Meslier, Jean, 1664-1729

Born in Mazerny, France 1664, died in Etrépigny, France 1729 or 1733; priest in Etrépigny from 1689; in secret a very early atheist and socialist, which became known after his death through the discovery of his remarkable L̀e Testament', in which the peasants were defended and the church attacked, unheard of in those days; excerpts of his writings in particular concerning his antireligious opinions were published by Voltaire and others, and served later as a basis for anti-Christian writings; his L̀e Testament' was rediscovered in the 1960s.

From the description of Archives n.d. . (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122307856