Athena and Renan
Ernest Renan ( 28 February 1823 – 12 October 1892) is shown here as depicted in a memorial placed in his hometown of Treguier, Brittany. The sculpture, as did Renan himself, stirred controversy amongst the people and criticism from the church. known as a philosopher and cynical writer, Renan gained notice with a biography of Jesus written in 1862. In it, the divinity of Christ is questioned and Renan calls for the Bible to be put up the same historical scrutiny as any other document. But perhaps his best known work is the essay, What is a Nation, of 1882. here, he calls into question the superficial parameters of geography and race as the defining aspects of a people. The cohesiveness of a people lies in “avoir fait de grandes choses ensemble, voulour en faire encore.” (having done great things together and wishing to do more.)