Berthier, Guillaume-Joseph

BERTHIER, GUILLAUME-JOSEPH. - French Jesuit, historian, publicist and ascetical author, b. at Issoudun on 7 April 1704, entered the religious life in 1722, d. at Bourges on 15 December 1784. He first taught humanities, philosophy and theology. Charged with continuing the Histoire de l'Eglise gallicane of Fathers Longueval and Brumoy, he published volumes XI-XII left by them, then volumes XIII-XVIII of his own composition (Paris, 1744-49). He interrupted the work in order to take over the editorship of the periodical Mémoires de Trévoux (1745-62), in which he fought against Voltaire and the Encyclopedists. When the Society was dispersed in France, he was tutor to the sons of the Dauphin, the future Louis XVI and Louis XVIII; having left the kingdom with several of his confreres in 1764, he returned to it in 1774.

He had devoted his last years to the composition of spiritual works, published after his death: Le Psautier traduit... avec des notes et des réflexions, 8 vols., Paris 1785, reprinted in Migne's Cursus Scripturae Sacrae, XIV-XVI); Réflexions spirituelles, ibid. 1790, reprinted in 1811 and afterwards, under the title Œuvres spirituelles. In these latter, of uncommon loftiness, one should note the discreet but firm apology of the mystical authors (Lettre sur les œuvres de s. Jean de la Croix, Considérations sur la mort mystique, etc.). The Sulpician Lasausse extracted from them a Doctrine spirituelle du P. B., Paris 1797.

Edmondo Lamalle