Alexander Morus
Encyclopedia
Alexander Morus (25 September 1616, Castres
- 28 September 1670, Paris
) was a Franco-Scottish Calvinist
preacher.
, was a rector at a Huguenot
college in the small village of Castres in Languedoc
. In 1636 he left to study theology in Geneva
, where he became professor in Greek in 1639. By 1648, he was professor
of theology
, pastor
and dean
of the Academy in Geneva.
He was an Amyraldist, and ran into trouble in Geneva where his orthodoxy was suspect. He was appointed successor to Friedrich Spanheim
, but then was forced to leave Geneva.
He was working in the Netherlands
in the 1650s. In 1654, John Milton
launched a vitriolic attack upon him, in his Defensio Secunda
, in the mistaken belief that he was the author of an anonymous Royalist
work containing a "rabid" attack on Milton, called Regii sanguinis clamor ad coelum (Cry of the King's blood to Heaven). Morus replied with Fides Publica in 1654, published like the Regii sanguinis by Adriaan Vlacq
(also attacked by Milton). Milton then launched a second attack after Morus's reply. The true authorship of the Regii sanguinis, written by Pierre Du Moulin
, sent to Salmasius and only seen into print by Morus, came out in 1670.
He was professor of ecclesiastical history at Amsterdam
from 1652 to 1659, and pastor at Charenton
for the last year of his life.
Castres
Castres is a commune, and arrondissement capital in the Tarn department and Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It lies in the former French province of Languedoc....
- 28 September 1670, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) was a Franco-Scottish Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
preacher.
Biography
More's father, born in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, was a rector at a Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
college in the small village of Castres in Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
. In 1636 he left to study theology in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, where he became professor in Greek in 1639. By 1648, he was professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
and dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of the Academy in Geneva.
He was an Amyraldist, and ran into trouble in Geneva where his orthodoxy was suspect. He was appointed successor to Friedrich Spanheim
Friedrich Spanheim
Friedrich Spanheim the elder was a Calvinistic theology professor at the University of Leiden.-Life:He entered in 1614 the University of Heidelberg where he studied philology and philosophy, and in 1619 removed to Geneva to study theology...
, but then was forced to leave Geneva.
He was working in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in the 1650s. In 1654, John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
launched a vitriolic attack upon him, in his Defensio Secunda
Defensio Secunda
Defension Secunda was a 1654 political tract by John Milton, a sequel to his Defensio pro Populo Anglicano. It is a defence of the Parliamentary regime, by then controlled by Oliver Cromwell; and also defense of his own reputation against a royalist tract published under the name Salmasius in 1652,...
, in the mistaken belief that he was the author of an anonymous Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
work containing a "rabid" attack on Milton, called Regii sanguinis clamor ad coelum (Cry of the King's blood to Heaven). Morus replied with Fides Publica in 1654, published like the Regii sanguinis by Adriaan Vlacq
Adriaan Vlacq
Adriaan Vlacq was a Dutch book publisher and author of mathematical tables. Born in Gouda, Vlacq published a table of logarithms from 1 to 100,000 to 10 decimal places in 1628 in his Arithmetica logarithmica. This table extended Henry Briggs' original tables which only covered the values...
(also attacked by Milton). Milton then launched a second attack after Morus's reply. The true authorship of the Regii sanguinis, written by Pierre Du Moulin
Pierre Du Moulin
Pierre Du Moulin was a Huguenot minister in France who also resided in England for some years.-Life:Born in Buhy in 1568, he was the son of Joachim Du Moulin, a Protestant minister in the Orleans area...
, sent to Salmasius and only seen into print by Morus, came out in 1670.
He was professor of ecclesiastical history at Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
from 1652 to 1659, and pastor at Charenton
Charenton
-France:* Charenton-le-Pont, in the Val-de-Marne département, a commune which has a common border with Paris* Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, a neighboring commune that was called Charenton-Saint-Maurice until 1842** Charenton...
for the last year of his life.