GERBILLON
471
GERHARD
philosophiques sur la certitude", Paris, 1S26; "Soin-
maire des connaissances liumaines", Paris, 1S29;
"Coup d'ceil sur la controverse chretienne", Paris,
1831; "Precis d'histoire de la philosophie", Paris,
1834: under the names of Salinis and Scorbiac), all
more or less tinctured with Lamennais's errors, he
wrote the following: "Considerations sur le dogme
generateur de la piet^ chretienne" (Paris, 1829);
"Vues sur la Penitence" (Paris, 1836) — these two
works are often puljlished together; "Esquisse de
Rome Chretienne" (Paris, 1843), previously men-
tioned. In the two former books Gerbet views the
dogmas of the Eucharist and Penance as admirably
fitted to develop the affections — nourrir le cceur de sen-
timents — just as he uses the realitis visibles of Rome
as symbols of her essence spirituclle. Sainte-Beuve
(Causeries de lundi, VI, 316) saj's that certain pas-
sages of Gerbet's writings " are among the most beauti-
ful and suave pages that ever honoured religious
literature". Gerbet's "Mandements et instructions
pastorales" were published at Paris in 1876.
De Ladoue, Gerbet, sa vie, se.s ceuvres et Vecole meriaisienne (Paris, 1S70): Kicard, Gerbel. sa vie, sen auures (Paris, 1881); Bremond, Gerhei (Paris. 1907); Longhaye, Gerhet in Esguisses titteraircs (Paris, 1908). See also Marechal. Essai d^un sysUme de philosophie cathoHque par Lamennais (Paris, 1908); and Cr.vven, Recit d'une saeur,
J. F. SOLLIER.
Gerbillon, jEAN-FRANfois, French missionary; b. at Verdun, 4 June, 1654; d. at Peking, China, 27 March, 1707. He entered the Society of Jesus 5 Oct., 1670, and after completing the usual course of study taught grammar and the humanities for seven years. His long-cherished desire to laboui in the missions of the East was gratified in 168.5, when he joined the band of Jesuits who had been chosen to found the French mission in China. Upon their arrival in Peking they were received by the Emperor Kang-Hi, who was favourably impressed by them and retained Gerbillon and Bouvet at the Court. This famous monarch realized the value of the services which the fathers could render to him owing to their scientific attainments, and they on their part were glad in this way to win his favour and gain prestige in order to further the interests of the infant mission. As soon as they had learned the language of the coun- try, Gerbillon with Pereyra, one of his companions, was sent as interpreter to Niptchou with the ambassa- dors commissioned to treat with the Ru.ssians regarding the boundaries of the two empires. This was but the beginning of his travels, during which he was often attached to the suite of the emperor. He made eight different journeys into Tatary. On one of these he was an eyewitness of the campaign in which Kang-Hi defeated the Eleuths. On his last journey he accom- panied the three commissioners who regulated public affairs and established new laws among the Tatar- Kalkas, who had yielded allegiance to the emperor. He availed himself of this opportunity to determine the latitude and longitude of a number of places in Tatary. Gerbillon was for a time in charge of the French college in Peking, and afterwards became superior-general of the mission. He enjoyed the special friendship and esteem of the emperor, who had a high opinion of his ability and frequently availed himself of his scientific and diplomatic services. He was withal a zealous missionary, and in 1692 ob- tained an edict granting the free exercise of the Christian religion. After the emperor's recovery from a fever, dviring which he was attended by Ger- billon and Bouvet, he showed his gratitude by be- stowing on them a site for a chapel and residence. Gerbillon was a skilled linguist. He was the author of several works on mathematics, and wrote an account of his travels in Tatarj'. These relations are valuable for their accurate account of the topography of the country, the customs of the people, and also' for the details of the life of the missionaries at the Court.
Among his works are "Elements de Geom^trie"
(1689), "Geometric pratique et theorique" (1690),
"Elements de philosophic", "Relations de huit
Voyages dans la Grande Tartaric". A work entitled
"Elementa Linguae Tartaricse" is also attributed to
him.
.SoMMERvoGEL, Biblioth. de la C. deJ., IH; Eyries in Biogra- phie Universelle, s. v.
Henry M. Brock.
Gerdil, Hyacinthe Sigismond, cardinal and theo- logian; b. at Samoens in Savoy, 20 June, 1718; d. at Rome, 12 August, 1802. When fifteen years old, he joined the Barnabites at Annecy, and was sent to Bologna to pursue his theological studies; there he de- voted his mind to the various branches of knowledge with great success, and attracted the attention of Archbishop Lambertini of that city, later Pope Bene- dict XIV. After his studies, he taught philosophy at Macerata, philosophy and moral theology at Turin, and became provincial of his order. At the suggestion of Benedict W\ , he was chosen preceptor of the Prince of Pieilmont, afterwards Charles Emmanuel IV. Designated cardinal in petto, in 1773, by Clement XIV, he was promoted to that dignity by Pius VI, in 1777, who called him to Rome and named him Bishop of Dibbon, consultor of the Holy Office, corrector of the oriental books, and prefect of the Propaganda. .\fter the invasion of Rome in 1798, he left the city and returned to his Abbey Delia Chiusa. On the death of Pius VI he would prolaably have been elected pope at the consistorj' of Venice, in 1800, had not hiselection been vetoed by Cardinal Herzan in the name of the Emperor of Germany. He accompanied the new pope (Pius VII) to Rome, where he died in 1802.
His numerous works written in Latin, Italian, and French on divers subjects — dogmatic and moral theol- ogy, canon law, philosophy, pedagogy, history, physi- cal and natural sciences, etc. — form twenty volumes in quarto (ed. Rome, 1806-1821). Among the most im- portant may be mentioned: " L'Immortalite de I'ame demontr^e contre Locke et defense du P. Malebranche centre ce philosophe" (Turin, 1747-48), 2 vols.; "Re- flexions sur la theorie et la pratique de l'6ducation centre les principes de J. -J. Rousseau" (Turin, 1765), reprinted in a new edition under the title "Anti- Emile"; "Exposition des caracteres de la \Taie reli- gion", written in Italian (translated into French, Paris, 1770), etc. His works were written espe- cially for the defence of spiritual philosophy against materialism, of supernatural religion against Deism, of the supreme authority of the pope against Febron- ianism and the Sjmod of Pistoia. A scholar of very extensive knowledge, a deep thinker, though some of his philosophical opinions, especially those concerning our knowledge of God, are not those generally ac- cepted, a theologian of firm principles, he was also known as a man of great moderation in his counsels and of great charity in controversy.
Piantoni. Vita del Card. G. S. Gerdil ed analisi delle sue opere (Rome, 1831); Hergenrother in Kirchenlex., s. v.: Felleh- Henrion, Dictionnaire historique ou Biographie Universelle,
Gereon, Saint.
G. M. Sauvage.
See Theban Legion.
Gerhard of Ziitphen (Zerbolt of Zutphen); b.
at Zutphen, 1367; d. at Windesheim. 1398; a mystical
w-riter and one of the first of the Brothers of the Com-
mon Life, founded by Gerhard Groote and Florentius
Radewyn at Deventer, in the Netherlands. Even in
that community of " plain living and high thinking"
Gerhard was remarkable for his absorption in the
sacred sciences and his utter oblivion of all matters of
merely earthly interest. He held the office of libra-
rian, and hisdeep learning in moral theology and canon
law did the brothers good service, in helping them to
meet the prejudice and opposition which their manner
of life at first aroused. His best kno^NTi works are
