Le secret de Jean-Joseph Surin ou l’expérience de l’impensable damnation

The word mysticism means the opposite of religious "fact". It means the opposite of what is observable and positive, so that we could reduce mysticism to an occult tradition that we are able to discover and communicate. But in this case, does secrecy protect the tracks of an initiation or...

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Main Author: Sophie Houdard
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Groupe de Recherches Interdisciplinaires sur l'Histoire du Littéraire 2009-12-01
Series:Les Dossiers du GRIHL
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/dossiersgrihl/3675
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author Sophie Houdard
author_facet Sophie Houdard
author_sort Sophie Houdard
collection DOAJ
description The word mysticism means the opposite of religious "fact". It means the opposite of what is observable and positive, so that we could reduce mysticism to an occult tradition that we are able to discover and communicate. But in this case, does secrecy protect the tracks of an initiation or does it conceal, or dissimulate, a deviation, a drift, that the community cannot tolerate officially? what distinguishes a mystic of a madman, of an enthusiast? how to produce a sort of authorized tradition in order to justify its existence "beside" the discourses of exegesis? The French Jesuit Jean-Joseph Surin (1600-1665) will serve as a model case to answer these questions. We will observe the manner in which, unwilling to break away with his obedience to the Society of Jesus, he finds some ways to disseminate his mystical science, despite the censorship authorities. We will describe the effects of this assumed contradiction: if the legitimacy of discourse depends, according to Surin, on the Church only, and on none other point of view, what is the « true » meaning, then, of this damnation that Surin, out of any theological « truth », claims to experience?
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spelling doaj-art-f0803757352c47c8839907afee8a69212025-08-20T01:55:06ZfraGroupe de Recherches Interdisciplinaires sur l'Histoire du LittéraireLes Dossiers du GRIHL1958-92472009-12-013210.4000/dossiersgrihl.3675Le secret de Jean-Joseph Surin ou l’expérience de l’impensable damnationSophie HoudardThe word mysticism means the opposite of religious "fact". It means the opposite of what is observable and positive, so that we could reduce mysticism to an occult tradition that we are able to discover and communicate. But in this case, does secrecy protect the tracks of an initiation or does it conceal, or dissimulate, a deviation, a drift, that the community cannot tolerate officially? what distinguishes a mystic of a madman, of an enthusiast? how to produce a sort of authorized tradition in order to justify its existence "beside" the discourses of exegesis? The French Jesuit Jean-Joseph Surin (1600-1665) will serve as a model case to answer these questions. We will observe the manner in which, unwilling to break away with his obedience to the Society of Jesus, he finds some ways to disseminate his mystical science, despite the censorship authorities. We will describe the effects of this assumed contradiction: if the legitimacy of discourse depends, according to Surin, on the Church only, and on none other point of view, what is the « true » meaning, then, of this damnation that Surin, out of any theological « truth », claims to experience?https://journals.openedition.org/dossiersgrihl/3675censorshipmadnessart of writingdissimulationmystical litteraturesecret
spellingShingle Sophie Houdard
Le secret de Jean-Joseph Surin ou l’expérience de l’impensable damnation
Les Dossiers du GRIHL
censorship
madness
art of writing
dissimulation
mystical litterature
secret
title Le secret de Jean-Joseph Surin ou l’expérience de l’impensable damnation
title_full Le secret de Jean-Joseph Surin ou l’expérience de l’impensable damnation
title_fullStr Le secret de Jean-Joseph Surin ou l’expérience de l’impensable damnation
title_full_unstemmed Le secret de Jean-Joseph Surin ou l’expérience de l’impensable damnation
title_short Le secret de Jean-Joseph Surin ou l’expérience de l’impensable damnation
title_sort le secret de jean joseph surin ou l experience de l impensable damnation
topic censorship
madness
art of writing
dissimulation
mystical litterature
secret
url https://journals.openedition.org/dossiersgrihl/3675
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