The author of the Life of Jesus was the subject of a remarkable biography which places the man in his century, while offering an excellent introduction to this monumental work full of scandal.
In 1902, on the occasion of the Ernest Renan memorial, ten years after his death, Anatole France wrote: “ Renan was one of the greatest geniuses of his time. Linguist, epigraphist, historian, philosopher, he was the greatest light of XIXe century. The probity of his mind matched the vigor of his intelligence. He served science as it wants to be served, with absolute dedication. He dedicated his entire life to the truth. (…) To raise a monument to Renan is to raise him to science and wisdom. »
This testimony indicates the place that Renan occupied in the last years of his life, at the time of the triumphant Republic. Jean-Pierre van Deth has just given us an excellent biography of the author of the Life of Jesus. It accurately traces the astonishing career of this Breton, born in 1822 into a family of fairly modest means. A very brilliant student, he is destined to become a priest, which allows him to pursue higher studies. He goes to the seminar in Paris. It was at the seminary of Saint-Sulpice that he experienced a serious crisis of conscience from 1842. He is affected by doubt, with him reason begins to oppose faith. At the same time, he discovered biblical and oriental studies. Treated with kindness by his superiors, he became secular at the end of 1845. There followed several years of difficult material conditions where he obtained the main university titles of his time. In 1847, he received a prize from the Institut de France for his work on Semitic languages in general and the Hebrew language in particular.
In the turmoil of 1848, he composed with fever The future of science of which he is currently only publishing extracts. He began to be a well-known personality in the world of letters as well as that of science. In 1849, he was sent on a mission to Italy to examine ancient manuscripts in libraries. He discovers both the world and mundane life. He found his vocation and his intellectual project: how religions are born. He devoted most of his life to the origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He develops a whole system of interpretation of the world. In the 1850s, he was part of the literary community. He was elected in December 1856 to the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres.
In 1860-61, it was his famous archaeological mission to Phenicia where he founded the archeology of the Near East. It was on this occasion that he lost his sister and collaborator Henriette. He has been aiming for the Collège de France for a long time. He was elected in December 1861 and appointed in January 1862. His inaugural lecture on February 22, 1862 will be one of the great moments in the intellectual history of the XIXe century. His profession of faith Jesus, an incomparable man, so great that although everything here must be judged from the point of view of positive science, I would not want to contradict those who, struck by the exceptional character of his work, call him God » caused a huge scandal. The government suspended his course then removed him from his chair. The affair has a European impact.
In 1863 The life of Jesus enjoys immense bookstore success which ensures its material independence. In the following years, he published the different volumes of Origins of Christianity. There IIIe A nascent republic in the midst of war restored him to his chair at the Collège de France in December 1870. The face to face with Germany led him to reflect on the notion of nation which led to his famous conference of 1882, a fundamental presentation of the French conception of the nation. During the last twenty years of his life, while continuing his scientific work, he is considered one of the most important French thinkers. It intervenes in many areas. His prestige is almost as great as that of Victor Hugo. There IIIe republic covers him with honors. He died in 1892 at the Collège de France of which he was the administrator.
This very well done book is above all a biography and not a study of Renan’s thought and his place in the history of science. It constitutes a good introduction to his works and allows us to perceive the great debates of a century which, if it is no longer the last century, remains an essential moment in the gestation of our world. You can read it without having read Renan before.