Athanase Coquerel

author

Athanase Coquerel

1820–1875

A liberal Protestant pastor, writer, and public speaker, he became one of the notable religious voices in 19th-century France. His work joined faith, politics, and social debate in a way that still feels lively and modern.

1 Audiobook

Christianity and Modern Thought

Christianity and Modern Thought

by Henry W. (Henry Whitney) Bellows, James Freeman Clarke, Athanase Coquerel, Orville Dewey, Charles Carroll Everett, Frederic Henry Hedge, James Martineau, Andrew P. (Andrew Preston) Peabody, George Vance Smith, Oliver Stearns

About the author

Born in Paris on May 16, 1820, Athanase Josué Coquerel was a French Protestant pastor, theologian, and writer. He was the son of Athanase Laurent Charles Coquerel, also a well-known Protestant minister, and he followed him into the ministry while developing a public reputation of his own.

Coquerel served as a pastor in Paris and became known for his liberal Protestant views, his eloquence as a preacher, and his interest in the major intellectual and political questions of his time. Alongside his religious work, he wrote widely on theology, morality, and public life, helping shape religious debate in 19th-century France.

He died in Fismes on January 24, 1875. Remembered as both a churchman and a man of letters, he belongs to a family that left a strong mark on French Protestant thought.