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Bible Encyclopedias
Jean Baptiste Massillon
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
or The Prodigal Son, on the small number of the elect, on death, for Christmas Day, and for the Fourth Sunday in Advent, may be perhaps cited as his masterpieces. His funeral oration on Louis XIV. is only noted now for the opening sentence: "Dieu seul est grand." But in truth Massillon is singularly free from inequality. His great literary power, his reputation for benevolence, and his known toleration and dislike of doctrinal disputes caused him to be much more favourably regarded than most churchmen by the philosophes of the 18th century.
The first edition of Massillon's complete works was published by his nephew, also an Oratorian (Paris, 1745-1748), and upon this, in the absence of MSS., succeeding reprints were based. The best modern edition is that of the Abbe Blampignon (Paris, 1865-1868, 4 vols.; new ed. 1886).
See Abbe Blampignon, Massillon, d'apres des documents inedits (Paris, 1879); and L'Episcopat de Massillon d'apres des documents inedits, suivi de sa correspondance (Paris, 1884); F. Brunetiere "L'Eloquence de Massillon" in Etudes critiques (Paris, 1882); Pere Ingold, L'Oratoire et le jansenisme au temps de Massillon (Paris, 1880); and Louis Petit de Julleville's Histoire de la langue et de la litterature francaise, v. 372-385 (Paris, 1898).
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Chisholm, Hugh, General Editor. Entry for 'Jean Baptiste Massillon'. 1911 Encyclopedia Britanica. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/bri/j/jean-baptiste-massillon.html. 1910.
