Abraham Ruchat

Abraham Ruchat (baptized 27 February 1680 – 29 September 1750) was a Swiss Protestant pastor, theologian and historian.

Anonymous portrait, c. 1730–1740

Biography

Originally from Grandcour, Ruchat was born in Vevey, Vaud, as the son of Jacques Ruchat and Jeanne Marie Dubois.^[1] He began studying theology at the Academy of Lausanne in 1693, receiving his ordination in 1702.^[1] Ruchat lived in Bern and studied in Berlin and Leiden between 1704 and 1709.^[1] He served as pastor of Aubonne from 1709 to 1716 and of Rolle from 1716 to 1721.^[1] In 1721, Ruchat was appointed professor of rhetoric at the Academy of Lausanne, where from 1733 up until his death, he taught classes in theology.^[1] He served as the academy's rector from 1736 to 1739.^[1]

In 1727–28, Ruchat published several volumes on the Swiss Reformation, titled Histoire de la Réformation de la Suisse — in 1835–38 the work was published in its entirety by Louis Vulliemin (7 volumes).^[1] It was later translated into English and published with the title History of the Reformation in Switzerland (1845). In 1714, under the pseudonym "Gottlieb Kypseler", he published a guide for foreigners, Les Délices de la Suisse ("The Delights of Switzerland"; 4 volumes).^[2] Another noted work by Ruchat was Abrégé de l'histoire ecclésiastique du Pays de Vaud ("Abstract on the ecclesiastical history of the land of Vaud"; 1707).^[3]

With Louis Bourguet, Charles Guillaume Loys de Bochat and Gabriel Cramer, he was editor of the journal Bibliothèque italique, ou, Histoire littéraire de l'Italie.^[4] Ruchat died in Lausanne on 29 September 1750, aged 70.^[1]