Preuves de la Religion de Jésus-Christ, contre les Spinosistes et les Déistes (Proofs of the Religion of Jesus Christ, against the Spinozists and the Deists.)
La Veuve Estienne & Fils and Jean Herissant, 1752. Item #85192
Volume Four.
On the Doctrine of Jesus Christ. Good condition. General foxing and wear.
Historical context
This book belongs to a major intellectual struggle of the Enlightenment period. The author is arguing in defense of Christianity against:
Spinozists — followers or perceived followers of Baruch Spinoza, whose philosophy was often viewed by church authorities as dangerously rationalistic or pantheistic.
Deists — thinkers who believed in God based on reason and nature, but often rejected revealed religion, miracles, and church doctrine.
During the 1700s, French Catholic scholars produced many “preuves” (“proofs”) of Christianity to answer Enlightenment skepticism.
About the author
The “Par M. L. F.” is abbreviated, which was common at the time. The exact author is not obvious from this page alone because many theological works used initials or partial names. More bibliographic investigation would be needed to identify the writer confidently.
Physical details visible here
A few interesting features:
“Tome Quatrième” means this is Volume 4 of a multi-volume set.
The printers/booksellers are listed as:
the widow of Estienne (“La Veuve Estienne & Fils”)
Jean Herissant
The phrase “Avec Approbation & Privilège du Roi” means the book had official royal approval and printing privilege under the French monarchy.
The handwritten inscription across the title page is likely an ownership signature from a previous owner.
Price: $150.00