Voltaire · Complete work
Letter VII
Letter VII of 24. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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sur les sociniens, ou ariens, ou anti-trinitaires.
Il y a en Angleterre une petite secte composée d’ecclésiastiqueset de quelques séculiers très-savants qui ne prennent ni le nomd’ariens ni celui de sociniens, mais qui ne sont point du tout del’avis de saint Athanase sur le chapitre de la Trinité, et qui vousdisent nettement que le Père est plus grand que le Fils.
Vous souvenez-vous d’un certain évêque orthodoxe qui, pourconvaincre un empereur de la consubstantialité s’avisa deprendre le fils de l’empereur sous le menton, et de lui tirer le nezen présence de Sa sacrée Majesté? L’empereur allait faire jeterl’évêque par les fenêtres, quand le bonhomme lui dit ces belleset convaincantes paroles: « Seigneur, si Votre Majesté est sifâchée que l’on manque de respect à son fils, comment pensez-vousque Dieu le Père traitera ceux qui refusent à Jésus-Christ lestitres qui lui sont dus? » Les gens dont je vous parle disent quele saint évêque était fort malavisé, que son argument n’était rienmoins que concluant, et que l’empereur devait lui répondre:« Apprenez qu’il y a deux façons de me manquer de respect: lapremière, de ne rendre pas assez d’honneur à mon fils; et laseconde, de lui en rendre autant qu’à moi. »
Quoi qu’il en soit, le parti d’Arius commence à revivre enAngleterre aussi bien qu’en Hollande et en Pologne. Le grandNewton faisait à cette opinion l’honneur de la favoriser. Ce philosophepensait que les unitaires raisonnaient plus géométriquementque nous. Mais le plus ferme patron de la doctrine arienneest l’illustre docteur Clarke. Cet homme est d’une vertu rigideet d’un caractère doux, plus amateur de ses opinions que passionnépour faire des prosélytes, uniquement occupé de calculs et de démonstrations, aveugle et sourd pour tout le reste, unevraie machine à raisonnements.
C’est lui qui est l’auteur d’un livre assez peu entendu, maisestimé, sur l’existence de Dieu, et d’un autre plus intelligible,mais assez méprisé, sur la vérité de la religion chrétienne.
Il ne s’est point engagé dans les belles disputes scolastiquesque notre ami… appelle de vénérables billevesées; il s’est contentéde faire imprimer un livre qui contient tous les témoignagesdes premiers siècles pour et contre les unitaires, et a laissé aulecteur le soin de compter les voix et de juger. Ce livre du docteurlui a attiré beaucoup de partisans, mais l’a empêché d’être archevêquede Cantorbéry; car lorsque la reine Anne voulut luidonner ce poste, un docteur nommé Gibson, qui avait sans doute ses raisons, dit à la reine: « Madame, M. Clarke est le plus savantet le plus honnête homme du royaume; il ne lui manque qu’unechose. — Et quoi? dit la reine. — C’est d’être chrétien », dit ledocteur bénévole. Je crois que Clarke s’est trompé dans soncalcul, et qu’il valait mieux être primat orthodoxe d’Angleterreque curé arien.
Vous voyez quelles révolutions arrivent dans les opinionscomme dans les empires. Le parti d’Arius, après trois cents ansde triomphe et douze siècles d’oubli, renaît enfin de sa cendre;mais il prend très-mal son temps de reparaître dans un âge oùtout le monde est rassasié de disputes et de sectes: celle-ci estencore trop petite pour obtenir la liberté des assemblées publiques:elle l’obtiendra sans doute si elle devient plus nombreuse;mais on est si tiède à présent sur tout cela qu’il n’y a plus guèrede fortune à faire pour une religion nouvelle ou renouvelée.N’est-ce pas une chose plaisante que Luther, Calvin, Zuingle, tousécrivains qu’on ne peut lire, aient fondé des sectes qui partagentl’Europe; que l’ignorant Mahomet ait donné une religion à l’Asieet à l’Afrique, et que MM. Newton, Clarke, Locke, Leclerc, les plus grands philosophes et les meilleures plumes de leur temps,aient pu à peine venir à bout d’établir un petit troupeau!
Voilà ce que c’est que de venir au monde à propos. Si le cardinalde Retz reparaissait aujourd’hui, il n’ameuterait pas dixfemmes dans Paris.
Si Cromwell renaissait, lui qui a fait couper la tête à son roiet s’est fait souverain, il serait un simple citoyen de Londres.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the French text of all twenty-four letters (Garnier edition, 1879, French Wikisource) for fidelity, the author’s force and cadence, and modern clarity.
On the Socinians, or Arians, or Anti-Trinitarians
In England there is a small sect composed of churchmen and a few very learned laymen who call themselves neither Arians nor Socinians, but who do not at all agree with Saint Athanasius on the question of the Trinity, and who tell you plainly that the Father is greater than the Son.
Do you remember a certain orthodox bishop who, to convince an emperor of consubstantiality, took it into his head to seize the emperor's son by the chin and pull his nose in the presence of His Sacred Majesty? The emperor was about to have the bishop thrown out the window when the good man addressed him in these fine, persuasive words: “Sire, if Your Majesty is so angry that someone should show disrespect to your son, how do you think God the Father will treat those who refuse Jesus Christ the titles due to him?” The people I am speaking of say that the holy bishop was very ill-advised, that his argument was anything but conclusive, and that the emperor ought to have answered him: “Understand that there are two ways of showing me disrespect: the first is to give my son too little honor; the second is to give him as much as you give me.”
