Le Père Houdry S.J. (1631-1729). Prédication et pénitence by Marie-Christine Varachaud (review)

86BOOK REVIEWS reinforce a constitutive myth of the modern world about the relationship between religion and science. The book may well be valuable for students of contemporary popular culture, but not for those who wish a deeper understanding of Galileo and the Inquisition. William E. Carroll Cornell College Le Père Houdry SJ. (1631-1729). Prédication etpénitence. By Marie-Christine Varachaud. [Théologie historique, 94.] (Paris: Beauchesne. 1993. Pp. 454. FF 297.) Father Houdry, after fifteen years of teaching and thirty years of preaching, devoted the rest of his life to writing "la Bibliothèque des prédicateurs" (The Preachers' Library). This monumental work oftwenty-two volumes, published between 1711 and 1725, has often been republished in Catholic countries. It was probably one of the wellsprings of devout Catholicism in the Age of Enlightenment. At all events "la Bibliothèque des prédicateurs" put a mark on that century not only by its juridic style and the soundness of its doctrine, but also by its aptitude for moving souls and winning hearts. Marie-Christine Varachaud's book has two parts. In the first part, the author introduces Father Houdry and his work. According to the methods of "quantitative history," she then presents and comments on the biblical, patristic, and theological references of "la Bibliothèque des prédicateurs." Finally, she explains Father Houdry's conception of preaching. The second part of the book is devoted entirely to the study of penance in its broadest possible meaning. The author indeed does not restrict her work to the virtue and the sacrament of penance; she analyzes not only all that can be useful, in Christian life, for the expiation of sins committed (though they may have already been been forgiven by the sacrament of penance), but also all that can help to preserve the Christian from sin. As the first part of the book ends with an analysis of the titles given to Christ by Father Houdry, the second part finishes with a very sound study of the Mystery of the Passion, where Christ is presented as the Perfect Penitent. This book is the rewriting of a doctoral dissertation and, though most of the technical elements are omitted from this presentation, it remains as austere as the topic treated. Fortunately, page after page and chapter after chapter, the reader is guided step by step and very clearly, to such a point that it is difficult for him to wander. The author justifies all her choices, especially her choice of the theme of penance, which is treated in only twelve percent of the pages of "la Bibliothèque des prédicateurs." Before writing this book, she had written a memoir about conversion; it is obvious that this reflection has had an influence on her thought, making her very sensitive to Father Houdry's BOOK REVIEWS87 frequent efforts to hold Christ up to the congregation as a model of penance, patience, and humility according to the will of God. This book is quite interesting, and its approach is very original. But when one closes it, some dissatisfactions remain. Its conclusion is too weak, and the comparisons with contemporary thought and circumstances are not satisfactory . The achievement of a lifetime in the distant past is well understood in the present only if it is put into perspective accurately. Philippe LÉcrtvain, S. J. Centre Sèvres Paris St. Petersburg Dialogues: Or Conversations on the Temporal Government of Providence. By Joseph de Maistre. Translated and edited by Richard A. Lebrun. (Montreal, Quebec: McGill-Queen's University Press. 1993- Pp. xxxvi, 407.) Les Soirées de Saint-Pétersbourg was almost but not quite complete at the time of Maistre's death in 1821, and appeared posthumously a few months later. It consists of eleven dialogues, each ¦with three participants, set on long summer evenings in the Russian capital where Maistre served as Sardinian Ambassador 1803—1817. It is a work impossible to categorize, and difficult even to describe. Its nominal scope is le Gouvernement temporel de la Providence ; its actual scope is very wide indeed, touching on war, sacrifice, punishment , suffering, eighteenth-centuryphilosophie, Indian religion, the history of language, revolutionary politics, science and society...