Jacques Maritain (18 November 1882-28 April 1973) was a French Catholic philosopher. He authored over 60 books, helped to revive Thomas Aquinas for modern times, and was influential in the development and drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Biography[]
Jacques Maritain was born in Paris, France on 18 November 1882, and he attended the Sorbonne, where he studied chemistry, biology, and physics. In 1906, Maritain and his wife Raissa, both of whom were agnostic (Raissa was of Jewish descent, but identified as an atheist), converted to Catholicism. In 1907, the couple moved to Heidelberg in the German Empire, and Maritain became very interested in the works of Thomas Aquinas. Beginning in 1912, he taught at the College Stanislas, starting a series of professorships at various universities across France. From 1945 to 1948, he even served as the French ambassador to the Vatican City. In 1920, Maritain completed a series of textbooks to be used in Catholic colleges and seminaries, and his works became a standard text in many Catholic seminaries. During World War II, Maritain protested the policies of the Vichy government, and he moved to New York, from where he took part in rescue activities such as bringing persecuted and threatened academics (many of them Jews) to America. Jacques Maritain authored more than 60 books, helped to revive the works of Aquinas for modern times, and helped to develop and draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Maritain was a long-time friend and mentor of Pope Paul VI, who even considered making Maritain a lay Cardinal, but Maritain rejected the idea. Maritain died in Toulouse, France in 1973 at the age of 90.