Ever since the great revolution of the sixteenth century, when the spirit of free inquiry was evoked to decide which of the various Christian traditions were true and which false, from time to time inquisitive or daring minds constantly appeared which disputed or denied them all. The train of thought which in the time of Luther had expelled from the Catholic fold several millions of Catholics drove a few Christians every year out of the pale of Christianity itself: heresy was followed by unbelief.
Alexis de Tocqueville
L'Ancien régime et la Révolution (The Old Regime and the Revolution)
In one paragraph of his short essay on the way many aspects of the Revolution were present in French pre-revolutionary society, and consuming and undermining it from the inside, Tocqueville summarizes the whole History of the Western world in the past 500 years: heresy, first, followed by unbelief. It can be quite a pleasant surprise to reread a classic after entering the Catholic Church and to find in it deeper meanings, once hidden from sight.If you wish to share any titles with us, in any language, regarding anything at all, including classics or new releases, please do so in the comment box.
