Passion of Israel: Jacques Maritain, Catholic Conscience, and the Holocaust

In his lifetime, French philosopher Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) achieved a reputation as both a leading Catholic intellectual and an outspoken critic of anti-Semitism. Here, historian Richard Francis Crane traces the development of Maritain's opposition toward anti-Semitism and analyzes the Catholic appreciation of Judaism that animated his stance. Crane probes the writings and teachings of Maritain--before, during, and after the Holocaust--and illuminates how Maritain's ideas altered Christian perceptions of Jews and Judaism during his lifetime and continue to do so today.

Richard Francis Crane is Professor of History at Benedictine College, Atchison, Kansas.