ThisfirstworkofSimonwasfollowedbyothers，inwhichhesought，intheinterestofscripturaltruth，tothrowanewandpurerlightuponoursacredliterature；butBossuetprovedimplacable。AlthoughunabletosuppressallofSimon’sworks，hewasabletodrivehimfromtheOratory，andtobringhimintodisreputeamongtheverymenwhooughttohavebeenproudofhimasFrenchmenandthankfultohimasChristians。
Butotherscholarsofeminencewerenowworkinginthisfield，andchiefamongthemLeClerc。VirtuallydrivenoutofGeneva，hetookrefugeatAmsterdam，andtherepublishedaseriesofworksupontheHebrewlanguage，theinterpretationofScripture，andthelike。InthesehecombatedtheprevalentideathatHebrewwastheprimitivetongue，expressedtheopinionthatinthepluralformofthewordusedinGenesisforGod，“Elohim。”
thereisatraceofChaldeanpolytheism，and，inhisdiscussionontheserpentwhotemptedEve，curiouslyanticipatedmoderngeologicalandzoologicalideasbyquietlyconfessinghisinabilitytoseehowdeprivingtheserpentoffeetandcompellinghimtogoonhisbellycouldbepunishment——sinceallthiswasnaturaltotheanimal。Healsoventuredquasi-scientificexplanationsoftheconfusionoftonguesatBabel，thedestructionofSodom，theconversionofLot’swifeintoapillarofsalt，andthedividingoftheRedSea。AstothePentateuchingeneral，hecompletelyrejectedtheideathatitwaswrittenbyMoses。ButhismostpermanentgifttothethinkingworldwashisanswertothosewhoinsisteduponthereferencebyChristandhisapostlestoMosesastheauthorofthePentateuch。Theanswerbecameaformulawhichhasprovedeffectivefromhisdaytoours：“OurLordandhisapostlesdidnotcomeintothisworldtoteachcriticismtotheJews，andhencespokeaccordingtothecommonopinion。”
Againstallthesescholarscameatheologicalstorm，butitragedmostpitilesslyagainstLeClerc。SuchrenownedtheologiansasCarpzovinGermany，WitsiusinHolland，andHuetinFranceberatedhimunmercifullyandoverwhelmedhimwithassertionswhichstillfilluswithwonder。ThatofHuet，attributingtheoriginofpaganaswellasChristiantheologytoMoses，wehavealreadyseen；butCarpzovshowedthatProtestantismcouldnotbeoutdonebyCatholicismwhenhedeclared，inthefaceofallmodernknowledge，thatnotonlythematterbuttheexactformandwordsoftheBiblehadbeendivinelytransmittedtothemodernworldfreefromallerror。
AtthisLeClercstoodaghast，andfinallystammeredoutasortofhalfrecantation。[475]