Book recommendation: Voltaire – The Adventures of Freedom
Conversely, he was not particularly popular with the popes and was probably not: no other “man of the Renaissance” shaped the Enlightenment and criticism of the Catholic Church of the time as strongly as Voltaire. But a closer look at his biography reveals how closely Voltaire was connected to the church, as can be seen in Volker Reinhardt’s new book.
Voltaire Catholic? The designation arouses some surprises, but it is absolutely correct, especially in the literal sense, since Voltaire was baptized a Catholic. In 1755, when he decided to put an end to his “wandering life” once and for all, moving permanently to Geneva, he was forced to ask a Calvinist friend in order to be able to buy the Les Délices estate. Had he not known a Calvinist, the transaction would not have been possible. Voltaire was not allowed to own any property in the territory of the Protestant Republic of Geneva precisely because he was officially a Catholic. It was a paradoxical setback that, irritating as it was, must have amused him. After all, even Diderot could write, with somewhat pedantic accuracy, of himself being “born within the Catholic Church,” even though everyone knew Diderot was a self-confessed atheist. However, the nickname “Catholic” is also used by Voltaire to characterize his forma mentis or, to put it mildly, one of his forme mentis applicable. Voltaire was a free thinker, but he never ignored the Church. Certainly his biblical criticism was vehement; but such attacks were effective precisely because they rested on a remarkable exegetical culture – of all the philosophers of the time none equaled Voltaire in his familiarity with Christian doctrine. one of his forme mentis. Voltaire was a free thinker, but he never ignored the Church. Certainly his biblical criticism was vehement; but such attacks were effective precisely because they rested on a remarkable exegetical culture – of all the philosophers of his day none equaled Voltaire in his familiarity with Christian doctrine.
The German historian Volker Reinhardt tells the story of an adventurer of freedom who, in a world full of crises, cultivated his garden with a sharp mind, biting mockery and philanthropic tolerance and held up a mirror to our own time. Reinhardt re-read the huge oeuvre and the sources and discovered a master of the arts who always had his escape routes in mind. Voltaire became rich because he tricked a lottery, observed nature with a physicist, duped the Versailles court society, angered Frederick the Great, fought against the dishonest church, uncovered legal scandals and persecuted Rousseau with boundless sarcasm.
To take notes:
Volker Reinhardt: Voltaire. The Adventures of Freedom, CH Beck Verlag, Munich 2022.
A review by Mario Galgano.
(Vatican News)