Xavier Tilliette (23 July 1921 – 10 December 2018) was a French

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

historian of philosophy The history of philosophy is the systematic study of the development of Philosophy, philosophical thought. It focuses on philosophy as rational inquiry based on argumentation, but some theorists also include myth, Religion, religious traditions ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

, and

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

. A former student of Jean Wahl and of Vladimir Jankélévitch, he was a member of the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

(1938) and professor emeritus at the Catholic Institute of Paris (1969), having taught also at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome (1972), the Lateran University, and the Centre Sèvres in Paris.

Biography

Xavier Tilliette also taught philosophy at various universities as a "visiting professor" in France and abroad:Stancampiano Simone,''Xavier Tilliette: Fede e sapere in dialogo''
''Giornale di filosofia''

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

Urbino Urbino ( , ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, southwest of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially und ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza (ri ...

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

. He spoke fluent English, Italian, German and Spanish, in addition to Latin, Greek and Hebrew, and he read Portuguese and Danish. A specialist in Schelling and Jaspers, he has been developing since the 1970s a "philosophical

Christology In Christianity, Christology is a branch of Christian theology, theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would b ...

" which he initiated. In the tradition of Schelling and of

Maurice Blondel Maurice Blondel (; ; 2 November 1861 – 4 June 1949) was a French philosopher, whose most influential works, notably ''L'Action'', aimed at establishing the correct relationship between autonomous philosophical reasoning and Christian belief. ...

, he defended and illustrated the idea of a

Christian philosophy Christian philosophy includes all philosophy carried out by Christians, or in relation to the religion of Christianity. Christian philosophy emerged with the aim of reconciling science and faith, starting from natural rational explanations wit ...

born from

Revelation Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...

. He was also a specialist of Claudel, of

phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (Peirce), a branch of philosophy according to Charles Sanders Peirce (1839� ...

(

Edmund Husserl Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl (; 8 April 1859 – 27 April 1938) was an Austrian-German philosopher and mathematician who established the school of Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology. In his early work, he elaborated critiques of histori ...

and

Maurice Merleau-Ponty Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty. ( ; ; 14 March 1908 – 3 May 1961) was a French phenomenological philosopher, strongly influenced by Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. The constitution of meaning in human experience was his main interes ...

), and of German

idealism Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysics, metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, Spirit (vital essence), spirit, or ...

. Xavier Tilliette was twice winner of a prize from the

French Academy French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

. Several of his works were translated into English, Italian, German, and Spanish. Among his teachers, disciples, or friends, along with Wahl and Jankélévitch, were Hans Urs von Balthasar,

Karl Rahner Karl Rahner (5 March 1904 – 30 March 1984) was a German Jesuits, Jesuit priest and theologian who, alongside Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Yves Congar, is considered to be one of the most influential Catholic theology, Cat ...

Henri de Lubac Henri-Marie Joseph Sonier de Lubac (; 20 February 1896 – 4 September 1991), better known as Henri de Lubac, was a French Jesuit priest and Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal who is considered one of the most influential Theology, theologia ...

, Gaston Fessard, Hans Georg Gadamer,

Jürgen Habermas Jürgen Habermas ( , ; ; born 18 June 1929) is a German philosopher and social theorist in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. His work addresses communicative rationality and the public sphere. Associated with the Frankfurt S ...

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

, Louis Bouyer, Jean Daniélou,

Emmanuel Levinas Emmanuel Levinas (born Emanuelis Levinas ; ; 12 January 1906 – 25 December 1995) was a French philosopher of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry who is known for his work within Jewish philosophy, existentialism, and phenomenology, focusing on the rel ...

Paul Ricœur Jean Paul Gustave Ricœur (; ; 27 February 1913 – 20 May 2005) was a French philosopher best known for combining phenomenological description with hermeneutics. As such, his thought is within the same tradition as other major hermeneut ...

Gabriel Marcel Gabriel Honoré Marcel (7 December 1889 – 8 October 1973) was a French philosopher, playwright, music critic and leading Christian existentialist. The author of over a dozen books and at least thirty plays, Marcel's work focused on the moder ...

, Ambroise-Marie Carré, Yves Congar,

Michel de Certeau Michel de Certeau (; 17 May 1925 – 9 January 1986) was a French Jesuit priest and scholar whose work combined history, psychoanalysis, philosophy, and the social sciences as well as hermeneutics, semiotics, ethnology, and religion. He was known ...

, Stanislas Fumet, Maurice de Gandillac, Paul Doncœur, Pierre Blet, Marcel Brion,

Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson made a notable contribution to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, Ellipsis (narrative device), ellipses, an ...

, Enrico Castelli, Luigi Pareyson, Giuseppe Riconda,

Michel Henry Michel Henry (; ; 10 January 1922 – 3 July 2002) was a French philosopher, phenomenologist and novelist. He wrote four novels and numerous philosophical works. He also lectured at universities in France, Belgium, the United States, and Jap ...

, Claude Bruaire, Jean Greisch, François Varillon, Albert Vanhoye,

Jean-Luc Marion Jean-Luc Marion (; born 3 July 1946) is a French philosopher and Catholic theologian. A former student of Jacques Derrida, his work is informed by patristic and mystical theology, phenomenology, and modern philosophy.Horner 2005. Much of h ...

, Jean-Louis Vieillard-Baron, Francesco Tomatis. He was a member of the Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici and of the

Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities () is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledge within their subject. The general goal of th ...

(''Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften of Munich''), the Centro studi filosofico-religiosi Luigi Pareyson, and, since 2006, a corresponding member Accademia di estetica internazionale de Rapallo. Xavier Tilliette was knight of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

and of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

. Tilliette died in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on 10 December 2018 at the age of 97.

Selected bibliography

Xavier Tilliette wrote more than 2,000 essays, books, or articles; his more comprehensive bibliography contains over 250 pages. Books in French * 1960 ''Karl Jaspers'', Aubier, coll. « Théologie » * 1962 ''Existence et Littérature'', Desclée de Brouwer * 1962 ''Philosophes contemporains, Gabriel Marcel, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Karl Jaspers'', Desclée de Brouwer * 1964 '' Jules Lequier ou le tourment de la liberté'', Desclée de Brouwer * 1970 ''

ou la mesure de l'homme'', Seghers * 1970 ''Schelling. Une philosophie en devenir'', t. I, ''Le Système vivant, 1794–1821'', t. II, ''La Dernière Philosophie, 1821–1854'', Vrin, rééd. 1992 * 1974–1977 ''Le Christ des philosophes'', 3 fascicules, ICP * 1978 ''Schelling. Textes esthétiques. Présentation et notes'', Klincksieck, coll. « L'esprit et les formes » * 1984 ''La Mythologie comprise. L'interprétation schellingienne du paganisme'', Bibliopolis, Naples * 1986 ''La Christologie idéaliste'', préface de Joseph Doré, Desclée de Brouwer, coll. « Jésus et Jésus-Christ », 240 p. * 1987 ''L'Absolu et la Philosophie. Essais sur Schelling'', coll. « Épiméthée », PUF * 1990 ''Le Christ de la philosophie'', Cerf, coll. « Cogitatio Fidei », 295 p., prix Montyon de l'

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

1991 * 1992 ''La Semaine sainte des philosophes'', Desclée, coll. « Jésus et Jésus-Christ » * 1993 ''Le Christ des philosophes : Du Maître de sagesse au divin Témoin'', Culture et Vérité, Namur * 1995 ''Recherches sur l'intuition intellectuelle, de

Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, et ...

Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealism, German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political phi ...

'', Vrin * 1999 ''Schelling'', Biographie, Calmann-Lévy, coll. « La vie des philosophes » * 2001 ''Les philosophes lisent la Bible'', Cerf, 200 p., prix du Cardinal Grente de l'

ainsi que pour l'ensemble de son œuvre * 2001 ''La Mémoire et l'Invisible'', éd. Ad Solem, Genève * 2002 ''Jésus romantique'', Desclée-Mame * 2003 '' Fichte. La science de la liberté'', préface de , Vrin * 2005 ''Le Jésuite et le Poète, Éloge jubilaire à Paul Claudel'', éd. de Paris, Versailles * 2006 ''L'Église des philosophes, de Nicolas de Cuse à

'', Cer
Recension en ligne
in ''Esprit & Vie'' * 2006 ''Philosophies eucharistiques, de Descartes à Blondel'', Cerf, 180 p., médaille Humboldt 2006 * 2007 ''Une introduction à Schelling'', Honoré Champion With other authors * ''Jean Wahl et Gabriel Marcel'', avec

Emmanuel Lévinas Emmanuel Levinas (born Emanuelis Levinas ; ; 12 January 1906 – 25 December 1995) was a French philosopher of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry who is known for his work within Jewish philosophy, existentialism, and phenomenology, focusing on the rel ...

, Beauchesne, 1976, 96 p., * ''Hommage au Père Marcel Régnier'', ''Archives de philosophie'', 1999
Présentation en ligne
Written in Italian or in German * ''Il Cristo dei non-credenti e altri saggi di filosofia cristiana'', Editoria Ave, Roma, 1994 * ''Omaggi, Filosofi italiani del nostro tempo : Michele Federico Sciacca, Enrico Castelli Gattinara di Zubiena, Luigi Pareyson, Augusto Del Noce, Alberto Caracciolo, Italo Mancini, Enrico Garulli, Arturo Massolo, Pasquale Salvucci'', Morcelliana, Brescia, 1997, 92 p. * ''Del male e del bene'', con Giuseppe Riconda (a cura di Francesco Tomatis), Città Nuova Editrice, Roma, 2001 * ''Che cos'è cristologia filosofica'', Morcelliana, 2004 * ''Schellings Pyrmonter Elegie. Der Briefwechsel mit Eliza Tapp, 1849–1854'' (en collaboration), V. Klostermann, Frankfurt-am-Main, 2000 Essays published in the following reviews * '' Étvdes'' * '' Recherches de science religieuse'' * '' Revue de métaphysique et de morale'' * '' Archives de philosophie'' * '' Communio'' * '' Christus''

References

External links

Revue ''Conférence'', 2007, « Jean Wahl, mendiant de Dieu » by Xavier Tilliette

« Rosenzweig, philosophe de la religion »
by Xavier Tilliette

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilliette, Xavier 1921 births 2018 deaths People from Corbie 20th-century French Jesuits 21st-century French Jesuits French historians of philosophy Jesuit theologians Catholic philosophers French film critics Phenomenologists Schelling scholars 20th-century French philosophers 21st-century French philosophers 20th-century French Catholic theologians 21st-century French Catholic theologians Knights of the Legion of Honour French male writers

Biography

Selected bibliography

References

Further reading

External links