Pierre Johanns was a Luxemburger

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

 Jesuit priest, missionary in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and Indologist

Indology

Indology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....

.

Education

Johanns was ordained priest on 1 August 1914 at Louvain, three days before World War I broke out and Germany invaded Belgium. He had studied philosophy under the prestigious metaphysician and mystic, Pierre Scheuer. Johanns' superior intelligence, nearing genius, had been recognized and he was destined to further studies while awaiting a still impeded passage to India. He took a full Licentiate in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven

Catholic University of Leuven

The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...

 (Belgium), and was then sent to Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

 as soon as the end of the war permitted it, in 1919. To evaluate his doctoral dissertation on "The Agent Intellect in the Western and Eastern Philosophies," Oxford University could not find suitable examiners, and had to have recourse to Cambridge. From there came the extraordinary verdict: "only once in a hundred years does one meet such an intellect." Oxford gave him the doctorate with the highest honours and offered him, despite his being a Roman Catholic and Jesuit, a professorship. But his call was for Calcutta, which he reached in November 1921. He taught philosophy at St Xavier's College, Calcutta, at St Mary's, the Jesuit theologate at Kurseong

Kurseong

Kurseong is a hill station situated in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India.Located at an altitude of 1458 metres , Kurseong is just 30 km from Darjeeling...

, Darjeeling, and even in a Vaisnava monastery. He studied ever more deeply the Hindu tradition. Because he always approached the Real in terms of Value, he felt attuned to the aims and methods of Vedanta. As early as October 1922, he and another Oxford graduate and Jesuit confrere, Georges Dandoy, started The Light of the East, a monthly directed to the Hindu intelligentsia as an instrument of interfaith reflection and dialogue. His contributions amounted to 216, 146 of which constitute the work To Christ through the Vedanta. In 1938 ill health forced him to go back to Belgium, where he nevertheless founded an "Indian Juniorate" which, until 1955, would train young Jesuits for work in Bengal.

Christian approach to Hinduism

A pioneer in promoting a new approach to Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 Spirituality and Theology which he popularized through his Review Light of the East he prepared the radical change of outlook towards Eastern non-Christian religions that ultimately found its way into the Vatican II declaration Nostra Aetate

Nostra Aetate

Nostra Aetate is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, this declaration was promulgated on October 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI.The first draft, entitled "Decretum de...

(on non-Christian Religions).
Inspired by the writings of Brahmabandhab Upadhyay (1861-1907), Johanns found in Shankara

Adi Shankara

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...

, the great Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 Philosopher of the 9th century, spiritual and theological paths leading to Christ

Christ

Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...

. Doing so he initiated an 'inculturation

Inculturation

Inculturation is a term used in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic Church, referring to the adaptation of the way Church teachings are presented to non-Christian cultures, and to the influence of those cultures on the evolution of these teachings....

' movement of the Christian faith. His main work was published in 1932-33 : Vers le Christ par le Vedanta

Vedanta

Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...

(2 vol.). Due to ill health he returned to Europe and died in Arlon (Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

) in 1955.

