David Faure

{{For|the Chinese historian|David Faure (historian)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = David Faure | honorific_suffix = | image = | alt = | caption = | order = | office = Head of The [[Unitarianism|Unitarian Church]] in South Africa | term_start = 1867 | term_end = 1896 | deputy = | predecessor = Church was founded | successor = [[Ramsden Balmforth]] | order2 = | office2 = Grand Master of Lodge de Goede Hoop ([[Freemasonry in South Africa|South African Freemasons]]) | term_start2 = 1893 | term_end2 = 1897 | predecessor2 = Hofmeyr, J.H. | successor2 = Lewis, C.E. | birth_name = David Pieter Faure | birth_date = {{Birth date|1842|11|11}} | birth_place = [[Stellenbosch]], [[Cape Province]], South Africa | death_date = {{Death date and age|1916|8|17|1842|11|11}} | death_place = [[Cape Town]], Cape Province, South Africa | other_party =  | spouse = Helena Johanna Augusta Munnik | relations = | children = 6 | mother = | father = | education = | alma_mater = [[Leiden University]] | known_for = Unitarianism, Freemasonry and being an Interpreter | awards = | committees = | portfolio = | blank1 = | data1 = | blank2 = | data2 = | blank3 = | data3 = | blank4 = | data4 = | blank5 = | data5 = | signature = | signature_alt = | website =  | module = | module2 = | footnotes = }}

'''David Pieter Faure''' was the founder of the [[Unitarianism|Unitarian Church]] in [[South Africa]], an interpreter and a Grand Master of the [[Freemasonry in South Africa|Freemasons in South Africa]].

==Roots== Faure was born in Stellenbosch, Cape Province, South Africa on 11 November 1842. He was the younger of two sons of Abraham Faure and Dorothea Susanna de Villiers. He married Helena Johanna Augusta Munnik on 17 March 1871. He died in Cape Town on 17 August 1916. He studied theology at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands up to 1866, when he graduated.<ref name="faure.co.za">{{cite web |url=http://www.faure.co.za/faurefiles/en.faure-famous.html|title= Rev David Faure |website=faure.co.za|access-date=9 October 2018}}</ref>

==Influences picked up in the Netherlands== The denomination under which he studied was [[Dutch Reformed Church|Dutch Reformed]]. He had become aware of different ways of thinking ([[free thinking]]). This was expressed to him by [[Jan Hendrik Scholten|Prof. J.H. Scholten]]. Upon his return to South Africa in 1866, the Dutch Reformed Church had a panel of theological experts that interviewed graduates before admitting them to the church (called Colloquium Doctum) (Latin). Due to the liberal influence Faure was under in Holland, he was not admitted as pastor. The Colloquium Doctum was put in place, as two theological contemporaries of him, [[Thomas François Burgers]] from [[Hanover, Northern Cape|Hanover]] (1862) and Kotze, J.J. from [[Darling, Western Cape|Darling]] (1864), were suspended as they differed from the church-prescribed theory.<ref name="unitarian.co.za">{{cite web |url=http://unitarian.co.za/unitarian_history_rsa.html |title=Unitarian history - South Africa|author=Oliver, G.|website=unitarian.co.za|access-date=9 October 2018}}</ref><ref name=Hale2014>{{cite journal |last1=Hale |first1=Frederick |title=The evolution of South African Christian responses to Darwinism after the publication of The descent of man |journal=Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae |date=May 2014 |volume=40 |issue=1 |pages=77–94 |url=http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1017-04992014000100006 |hdl=10500/13701 }}</ref>

