RENAN, Ernest, French historian, philosopher, dramatist and essayist : b. Treguier, Cote-du-Nord (Brittany), 27 Feb. 1823; d. Paris, 2 Oct. 1892. The priests who directed the school in Treguier conducted his education up to his 16th year. When he was chosen in 1838 by the Abbe Dupanloup for a place in the seminary of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet in Paris. Here he remained until, in 1842, he went to Issy, near Paris, to receive a training in philosophy previous to his entering upon his studies for the priesthood. In 1844 he was ad mitted to the seminary of Saint Sulpice, the chief training school of the French priesthood, where he acquired a knowledge of Hebrew, Arabic and Syriac. The result of these studies in philology was to shake his belief in Catholic ortWdoxy, and finding it impossible to enter the priesthood he left the seminary in 1845. While he now maintained himself by teaching in a school at Paris, he continued his historical and philological studies, aided by the counsel and assistance of his sister, Henriette. In 1848 he received the Volney prize for an essay on the Semitic languages. This was amplified and pub lished as (Histotre generale et Systeme compare des Langues semitique0 (1855). In the follow ing year he was sent on a mission to Italy by the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, and returning was appointed to a post in the manuscripts department of the Bibliotheque Nationale. His
de la science,' though not published until 1890, was written in 1848-49. He next published (Averroes et aver. roisme (1852) and several
The publication of the 'Life of Jesus> in 1863 gained for its author a European reputation, and was the first of a series on the 'Histoire des Origins du Christianisme,> which he made the chief labor of his life. This comprehensive work included the following further volumes: 'Les Apotres' (1866); 'Saint Paul' (1869); (1871); 'Les Evangiles et la seconde generation Chretienne> (1877); Chredenne) (1879); 'Marc Aurele et la fin du monde antique> (1882) ; general) (1883). In 1888 he was elected a member of the French Academy. During 1880 he delivered the Hibbert lectures in London on 'The Influences of the Institutions, Thought, and Culture of Rome on Christianity,' and also, at the same time, lectured at the Royal Institu-. tion on Marcus Aurelius. In 1883 he was ap pointed administrator of the College de France, where he continued his labors until his death, It is not yet possible to decide with any degree of certainty the ultimate effect of his work on the religious thought of Europe. Around Renan's writings were waged bitter contro versies volume is rivaled only by their acrimony?' Truth was to him a diamond of many facets, and he was never ready to define his position, but to his own generation he was a man of unique personality, and a writer of great erudition. Besides the works already enumerated the following should be mentioned: l'Origine du Langage> (1857) ; 'Le Eyre de Job' (1859) ; 'Essais de morale et de critique' (1859) ; 'Le cantique de cantiques) (1860) ; 'Mission de Phenicie> (1865-74) ; contemporaines> (1868); 'La re forme intellectuelle et morale' (1872); 'Dia logues philosophiques> (1876) ; 'Mélanges d'histoire et de voyages' (1878) ; 'Corpus in scriptionum Semiticarum> (1881-89); 'L'Eccle siaste) (1882) ; 'Souvenirs d'enfance et de jeunesse> (1883) ; 'Nouvelles etudes d'histoire religieuse' (1884) ; 'Discours et conferences> (1887) • 'Histoire du peuple d'Israel> (1887 94) ; detachies) (1892) ; and several dramas, such as 'Caliban> (1878). (L'eau de Jouvence> (1880), Le pretre de Nemi> (1885) and 'L'abbesse de Jouarre> (1856). His 'Let tres intimes> (1896) are a fitting memorial of his devoted attachment to his excellent sister, Henriette. See Lim OF RacomicrioNs OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH.