Jean Borella

Jean Borella (born in Nancy, France, 1930) is a Christian philosopher and theologian. Borella's works are deeply inspired by Ancient and Christian Neoplatonism, but also by the Traditionalist School of René Guénon and Frithjof Schuon.

Biography

Early years

Borella's father, who was Italian, made a career in military aviation before his death in 1937 in an air crash, when Jean was seven years old. Borella's mother was French from Lorraine. Borella had a Catholic education and traditional public school secondary studies which reinforced in him the idea that he would be a defender of the faith. By age 14, Borella understood Cartesian proof of the existence of God. In 1950, he stayed for a short while in a Benedictine monastery, but left, disappointed.^[1]

Borella attended university in Nancy, France. Two of Borella's philosophy professors had significant influence on him, Veorges Vallin and Guy Bugault. Vallin, French Orientalist and philosopher, primarily taught the principles of Vedanta. Bugault taught the philosophy of Khâgne. While both Vallin and Bugault were readers of Guénon, they did not speak of Guénon in class or in private conversations with Borella. Borella graduated in 1953 with a degree in philosophy, and, in the same year, became familiar with Guénon, and then with Schuon, of whom Borella stated:^[1]

"If there were in my life a man whom I actually regarded as a Master, it is well him."

In 1954, Borella married a Polish woman.^[2]

Later years

By 1957, Borella was a professor of philosophy in Gérardmer. In 1962, he became professor in Nancy, France, where he taught philosophy and French until 1977. In 1982, he was at the University of Paris X: Nanterre.^[2]

Borella has three daughters, the youngest of which is a Benedictine nun, and four grandchildren.

Notes

Bibliography

(French)

• Bérard, Bruno, and Jean Borella. Jean Borella, la révolution métaphysique: après Galilée, Kant, Marx, Freud, Derrida. Religions et spiritualité. Paris: Harmattan, 2006. ISBN 2-296-00727-9
• Esotérisme guénonien et mystère chrétien, L’Age d’Homme, Lausanne, 1997.
• Histoire et théorie du symbole, L’Age d’Homme,Lausanne, 2004 (édition revue et corrigée du "Mystère du signe", Maisonneuve et Larose, 1989).
• La charité profanée, Editions Dominique Martin Morin.
• La crise du symbolisme religieux, L’Age d’Homme, Lausanne, 1990.
• Le poème de la Création. Traduction de la Genèse 1-3, Ad Solem, 2002.
• Le sens du surnaturel, Ad Solem, Genève 1996.
• Lumières de la théologie mystique, L'Age d'Homme, Lausanne, 2002.
• Penser l’analogie, Ad Solem, Genève 2000.
• Symbolisme et réalité, Ad Solem, 1997.

(English)

• Christianity and gnosis-La Place Royale at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 2009), October 1996.
• Christianity and royalty-La Place Royale, February 1986.
• George Vallin, 1921-1983, knowledge and realization-Connaissance des Religions, September–December 1987.
• Guénonian Esoterism and Christian Mystery-2005.
• Inhuman sciences-Catholic Thought, no. 194, 1981.
• Logic of the non-dualism-Connaissance des Religions, Narcg 1988-March 1989.
• Jean Scot, mystery and symbol of-Connaissance des Religions, March 1987.
• Non-being and seraph of the heart-Connaissance des Religions, 1985.
• Plato, or restoration of western intellectuality-Traditional Studies, no. 471, 1981.
• Rene Guenon and the Crisis of the Modern World
• Rene Guenon at the time of the hundredth anniversary of his birth-Connaissance des Religions, December 1986
• Rene Guenon, gnosis and gnosticisme-le Dossier H (L’Age d’Homme), with permission of René Guénon, 1984.
• Rene Guenon, questions about the authority of-Connaissance des Religions, July–December 2002.
• Rene Guenon, symbol according to-Cahier de l’Herne, director J-P Laurant, with permission of René Guénon, 1985.
• St. Thomas of Aquin, situation of the policy in the thought of-Catholic Thought, June 1982.
• Vincent Mora, symbolism and interpretation in connection with a book of-Knowledge of the Religions
• Tradition-La Place Royale, 1983.
• Borella, Jean, and G. John Champoux. The Secret of the Christian Way: A Contemplative Ascent Through the Writings of Jean Borella. SUNY series in Western esoteric traditions. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2001. ISBN 0-7914-4843-6

Further reading