Blaise Pascal: Reasons of the Heart

by Marvin R. O'Connell

As striking and dramatic as any conversion experience recorded in history are the words of Blaise Pascal found sewn into the lining of his jacket by a servant after his "From about half-past ten in the evening until about half-past twelve — FIRE. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and scholars. God of Jesus Christ.

Known as the memorial, these words describing Pascal's "night of fire" are all the more powerful coming from the mind of a genius of Mozartean scale. One of the greatest luminaries of France's grand siècle, Pascal (1623-1662) was a groundbreaking mathematician, physicist, and inventor as well as a profound religious thinker and Christian believer whose random thoughts — his Pensées — continue to move thoughtful readers today.

This biography by Marvin R. O'Connell captures Pascal's life and times with a chronological narrative based on the published sources and Pascal's own works. From Pascal's early life as a child prodigy already experimenting in physics at the age of ten to his adult years as one of Europe's leading intellectuals, O'Connell takes readers on an eloquent journey into Pascal's world, showing them the passion that drove the man and the radical spirituality he sought in his own heart. In the process, O'Connell also illumines the social, political, and religious intrigue of seventeenth-century Paris, especially the winner-take-all struggle between the Jesuits and the Jansenists, with whom Pascal himself was allied.

Meticulously researched yet written in an enjoyable style accessible to all, this volume will aptly acquaint readers with the life and thought of Pascal — remarkable human being, luminous Christian thinker.

Genres: Philosophy, Biography, Nonfiction, Theology, Spirituality

231 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1997

Reviews

[booklady]

April 5-May 2, 2015: Pulled this back off the shelf because it is such a good book read in conjunction with Pascal’s masterpiece, Pensées. Pascal was not always the ardent Christian he became late in life. He underwent two conversions, the first one mild, the second a radical experience he referred to as ‘the Night of Fire’. His descriptions of it have a very contemporary feel, intense and compelling. As a result, he became caught up in the religious controversy of the day, the movement called Jansenism, later deemed heretical. As practiced by the nuns at the Port-Royal convents where Pascal’s sister had taken the veil, it was an exceptionally pious devotion. As such, these unfortunate ladies were the ultimate victims of the back and forth bickering that went on for many years largely over the finer points of Augustinian theology which few can understand even if they care to. In Reasons of the Heart, Marvin R. O'Connell helps us understand the contextual background, key players and how Pascal’s attack on casuistry through his Lettres Provinciales (Provincial Letters) played such an important role in the controversy leading to later suspicions against him.

O’Connell lets us know some of the pains Pascal suffered late in his short 39 years of life. Not only was he sick and in extreme pain, but he also went through his own soul searching as he watched his beloved sister die and finally abandoned all part in the Jansenist argument.

“The heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing. We feel it in a thousand things. It is the heart which perceives God, and not the reason. That is what faith is: God perceived by the heart, not by the reason.” -Blaise Pascal

May 31, 2008: Today while putting books away I ran across this gem. Can't remember when I read it but I loved it. Not sure if it's because I love Pascal or if the book is really all that good. But it is full of his quotes and my copy of this book is full of colorful highlights--some are quotes from Pensées, but many are original--indicating I really got into this book. I can't find my book card. I have these little book cards I used to always put in all my books which indicated title, author, date I started and finished reading. Anyway, even if I can't remember when I read it, I do remember enjoying it very much. I still need to read Pascal’s great work, the Pensées.

[Daniel]

I have read a couple of books by Blaise Pascal and the Jansenists in general are an interest of mine, as they were followers of Augustine's theology who remained within the Roman Catholic Church in the post-Reformation era. Since I also have an interest in the Huguenots, it makes sense to consider another party in France that opposed the Jesuits and their Molinist theology. The books in the Library of Religious Biography series are usually reasonably solid and this one is fairly good. Interestingly, the author saw no real difference between Pascal's view of predestination and the "harsh" views of the Calvinists.

[Bennett Rogers]

"Pascal combined the greatest possible intelligence with the most acute need of God." O'Connell explores both of these great themes in this eminently readable biography and manages to tell the story of Jansenism and 17th century French Catholicism to boot in 194 pages - quite a feat in itself. It is a masterpiece of intellectual history, in my opinion, and a wonderful contribution to a great series - Library of Religious Biography.

[Cassian Russell]

After having my affection for Pascal renewed by Romano Guardini's book Pascal for Our Time, I found this biography in our library. It is as much a history of Jansenism as of Pascal -- but it is all very readable and intriguing. The ideas are alive for these people! I have a much clearer picture of Port Royal and of the people who gathered around it. And Pascal himself comes alive as part of this larger story.

[Shane Hill]

A lovely read of this humble Christian...

[Ryan]

Pascal's story is fascinating. It's not my favorite writing style for a biography. Perhaps, there's a better biography of Pascal out there. Hearing how Pascal encouraged the Jansenists to hold onto their teachings despite pressure from the vatican left me wondering if Pascal would have ended up a Protestant had he lived when the papal bull was issued condemning his beliefs. But, it's speculation at this point.

[Darin]

Not a bad introduction to Pascal's life, but be forewarned: this is not a beginner's book. The author dives deeply into the details of Pascal's and the Jansenists' theology, so if you're just looking for the basic facts you're not going to like this one. Still, there's a good introduction into his thinking and writing here.

[Paula]

This was hard work! Not being a Catholic I found a lot of this book hard to follow and difficult to remember. I was looking for some insights into the faith of Pascal,but didn't really find any here.