented Church; I; II; III; V; Conclusion; I; II; III; APPENDIX 1: Lazarist Houses Established in France, 1625-1660; APPENDIX 2: Endowed Lazarist Missions in France, 1625-1660

APPENDIX 3: Other Significant Donations for Lazarist Works in France, 1625-1660Bibliography; Manuscript Sources; Printed Primary Sources; Reference Works; Secondary Sources; Index.

Local access dig. pdf. [Forrestal-Lazarist mission (2017).pdf]