Church Voices

I’ve been exceedingly astonished countless times after reading many of the famous philosopher’s writings, but none seem to excite in me such unique intrigue as the French physicist, mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal.

While Pascal is not one of my availing favorites, his latter writings are most peculiar. His late conversion to Christianity shed little contributions to classical theology in general but does illustrate a great example of God’s power to draw all kinds of men to Himself.

Greatly influenced by notable fideistic skeptic Michel de Montaigne, theology had little bearing on Pascal up until about the last decade of his life. Pascal was a man of immense intellect; before the age of thirteen he had already offered several genius mathematical additions as well as discovering a flaw in one of Rene Descartes’ own mathematical publishings. Also rumored to have been the first person ever to wear a wristwatch, (tying a string around a pocket watch and fastening it around his wrist) a man of Pascal’s sheer intellectual capacity in his day was uncommon to have mentioned such a religious conversion as he did.

Amidst his scientific/mathematical studies, Pascal abruptly abandoned his past fields of experience to study theology. When I was an atheist, I decisively remember criticizing my beliefs, pondering my own variation of the famous Pascalian Wager (though today the Pascalian Wager we might think of is in most cases a misunderstanding of what Pascal was actually reasoning), unaware of the similar maxim introduced my Pascal years before my time.

His alleged unique and divine experience is what compels in me most interest pertaining to Pascal’s life. At the age of 31, Pascal came to know God personally through Jesus Christ. Though scarcely written about from Pascal himself, this experience undeniably changed his life forever. In fact, when Pascal died, there was found sewn into his clothing a reminder of that experience which he constantly carried with him:

“From about 10:30 at night until about 12:30. FIRE. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob—not of the philosophers and of the learned. Certitude! CERTITUDE! Feeling, joy, peace! God of Jesus Christ…Jesus Christ…Let me never be separated from Him.”

What did Pascal experience? Does that not give you chills?