The Enlightened Orthodoxy of the Abbé Pluquet

Abstract

The Dictionnaire des hérésies¹ published in 1762 by François André Adrien Pluquet (1716–1790) offers an interesting example, in both its content and its form, of what might be called enlightened orthodoxy in eighteenth-century France. It makes no concessions to critiques of Roman Catholic doctrine, but its tone is irenic rather than combative. Pluquet expresses admiration for the moral integrity of some heretical groups (most notably the Moravians); he acknowledges the cruelty of the Inquisition and the occasional high-handedness of the papacy; and, most notably, he recommends a measure of civil tolerance for Protestants in France.