author
Jacques Bénigne Bossuet
1627–1704
A towering voice of 17th-century France, this bishop and preacher became famous for sermons and funeral orations that blended intellectual force with dramatic eloquence. His writing also shaped political and religious debate at the court of Louis XIV.
2 Audiobooks
Oraisons funèbres
by Jacques Bénigne Bossuet
Traité de la concupiscence
by Jacques Bénigne Bossuet
About the author
Born in Dijon in 1627, Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet was educated first by Jesuits and later at the Collège de Navarre in Paris. He became known early for his gifts as a preacher and theologian, and his reputation grew through powerful sermons delivered in Paris and at court.
Bossuet went on to serve as bishop of Meaux and became one of the most influential churchmen in France. He is especially remembered for his funeral orations, his religious writings, and his role as tutor to the Dauphin, the eldest son of Louis XIV. His works helped define him as one of the great prose stylists of French literature.
He died in Paris in 1704, but his name remained closely tied to the grand tradition of French sacred eloquence. Readers still turn to him not only for theology and history, but also for the energy, clarity, and command of language that made him famous in his own lifetime.