Editing Richard Simon (priest) (section)

===Reception===
The ''Histoire critique du Vieux Testament'' encountered strong opposition from Catholics who disliked Simon's diminishing of the authority of the [[Church Fathers]].<ref>Watson E. Mills, ''Mercer Commentary on the New Testament'' (2003), p. 42; [https://books.google.com/books?id=iNLZYtBEw0sC&pg=PA42 Google Books].</ref> Protestants widely felt that an infallible Bible was threatened by doubts which Simon raised against the integrity of the Hebrew text; and indeed Simon as basic tenets argued against ''[[sola scriptura]]''<ref name=CL>David Lyle Jeffrey, Gregory P. Maillet, ''Christianity and Literature: Philosophical Foundations and Critical Practice'' (2011), p. 221; [https://books.google.com/books?id=wG1d5yNrzXsC&pg=PA221 Google Books].</ref> and in favour of the Catholic Church tradition of interpretation. [[Jean Leclerc (theologian)|Jean Le Clerc]], in his 1685 work ''Sentimens de quelques théologiens de Hollande'', controverted the views of Simon acutely, and claimed that an uninformed reader might take Simon to be any of a Calvinist, Jew or crypto-Spinozan; Bossuet made a point of banning this also, as even more harmful than Simon's book.<ref>Israel, p. 100 and p. 452</ref> It was answered in ''Réponse aux Sentimens de quelques théologiens de Hollande'' by Simon (1686).

In France, Simon's work became well known and widely circulated, despite Bossuet's hostility and efforts to keep it marginal. [[Étienne Fourmont]] was in effect a disciple of Simon, if not acknowledging the fact.<ref>William Johnstone, ''The Bible and the Enlightenment: a case study, Dr. Alexander Geddes (1737–1802)'' (2004), p. 89; [https://books.google.com/books?id=OY9A21fgtiIC&pg=PA89 Google Books].</ref> Another orientalist influenced by Simon was [[Nicolas Barat]].<ref>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Nicolas Barat}}</ref> An important eighteenth century biblical critic in France that did use Simon's work on the Hebrew Bible was [[Jean Astruc]].<ref>Richard H. Popkin, ''Isaac de la Peyrère (1596–1676): His Life, Work, and Influence'', Leiden, E. J. Brill, 1987, p. 74; [https://books.google.com/books?id=lkFaju2praAC&pg=PA74 Google Books]</ref>

The identity of the translator of the 1682 English version ''Critical History of the Old Testament'' is unclear, being often given as a Henry Dickinson who is an obscure figure, and sometimes as [[John Hampden (1653–1696)|John Hampden]]; [[John Dryden]] wrote his ''[[Religio Laici]]'' in response with a dedication to Dickinson,<ref name=CL/> and Simon's work became well known. [[Isaac Newton]] took an interest in Simon's New Testament criticism in the early 1690s, pointed out to him by [[John Locke]], adding from it to an [[Arian]] summary of his views that was intended for publication by Le Clerc, but remained in manuscript.<ref>[[Richard S. Westfall]], ''Never at Rest: A biography of Isaac Newton'' (1983), pp. 490–1.</ref> Later [[Samuel Clarke]] published his ''The Divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures Asserted'' (1699) in reply to Simon.<ref>{{ODNBweb|id=5529|title=Clarke, Samuel|first=David|last=Wilson}}</ref> Simon's works were later an influence on [[Johann Salomo Semler]].<ref>Joel B. Green, ''Hearing the New Testament: strategies for interpretation'' (1995), p. 12; [https://books.google.com/books?id=hR51imrUMG8C&pg=PA12 Google Books].</ref>

[[Pope Leo XIII]]'s 1897 catalogue of condemned books contains several works by Richard Simon.

{{blockquote|A ... celebrated man was Richard Simon ... whose 'Critical History of the Old Testament' was prohibited in 1682 at the instance of Bossuet, and by that illustrious prelate described as 'a mass of impieties and a rampart of free-thinking (''libertinage'').' It opens the modern era of Bible studies on scientific principles. Five works of Simon are kept on the condemned list by Leo XIII, including his French translation of the New Testament.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Quarterly Review]]|title=The Roman Index|date=October 1902|volume=196|page=620|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044092529015;view=1up;seq=630}}</ref>}}