# Pascal



## VirginiaHuguenot (Jul 18, 2004)

Hopefully, this is the right forum for this thread. If not, please feel free to move it.

What does the Board think about Blaise Pascal? 

His [i:d8eac8bfc4]Pensees[/i:d8eac8bfc4] is a work of genius, but he was a Roman Catholic of the Jansenist variety, probably closer to Calvinism that anything else associated with that Church. Certainly, he was no fan of the Jesuits.

Did the Puritans ever interact with Pascal or Jansenism? Do any Reformed critiques of either exist?


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 25, 2004)

Any thoughts? Anyone, anyone, anyone...? Bueller?


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## Saiph (Oct 25, 2004)

Pascal is one of my favorites. Who cares if he was Roman Catholic. 

I do not know what the puritans thought of him .. .


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## yeutter (Oct 25, 2004)

I am not aware of contemporary reformed critiques of Pascal. I view Pascal as an early Enlightenment figure. He was a student of Rene' DesCartes who I think was still part of the old order. That would make Pascal one of the earliest truly enlightenment figures. 

Anglicans later interacted with the Jansenists after the French Revolution when the State Church of France included both Jansenists and old guard Roman Catholics. [Most Cannonical Roman Catholic Bishops became nonJurors at that time.] Napoleon brought about a religious settlement in France that brought the bulk of French Jansenists back into union with Rome.


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## turmeric (Oct 25, 2004)

Pascal did not think much of the Calvinists - his main critique was that they had left the Catholic Church. But he and the Jansenists were embroiled in a conflict with the RCC which they hoped to settle amicabliy. Siding with the Calvinists was not a wise move.

I believe Pascal and some of the other Jansenists were believers.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jun 24, 2006)

Thomas M'Crie the Younger did a translation of Pascal's _Provincial Letters_ that includes an historical introduction and notes.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jan 9, 2007)

VirginiaHuguenot said:


> Thomas M'Crie the Younger did a translation of Pascal's _Provincial Letters_ that includes an historical introduction and notes.



Available online here and here.


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