GOBAT, GEORGES. – Jesuit and moral theologian, born at Charmoille (Basel) on 1 August 1600, died at Constance on 23 March 1679. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1618 and was a professor, first of philosophy at Fribourg in Switzerland (1631–40), then for 24 years (1641–66) of moral theology at Fribourg, Lucerne, Hall, Munich, Regensburg, and Constance, where he was also cathedral penitentiary for 21 years. At the same time, he was rector at Hall (1647–50) and at Fribourg (1654–56).
He wrote many works on moral theology and casuistry concerning indulgences, the Sacraments, drunkenness, vows, superstitions, and Marriage, which became so widely disseminated that his superiors ordered him to collect them together. G. devoted himself to this task, carefully revising everything; but his work was interrupted by death. Thus his principal work, which encompasses all the others, appeared posthumously: Opera moralia omnia (3 vols., Munich 1681). Among the treatises contained therein, particular mention should be made of Clipeus clementium iudicum (Constance 1659; the edition of Augsburg 1612 is better, and it was further improved in Opera moralia omnia), defending probabilism against Pascal’s attacks and accusations. The Opera omnia were censured by the bishop of Arras, who extracted 32 propositions from the Douai edition (1701) and judged them laxist: Censure faite par mons. l'évêque d'Arras (Arras 1703); this aroused many defenders, the principal one among them being: [Crist. Rassler]. Vindicine Gobotianae (s. l. 1706). In truth, G., extraordinarily strict and austere when dealing with himself, showed himself, impelled by excessive kindness toward others, to be overly broad in certain opinions, which were condemned by Innocent XI on 2 March 1679.