Customer Reviews

The Provincial Letters

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This series of letters by Blaise Pascal has it all; humor, a good guy (Pascal) and bad guys (Jesuits), and a moral.

Pascal wrote these letters in defense of his Jansenist friends who were being branded as heretics by the Jesuits. At the time, the Jesuits were a powerful religious order who basically taught Christianity all over the world.

In the Provincial Letters, Pascal exposes and ridicules the doctrines of the Jesuits, especially the "doctrine of probable opinions". The Jesuits (supposedly) were attempting to update the Christian doctrine to satisfy the lax morals of the modern world. In an attempt to "widen the pipe" to heaven, the Jesuits developed "modern" church doctrine (while ignoring traditional church doctrine, and the scriptures) to compensate for societies lax morals.

Pascal, defender of the faith, effectively ridicules their doctrines and shows their errors.

A word of caution, the letters are difficult going with respect to discussions on the finer theological points of view (how far we have fallen regarding knowledge of our faith). A good introduction will orient the reader to the conflicts and provide information regarding many of the theological discussions (the edition I used did not have an introduction; this one may). However, Pascal's writing is so humorous and engaging that I continued reading even when I was lost in the argument.

I am on record (in another review) as stating that religion should be updated to reflect our modern view of the world. However, these letters point out the danger of attempting to do that. I need to reconsider that approach.

Counted as one of the greatest works in the French language, Pascal's letters are a brilliant mix of acumen, well constructed argument, and withering wit. He launched an assault on the moral theology of the Jesuits during the height of the Jansenist controversy and left a rather amusing and enlightening work what is beautiful in its turn of both phrase and thought.

The first half of the letters is Pascal's attempt to relate the opposing views in the controversy and to illuminate the Jesuit views in all their folly. The second half (which is, unfortunately, a bit more functional and less engaging) is a mix of parry and riposte as Pascal swats away the arguments of his opponents. For the first time in my life, i found myself wising that I read French.

Not too many people know about Pascal's complete and unalterable devotion to Christianity. This book, along with his "Pensees" (Thoughts), shows that he was firstly a Christian and only then - a physicist. As a matter of fact, after discovering Christianity Pascal completely abandoned physics and devoted all his time to studying Christian religion. In his time, just like on ours, or just like in the days of early Christians (See "Church History" by Eusebius), the holy name of Christ and his church was often usurped and improperly held by heretics. Pascal distances himself from such heresies, especially from the Catholic church, and, much like Soren Kierkegaard, or Thoreau, or Socrates, establishes his personal inquiry into the true nature of God and human being. This particular book is a satire on Catholic heresies.

This is a good reprint - high quality paper, good formatting, a few minor mistakes in the text (words are not spaced out properly here and there), but overall an excellent edition for the price.

Using high irony, detailed research, and quoations from his opponents in their own words, Blaise Pascal wrote eighteen letters in France during the Seventeenth century attacking some of the moral abuses and laxities of the Jesuit priests. While his letters were widly distributed and read, the letters were condemned by the King and by the Pope as heresy, before later, after reforms were enacted, being praised by a later king and later Pope.

The style and content is very similar to Soren Kierkegaard's Attack Upon Christendom.

Though irony is not often used today as a method for theological inquiry and challenge, I would love to see it implemented more, as it makes for great reading while at the same time making powerful and pointed thelogical critiques of one's opponents.

"They have proved agreeable to men of the world, and intelligible even to the ladies" (p. 25) or "It being a much easier matter with them to find monks than reasons" (p.30) or "There is a vast difference between laughing at religion and laughing at those who profane it by their extravagant opinions" (p. 117) or "I need not the aid of any but yourselves to confute you" (p. 171), and of course, "The present letter is a very long one, simply because I had no leisure to make it shorter" (p. 192). Pascal's witting style has been a major influence for most shining in irony writers, and the "Provincial Letters" - although Pascal didn't give the title - addressed to "the reverend fathers" (the Jesuits) are the best proof.

However, the book as published by NuVision Publications contains no comments, nor information about the background of the dispute (it does have contents, nevertheless). Not even a single paragraph for Pascal's life (born? - died?), his education and the impact (if any) his letters had in literature. It seems that the body of the letters was taken from a website (there are many containing all letters) and printed exactly as appeared, justified and page-numbered. I think that the price is too high considering the work it took to be published, or the rights the publishers did (not) pay. So, 5-star rate for the Letters, and 1 for the book.

Anyway, not everyone appreciated Pascal's humor. If you want a second opinion for Pascal, try "Men of Mathematics" by the reputable E. T. Bell, who wrote that "among other things which Pascal totally [sic] lacked was a sense of humor". What a bummer, eh?