Daille Jean
Daille Jean [1]
minister of the French Reformed Church, and one of the most learned theologians of his age. He was born at Chatellerault Jan. 6, 1594; became tutor in the family of Duplessis-Mornay (q.v.) in 1612, and was ordained in 1623. Most of the remainder of his life was spent as minister of Charenton. He died April 15, 1670. In theology Daille belonged to the moderate school of Saumur (q.v.). "His discourses are characterized by a heart- stirring eloquence, and it has been remarked of him that he had all the eloquence of Saurin without any approach to his turgid and bombastic style. The work by which Daille is best known is his treatise De usu Patrum, a work designed to check or moderate the excessive reverence which is felt in many quarters for the writers of ecclesiastical antiquity. It rendered an important service to the Protestant cause in his own country and times, and may still be consulted with great advantage." It was published in 1632; in Latin in 1636 (Genev. 4to); and a translation into English in 1651, under the title of A Treatise concerning the right Use of the Fathers in the Decision of Controversies that are at this Day in Religion (new ed. by Jekyll, Lond. 1841, 12mo; Amer. ed. Phila. 1842, 12mo). We have translations also — of his Exposition of the Philippians, by Sherman (Lond. 1841, imp. 8vo); Exposition of Colossians, by Sherman (Lond. 1841, imp. 8vo). Among his other writings are De Cultibus Latinorum (Genev. 1671, 4to); De Ponis et Satisfactionibus humanis (Amst. 4to); De la Creance des Peres sur le fait des Images (8vo); De Corfirmatione Et Ext. Unctione (Genev. 1659, 4to); De Auriculari Confessione (Genev. 1661, 4to); De Pseudepigraphis Apostolicis (1658, 8vo); and 20 volumes of sermons. — See Haag, La France Protestante, 4:181; Rich, Biog. Dictionary, s.v.; Life of Daille, prefixed to his Right Use of the Fathers; Chase, in Bibliotheca Sacra, 4:5 sq.; Bayle, Dictionary, s.v.; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 12:790.
