Some time ago I was asked by De Gruyter Press, a German academic publisher, to write the entry for Hilaire Belloc for the Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception. The encyclopedia is now published and is available for purchase for $4,185. No, it’s not a misprint, nor am I joking. Since very few people will be rushing out to buy copies to hand out to their friends, I considered posting my entry on Belloc to the Ink Desk. I suspect, however, that this might be infringing the publisher’s copyright. Erring on the side of caution, I have decided to desist. Instead, I’ll offer the briefest of summaries:
Belloc is not a practitioner of biblical exegesis but an expositor of intellectual history who charts the philosophical and theological forces that have shaped western civilization since the time of Christ, especially in his books The Great Heresies and Survivals and New Arrivals. He draws on the Gospel narratives for some of his religious verse, which exhibits a simple mediaeval piety. A more profoound engagement with scripture is found in the subtle use of metaphor in The Path to Rome.
Joseph Pearce,
There is a sentence on the Bible in “The Cruise of the Nona” (a great book which I love) that I have always found disturbing. Belloc refers to the Old Testament as “The fragments of Hebrew folklore which the Catholic Church affirms to be inspired”. This strange comment seems to me to have overtones of the views of Charles Maurras and Action Francais, which also had a large influence on Belloc’s politics. (Maurras held that the Roman doctrine and discipline of the Roman Catholic Church saved Her from Hebraism.)
Robert Speaight in his biography of Belloc says that “the essential passages of Scripture were familiar to him from their reproduction in the Missal. He did not read them elsewhere.” For all the constant references in Belloc’s writing to “the Faith”, and “the Church”, there is very little mention of central teachings of Christ such as the virtue of meekness, the love of enemies, and turning the other cheek; and it is hard to imagine that Belloc would have been at all enthusiastic about them. I think that Belloc’s “militant Christianity” does sometimes degenerate into mere militancy. Perhaps it would have been better if he had paid more attention to the Bible in general, and the Gospels in particular.
Andrew,
Your points are well taken. Belloc’s bellicosity sometimes leads him into dangerous and uncharitable waters, the quote that you give from “The Cruise of the Nona” being a case in point. I would, however, refer you to my essay on “The Path to Rome” in my book “Literary Giants, Literary Catholics” which illustrates a deeper engagement with the mystical aspects of Scripture through the use of subtle metaphor.
Joseph Pearce,
Thank you for your kind response. I will definitely look up your essay. I am always interested to read more about Belloc, a towering genius, albeit a more complicated figure than he is sometimes presented in the Catholic press.