==Founding of the Unitarian Church== In 1867, Faure founded the Unitarian Church. It was first called the Free Protestant Church. He was pastor up to 1897, when he was succeeded by Rev. [[Ramsden Balmforth]] from [[England]]. In 1870 his church expanded to [[Graaff-Reinet]].<ref name="unitarian.co.za"/><ref>{{cite book |first1=Eric |last1=Heller-Wagner |chapter=Radical religion and civil society: The Unitarians of South Africa |pages=125–151 |chapter-url=http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/19562/De_Grunchy__JW__0869819437__Section4.pdf |editor1-last=De Gruchy |editor1-first=John W. |editor2-last=Martin |editor2-first=S. |year=1995 |title=Religion and the reconstruction of civil society |location=Pretoria |publisher=University of South Africa |isbn=978-0-86981-943-2 |hdl=10500/19562 }}</ref>

==Beliefs regarding Darwin's theory of evolution== On 30 July 1876 he gave a discourse in church about the [[Charles Darwin]]'s theory of [[evolution]]. Faure believed one could, as a Christian, accept Darwin's evolutionary theory. It was printed in ''The Standard and Mail'' (a newspaper).<ref name=Hale2014/>

==Interpreter== ===The "Fiat Justitia" case 1880=== David Faure was a circuit interpreter from 1872-1880. He was the interpreter in the [[Koegas atrocities|Koegas murder case]]. Faure not being satisfied with the case wrote letters to the [[Cape Argus|Argus newspaper]]. They was address to [[Francis Joseph Dormer|FJ Dormer]] the editor. He used a nom de plume: Fiat Justitia (Latin for "let justice always be told"). In his letters he said there was racism and deviance from common law. The newspaper published it. The editor, Dormer, was charged with crimen injuria. The presiding judges were A. Stockenström and H. de Villiers. These judges decided that obstruction of justice did occur and that racism did take place in the court. [[Thomas Upington]] the Attorney General was declared incapable of being in such a public position. Judge de Villiers praised Faure but still deprived him of his post. The Argus then employed him as an interpreter.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Erasmus |first1=H. J. |title=Circuit courts in the Cape Colony during the nineteenth century: hazards and achievements |journal=Fundamina |date=February 2013 |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=266–299 |url=http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1021-545X2013000200005 }}</ref>

===The London Convention=== When the [[South African Republic|Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek]] delegation under the leadership of [[Paul Kruger|President Kruger]] travelled to [[London]], UK Faure accompanied them as interpreter. The purpose of the visit was the signing of the [[London Convention (1884)|London Convention]].<ref name="faure.co.za"/> This convention controlled the relations between the UK and the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek.

==Freemason== He was the Grand Master of Lodge de Goede Hoop ([[Freemasonry in South Africa|South African Freemasons]]) from 1893 to 1897, when he took over from Jan Hofmeyer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://freemasonrysd.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=551%3Athe-deputy-grand-masters-of-the-netherlands&catid=46%3Aover-200-years-of-history&Itemid=66 |title= Deputy Grand masters|website=freemasonrysd.co.za|access-date=18 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925143643/http://www.freemasonrysd.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=551%3Athe-deputy-grand-masters-of-the-netherlands&catid=46%3Aover-200-years-of-history&Itemid=66|archive-date=25 September 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kleijn |first1=Angie |title=Voortrekkers, generaals en presidente was vrymesselaars |trans-title=Voortrekkers, generals and presidents were Freemasons |language=af |url=https://www.bronberger.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3021:voortrekkers-generaals-en-presidente-was-vrymesselaars&catid=50:toeka-se-dae&Itemid=76 |work=Bronberger |date=27 October 2015 }}</ref>

==Biography== His autobiography was written in 1907.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carter |first1=George E |title=The Life of David Peter Faure, A Unitarian in South Africa |date=2010 |publisher=Edwin Mellen Press |isbn=978-0-7734-1697-0 |oclc=818111858}}{{page needed|date=December 2020}}</ref>

== References ==  {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faure, David}} [[Category:1842 births]] [[Category:1916 deaths]] [[Category:19th-century Unitarian clergy]] [[Category:South African Protestant ministers and clergy]] [[Category:South African Freemasons]]