Be that as it may, the party of Arius is beginning to revive in England as well as in Holland and Poland. The great Newton did this opinion the honor of favoring it. That philosopher thought the Unitarians reasoned more geometrically than we do. But the most steadfast patron of Arian doctrine is the illustrious Dr. Clarke. This man is strict in virtue and gentle in character, more attached to his opinions than eager to make converts, occupied solely with calculations and demonstrations, blind and deaf to everything else—a veritable reasoning machine.
He is the author of a book on the existence of God that is little understood but highly esteemed, and of another on the truth of the Christian religion that is more intelligible but rather despised.
He has not involved himself in the fine scholastic disputes that our friend… calls venerable nonsense; he has contented himself with publishing a book containing all the testimony of the early centuries for and against the Unitarians, leaving it to the reader to count the votes and judge. This book of the doctor's won him many supporters, but prevented him from becoming Archbishop of Canterbury; for when Queen Anne wished to give him the post, a doctor named Gibson, who doubtless had his reasons, said to the queen: “Madam, Mr. Clarke is the most learned and most honorable man in the kingdom; he lacks only one thing.” “And what is that?” said the queen. “To be a Christian,” said the benevolent doctor. I think Clarke miscalculated, and that it was better to be the orthodox primate of England than an Arian parish priest.
You see what revolutions occur in opinions as in empires. The party of Arius, after three hundred years of triumph and twelve centuries of oblivion, is at last reborn from its ashes; but it has chosen a very poor time to reappear, in an age when everyone has had enough of disputes and sects. This sect is still too small to gain the freedom to hold public assemblies: no doubt it will gain that freedom if it grows more numerous; but people are so lukewarm about all this now that there is scarcely a fortune to be made from a new or revived religion. Is it not amusing that Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli, all writers one cannot bear to read, founded sects that divide Europe; that the ignorant Muhammad gave a religion to Asia and Africa; and that Messrs. Newton, Clarke, Locke, and Leclerc, the greatest philosophers and finest writers of their time, could barely manage to establish a little flock?
That is what comes of arriving in the world at the right moment. If Cardinal de Retz reappeared today, he would not rouse ten women in Paris.
If Cromwell were born again—he who had his king beheaded and made himself sovereign—he would be an ordinary citizen of London.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the French text of all twenty-four letters (Garnier edition, 1879, French Wikisource).
On the Socinians, or Arians, or Anti-Trinitarians
In England there is a small sect of churchmen and a few very learned laypeople. They do not call themselves Arians or Socinians, but they certainly disagree with Saint Athanasius about the Trinity. They tell you plainly that the Father is greater than the Son.
Do you remember that orthodox bishop who decided to prove that the Father and Son were of the same substance to an emperor? He took the emperor's son by the chin and pulled his nose in front of His Sacred Majesty. The emperor was about to have the bishop thrown out the window when the good man said these fine, persuasive words: “Sire, if Your Majesty is so upset when someone disrespects your son, how do you think God the Father will treat those who deny Jesus Christ the titles he is owed?” The people I am talking about say that the holy bishop acted very unwisely and that his argument proved nothing at all. The emperor should have answered him: “Understand that there are two ways to disrespect me: first, by giving my son too little honor, and second, by giving him as much honor as you give me.”
In any case, Arius's party is beginning to come back to life in England, as it is in Holland and Poland. The great Newton did this view the honor of supporting it. This philosopher thought the Unitarians reasoned more like mathematicians than we do. But the strongest supporter of Arian teaching is the distinguished Dr. Clarke. He is strict in his virtue and gentle in temperament. He loves his own opinions more than he cares about winning converts. He is entirely absorbed in calculations and proofs, blind and deaf to everything else: a real reasoning machine.
He wrote a book on the existence of God that few people understand but that is highly regarded. He wrote another, clearer book on the truth of Christianity, but it is held in rather low regard.
He did not get involved in the fine scholastic disputes that our friend… calls venerable nonsense. Instead, he published a book containing all the testimony from the early centuries both for and against the Unitarians. He left readers to count the votes and decide for themselves. That book won the doctor many supporters but kept him from becoming archbishop of Canterbury. When Queen Anne wanted to give him the post, a scholar named Gibson, who no doubt had his reasons, said to the queen: “Madam, Mr. Clarke is the most learned and most honest man in the kingdom. He lacks only one thing.” “And what is that?” asked the queen. “He is not a Christian,” said the kindly scholar. I think Clarke got his calculation wrong. It would have been better to be the orthodox primate of England than an Arian parish priest.
You can see that opinions go through revolutions just as empires do. After three hundred years of triumph and twelve centuries of obscurity, Arius's party is finally rising from the ashes. But it has picked a very bad time to return, in an age when everyone has had enough of disputes and sects. This sect is still too small to be allowed public meetings. It will surely get that freedom if it grows more numerous. Yet people are now so indifferent to all this that there is hardly a career to be made by starting a new religion or reviving an old one. Isn't it funny that Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli, all writers no one can bear to read, founded sects that divide Europe? The uneducated Muhammad gave a religion to Asia and Africa. Yet Messrs. Newton, Clarke, Locke, and Leclerc, the greatest philosophers and best writers of their day, could barely manage to establish a tiny flock!
That is what comes of being born at the right time. If Cardinal de Retz came back today, he could not stir up even ten women in Paris.
If Cromwell were born again, he who had his king beheaded and made himself ruler, he would be an ordinary citizen of London.