GONET, JEAN-BAPTISTE

GONET, JEAN-BAPTISTE. – Dominican theologian, born at Béziers around 1616, died there on 24 January 1681. He entered the convent of his city at the age of seventeen. In 1640 he received his doctorate at the University of Bordeaux, where he taught for more than 20 years. From 1660 to 1669 he interrupted his teaching, apparently because of his conduct in the fierce doctrinal disputes of the time. As soon as he resumed it, he was forced to leave it again because in 1671 he was elected provincial of Toulouse. After his provincialate he returned to the chair, but only for a short time (1675–77). Finally, he retired to Béziers. G. was rather resolutely opposed to probabilism, to the point of approaching rigorism, though without reaching such an extreme. Nor was he without Gallicanizing ideas, although they did not seem dangerous at the time. In any case, he did not oppose the Holy See. His principal work, which met with considerable favor, is entitled: Clypeus theologiae thomisticae contra novos eius impugnatores (16 vols.,

Bordeaux 1659–69). In 1680 this complete treatise of dogmatic theology had already reached 9 editions. Also noteworthy is the Lyon edition of 1681 in 5 volumes, edited by J. B. Gonneau, which is the most complete. The same author abridged the doctrine of the Clypeus in the Manuale thomistarum seu brevis theologiae thom. cursus in gratiam et commodum studentium (6 volumes, Béziers 1682). G.’s moral theology was completed by Fr. Maderan: Supplementum Clypei theologiae thom. (manuscript in the Municipal Library of Bordeaux, no. 154).

Abele Redigonda