The Blondelian Synthesis

Blondel’s philosophy remains one of the most brilliant contributions to the philosophy of religion in the past century. It contains insights that have never been duplicated in any other philosophy and consequently still deserves careful study now more than ever.

In 1964 I defended my doctorate thesis on the thought of Maurice Blondel after four years of study primarily at the Blondel archives in Aix-en-Provence, France. I was delighted to receive the highest honor that Louvain gave to a doctoral candidate, plus grande distinction. Shortly after the defense I boarded a Holland American line passenger ship to return to the United States and take up my post as professor of philosophy at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. On boarding the ship I read on the bulletin board that Dr. Heiko Oberman of Harvard Divinity School would give a speech that evening recounting his experience as a Protestant observer at the second session of the Vatican Council II. I went to the lecture but Heiko gave the lecture in his native tongue, Dutch.

I approached Dr Oberman afterwards and told him I had just finished a doctorate on Blondel. He expressed great interest, telling me that Blondel’s name was frequently mentioned on the council floor and he knew nothing about him. I gave him a copy of my manuscript and a few days later he came to me and asked if I would be willing to let him publish my doctorate as Volume I in a new series called Studies in the History of Christian Thought. I could not believe my good fortune and accepted the offer. The book was published by E.J.Brill of Leiden in Holland in 1966 under the title The Blondelian Synthesis: A Study of the Influence of German Philosophical Sources on the Formation of Blondel’s Method and Thought.

My book received an enthusiastic reception in Europe. A whole issue of the Journal of Philosophy in Genoa was given over to critical articles. But the book did not receive even one review in the United States. I believe that Blondel’s philosophy remains one of the most brilliant contributions to philosophy of religion in the past century. It contains insights that have never been reduplicated in any other philosophy and consequently still deserves careful study.