Laplace (Plac.eis), Josue de, a distinguished French Protestant theologian, was born in Brittany about the year 1605. After completing his studies in the University of Saumur, he taught philosophy for a
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while, and in IG'25 was appointed pastor of the Church at Nantes. He left this situation in 1633, to hecome professor of theology in the University of Sauinim Here, with L. Cappel and Moses Amj^raut, he gave a new impulse to theological studies. Laplace, attacking the Calvinistic dogma of the imputation of original sin to all the descendants of Adam, endeavored to show its incompatibility with the divine raerc}'' and justice. Ac- cording to him, original sin is only indirectly imputed to man, and he has to answer only for his own individ- ual sins. The orthodox party in the Calvinistic Church strongly opposed this doctrine, and, on the motion of Garissoles, the national Synoil of Charenton (in 1644) formally condemned it, without, however, naming the author. The schools of Sedan, Cieneva, and Holland de- nounced it also as impious and heretical. On the other hand, it obtained the approbation of all moderate peo- ple. A large number of provincial synods thought the national synod had been too hasty in condemning a doc- trine before taking time to thoroughly investigate and discuss it; they refused to submit to the verdict until another national synod should decide. Lajilace, for fear of increasing the difficulties, patiently submitted to the repeated attacks of Desmarets, liivet, and other ortho- dox theologians. He only answered them after waiting vainly for ten years for the convocation of the synod which was to decide. He died at Saumur Aug. 17, 1665. His works are, Discoins en forme de dialoffue entre un pere et sonjils, etc. (Quevilly, 1629, 8vo) ; often reprint- ed, also under title Entretitns d'un pere et de sonjils siir le changement de religion (Saumur, 1682, 12mo; translat. into German, Basle, 1665, 8vo) : — Examen des Raisom pour et contre le scta'ijice de la Messe (Saumur, 1639, 8vo) : — Suite de VExamen, etc. (Saumur, 1643, 8vo) : — De locis Zacharim xi, 18 ; xii, 10 ; Malachia Hi, 1 (Sau- mur, 1G50, 4to) : — Exjiosition et Pm-aphrase du Cantique des Cantiques (Saumur, 1656, 8vo) : — Explication ft/pique de VhiMoire de Joseph (transl. from the Latin of Laplace by Riisel. Saumur, 1658, 8vo) : — De argumeniis qiiibiis ef- Jicitur Christum prius Juisse quam in utero heatce Vir- ginis secundum carnem conciperetur (Saumur, 1649, 4to) : — De Testimoniis et A rgumentis ex Veteri Testament o ijeii- tis, quihus probatur Dominum nostrum Jesum-Christum esse Deum,j)radiium essentia divina (Saumur, 1651, 4to) : — Catechesis pro conversione Judworam (Saumur, 4to) : — Theses Theologicce de statu hominis lapsi ante gixUiam (Saumur, 1640, 4to) : this is the work whose doctrines were condemned by the Sjaiod of Charenton in 1644: — De ImputationejJrimijKccati A dami (Saumur, 1655, 4to) : a defence of his opinions: — Opuscula nonnuUa (Saumur, 1656, 8vo) : — Syntagma Thesium theologicamm (Saumur, 1660, 3 pts. 4to; 4th part, 1664). A complete collection of Laplace's works was published under the style Opera Omnia (Franeker, 1699, and Aubincit, 1702, 2 vols. 4to). See Mosheim, Ecclesiastical History, iii, 404; Aymon, Synodes des Eglises Reformees de France, ii, 680 ; Weis- mann, I/istoria Eccles. stec. xvii,p.919; Haag,La France Protestante; T. Colani, Rei-ue de Theologie, Oct. 1855; Bartholmess, Disconrs sur la vie et le caract'ere de J.de La Place, in the Bulletin de la Societe de Vliistoire du Protestantisme Fran^ais (1853) ; Hook, Eccles. Biogra- phy, viii, 97 ; Hoefer, Noiiv. Biog. Gcnerale, xxix, 529 ; Ilerzog, Real-Encyldop. xi, 755 sq. (J. N. P.)
Laplace, Pierre Simon de, a noted French phi- losopher, one of the greatest astronomers and mathema- ticians of any age or country, born at lieaumont-en- Auge (Calvados), in France, IMarch 23, 1740, of humble parentage, and ajijiointed professor of mathematics in the military school at Paris in 17G8, and membre-.id- joint of the Ac-idemy of Sciences in 1773, tirst made a reputation for himself by liis Exposition du Sysfhne du Monde, which he published in 1796, and which -was .simply an outline for popular use of his greater treatise, La Mecanique celeste, ol' which the first two Volumes were sent forth in 1798, the third in 1802, the fourth in 1805, and the liftli in 1M25, ;iiul still later (1827) a post- humous supplement (for a full synopsis of the contents
of this great work on mathematical astronomy, see Penny Cyclop, xiii, 326 sq.), a book which wiU doubt- less preserve his memory to the latest posterity. He also wrote Theorie Analytique sur les Prohahilites (1812), and Essui Philosophique sur les Prohahilites (1814). He died IMay 5, 1827. His last words were, "Ce que nous connaissons est peu de chose ; ce que nous ignorans, est immense." "The author of the Mecanique Celeste, to use a common synonyrae for Laplace, must be an object of the admiration of posterity as long as any record of the 18th century exists. F'or many years he was the head, though not the hand of European astronomy; and most of the labors of observation were made in di- rections pointed out by him, or for the furtherance of his discoveries in the consequences of the law of gravi- tation. It is sometimes stated by English writers that Laplace was an atheist. We have attentively exam- ined every passage which has been brought in proof of this assertion, and we can find nothing which makes cither for or agauist such a supposition An at- tempt to explain how the solar system might possi- bly have arisen from the cooling of a mass of fluid or vapor is called atheistical because it attempts to ascend one step in the chain of causes; the Principia of New- ton was designated by the same term, and for a similar reason. What Laplace's opinions were we do not know ; and it is not fair that a writer who, at a time of perfect license on such matters, has studiously avoided entering on the subject, should be stated as of one opinion or the other upon the authority of a fe\v' passages of which it can only be said (as it could equally be said of most mathematical works) that they might have been writ- ten by a person of any religious or political sentiments whatever" (Penny Cyclop, xiii, 325-328). See Thomas, Biographical Dictionary, p. 1372 ; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog, Genercde, xxix, 531 sq.