The Theology of the Hugenot Refuge

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The generations of French Protestants who maintained their faith following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) provided a rich theological tradition that has received relatively little scholarly attention. While seminal studies of the dispersion of Huguenots abound, this book serves as an attempt to place the distinctive theological ideas of the period in historical context. The first section of this book focuses initially on the historical events leading up to the Revocation and then looks at the various responses to it in the decades leading up to the Edict of Toleration that Louis XVI signed in 1787. The second section includes essays on some of the more significant French Reformed theologians of the era who were forced to flee the country following the Revocation. Major topics of concern had changed somewhat from the previous generations when the definition of the true church, the doctrine of universal grace, and the nature of the Eucharist dominated theological debate. In the post-Revocation era, eschatological concerns, the problem of Nicodemism, and more political matters, such as the degree of allegiance owed to a king who had legally outlawed the Reformed faith in France, dominated discussion. “This careful examination of the theology of the Huguenot diaspora addresses timely and timeless issues surrounding religious refugees. Professor Klauber has assembled an impressive group of international scholars. He has, in addition, superbly orchestrated their findings on a significant yet relatively neglected subject. As Huguenot pastors sought safety abroad following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, what were the theological views associated with their exilic experience? The early chapters explore the historical contours and consequences of the crown’s proscription of Protestantism. A second clutch of essays offers fresh appreciation of more than a half dozen refugee pastors and their theological elaborations. The resulting insights are at once captivating and illuminating.” —Raymond A. Mentzer, Daniel J. Krumm Family Chair in Reformation Studies, University of Iowa

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