267 - RENAN (Ernest), 1823–1892.

RENAN (Ernest), 1823–1892. Letter from the author, “E. Renan,” undated, [Paris, January–February 1862], 1 p. in-8, to Stanislas Julien (1797–1873), administrator of the Collège de France. Letter regarding his appointment at the Collège de France, a few weeks before the sensational inaugural lecture that would lead to the suspension of his course. Renan had just met with the Minister of Public Instruction to discuss the formalities surrounding his assumption of office: “I have just seen the minister, who told me that I could give my first lecture whenever I wished, but that I must be formally installed by you as soon as possible.” The minister reportedly explained to him that the College would have to convene, that the decree of appointment would have to be read before the faculty, and that his salary would not begin to accrue until after this formality had been completed. Renan was taken aback: “That surprised me, for I had never heard of such a ceremony.” The letter comes at a decisive moment in Renan’s career. After being nominated by the Académie des Inscriptions and the Collège de France, he was appointed by imperial decree on January 14, 1862, as professor of Hebrew, Chaldean, and Syriac. It was therefore likely written between this appointment and his first lecture in February 1862. This seemingly innocuous administrative appointment foreshadowed one of the most famous academic scandals of the Second Empire. In his inaugural lecture, devoted to the place of Semitic peoples in the history of civilization, Renan addressed Jesus as a historical figure and described him as an “incomparable man.” The outcry was immediate: his course was suspended a few days later by the Minister of Public Instruction.