9781330458921 - French Prophets of Yesterday: a Study of Religious Thought, Under the Second Empire Classic Reprint by Albert Leon Guérard (3 results)

PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000.

PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000.

Paperback. Condition: New. Print on Demand. This book presents a remarkable tableau of French religious thought during the Second French Empire by examining its wealth of theological, metaphysical, and positivist expressions. The author places special emphasis upon the once dominant Catholic ideology, whose strength was found in the masses, even as it became thoroughly entangled with reactionary political thought. In contrast, Protestantism, despite its lack of popular appeal, still counted major thinkers among its adherents, struggling to articulate their faith amidst the increasing secularism of the age. The book further explores the rise of Voltairianism after a period of decline, owing in no small part to the repressive measures employed by the Catholic Church, as well as the concurrent growth of Romantic Humanitarianism, which, despite its initial literary leanings, soon lent itself to the articulation of political and social beliefs. The final section of the book examines the period's significant writers and thinkers, luminaries such as Sainte-Beuve, Taine, and Renan, who sought to grapple with the religious questions of the day and whose thought continues to influence perspectives on spirituality to this day. This book is a reproduction of an important historical work, digitally reconstructed using state-of-the-art technology to preserve the original format. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in the book. print-on-demand item.