Primary

• “The Agent Intellect in the Western and Eastern Philosophies.” ThD dissertation, Oxford University, n.d.
• “To Christ through the Vedanta.” The Light of the East 1-13 (Oct. 1922) 3; (Nov. 1922) 3-4; (Dec. 1922) 2; (Jan. 1923) 3-4; (Feb. 1923) 3; (Mar. 1923) 2-3; (Apr. 1923) 3; (May 1923) 3-4; (Jun. 1923) 4-5; (Jul. 1923) 3-4; (Aug. 1923) 4; (Sep. 1923) 3-4; (Oct. 1933) 5; (Nov. 1923) 5-6; (Dec. 1923) 3-4; (Jan. 1924) 3-5; (Feb. 1924) 3-5; (Mar. 1924) 4-6; (Apr. 1924) 3-4; (May 1924) 5-6; (Jun. 1924) 4-5; (Jul. 1924) 3-4; (Aug. 1924) 3-4; (Sep. 1924) 3.5; (Oct. 1924) 3-4; (Nov. 1924) 3-4; (Dec. 1924) 3-4; (Jan. 1925) 4-5; (Feb. 1925) 3-4; (Mar. 1925) 5-7; (Apr. 1925) 3-4; (May 1925) 3-5; (Jun. 1925) 3-5; (Jul. 1925) 4-6; (Aug. 1925) 3-6; (Sep. 1925) 4-5; (Oct. 1925) 3-4; (Nov. 1925) 3-4; (Dec. 1925) 4-5; (Jan. 1926) 2-4; (Feb. 1926) 4-6; (Mar. 1926) 4-5; (Jun. 1926) 6-7; (Jul. 1926) 7-8; (Aug. 1926) 4-6; (Sep. 1926) 4-5; (Oct. 1926, p. 5; (Nov. 1926) 4-5; (Dec. 1926) 5-6; (Jan.1927) 4-6; (Feb.1921) 4-6; (Mar. 1927)4-5; (Apr. 1927) 4-6; (May 1927) 4-5; (Jun. 1927) 4-5; (Jul. 1927) 4-5; (Aug. 1927) 4-5; (Sep. 1927) 3-4; (Oct. 1927) 4-5; (Nov. 1927) 5-6; (Dec. 1927) 5-6; (Jan. 1928) 5-6; (Feb. 1928) 4-6; Mar. 1928) 3-5; (Apr. 1928) 4-6; (May 1928) 4-5; (Jun. 1928) 4-6; (Aug. 1928) 4-8; (Sep. 1928) 4-5; (Oct. 1928) 5-6; Nov. 1928) 5-7; (Dec. 1928) 5-6; Jan. 1929) 4-6; (Feb. 1929) 5-6; (Mar. 1929) 6-8; (Apr. 1929) 3-5; (May 1929)4-5; Jun. 1929) 5-6; Jul. 1929) 5-7; (Aug. 1929) 3-5; (Sep. 1929) 4-6; (Oct. 1929)4-6; (Nov. 1929) 4-6; (Dec. 1929) 4-7; Oct. 193f) 8-12; (Nov. 1931) 21-23; (Dec. 1931) 31-34; (Jan. 1932) 44-47; (Mar. 1932) 69-72; (Apr. 1932) 82-84; (May 1932) 94-96; (Jun. 1932)106-108; (Jul. 1932) 116-119; (Aug. 1932) 129-132; (Sep. 1932)141-144; (Oct. 1932) 10-12; (Nov. 1932) 16-19; (Dec. 1932) 30-32; (Jan. 1933) 45-48; (Feb. 1933) 55-57; (Mar. 1933) 67-69; (Apr. 1933) 79-81; (Jun. 1933) 104-106; (Jul. 1933) 113-116; (Aug. 1933) 125-127; (Sep. 1933) 140-142; Oct. 1933) 6-8; (Nov. 1933) 19-22; (Dec. 1933) 30-34; (Mar. 1934) 69-71; (Apr. 1934) 78-81.
• “Three Views on Nature.” The Light of the East (Jul. 1924) 1-2.
• “The Goal of Christian Spirituality.” The Light of the East (Jan. 1934) 42-45.
• “Short Outlines of Hinduism.” The Light of the East (Jul. 1934) 115-119; (Sep. 1934) 140-142; (Jan. 1935) 43-47; (Feb. 1935) 54-57; (Mar. 1935) 68-71; (Oct. 1935) 7-9, (Nov. 1935) 20-24; (Dec. 1935) 32-35.
• “Pure Actuality and World Possibility.” The Light of the East (Mar. 1936) 67-69.
• “Deiformity and Deiformation.” The Light of the East (Apr. 1936) 81-84.
• “Christian Faith and Vedanta.” The Light of the East (May 1936) 93-96.
• “Outlines of a Philosophy of the Ideal.” The Light of the East (Jun. 1936) 106-108; (Jul. 1936) 117-129; (Sep. 1936) 129-132.
• “Panentheism.” The Light of the East (Sep. 1936) 142-144.
• “The Quest for God in the Rigveda.” The Light of the East (Jan. 1937) 16-17.
• “The Quest of God in the Brahmanas.” The Light of the East (Apr. 1937) 76-77.
• “Quest of God in the Older Upanishads.” The Light of the East (Oct. 1937) 196- 199.
• “The Quest of God in the Upanishads.” The Light of the East (Dec. 1937) 234-236; (Mar. 1938) 56-58.
• “To Christ through the Vedanta.” Synopsis. MS (1930), in Indian Academy Papers 1930, St Mary’s Kurseong, 769-817. [See Baago 49.]
• A Synopsis of To Christ through the Vedanta. Part I: Samkara. Part II: Rāmānuja. Part III: Vallabha. Part IV: Chaitanya. Light of the East Series nos. 4, 7, 9, 19. Calcutta: Light of the East Secretariate / Ranchi: Catholic Press, 1944.
• Vers le Christ par le Vedanta. 2 vols. Louvain: Museum Lessianum, section philosophique, 1932-33.
• Hinduism. London, 1935.
• Introduction to the Vedanta. Light of the East Series, no. 23. Calcutta: Light of the East Office, 1943. [The date is from De Smet, "Bibliography," Guidelines in Indian Philosophy ([Pune: JDV,] 1968) 3.]
• La pensée religieuse de l'Inde. Namur, 1952.
• Veronica: A Passion Play. The Light of the East Series, no. 5.
• Refuge of Sinners: A Mystery Play. The Light of the East Series, no. 8.
• Annunciation: A Mystery Play. The Light of the East Series, no. 14.
• The Little Way. The Light of the East Series 15. Calcutta, 1931.
• To Christ through the Vedānta: The Writings of Reverend P. Johanns, S.J. 2 vols. Ed. Theo de Greeff. Bangalore: The United Theological College, 1996.
• “General Historical Survey. Part I (B.C. 1200 - A.D. 700).” Religious Hinduism. 4th rev. edition. Ed. R. De Smet and J. Neuner. Mumbai: St Pauls, 1997. 31-48. [Taken from Hinduism, London 1935, see De Smet, “Foreword” 19.]
• “General Historical Survey. Part II (A.D. 700 - 1600).” Religious Hinduism. 4th rev. edition. Ed. R. De Smet and J. Neuner. Mumbai: St Pauls, 1997. 49-64. [Taken from Hinduism, London 1935, see De Smet, “Foreword” 19.]

Secondary

• Aleaz, K.P. Christian Thought through Advaita Vedanta. Delhi: ISPCK, 1996.
• Coelho, Ivo. “Pierre Johanns, SJ of the ‘Calcutta School’ of Indology.” Review of Sean Doyle, Synthesizing the Vedanta: The Theology of Pierre Johanns, S.J. (Oxford, etc.: Peter Lang, 2006). Divyadaan: Journal of Philosophy and Education 22/1 (2011) 133-140.
• De Smet, Richard. "Foreword." Religious Hinduism. 4th ed. Ed. R. De Smet and J. Neuner. Mumbai: St Pauls, 1997. 19.
• Doyle, Sean, Synthesizing the Vedanta: the Theology of Pierre Johanns S.J., Oxford, 2006.
• Mattam, Joseph, Land of the Trinity: A Study of Modern Christian approaches to Hinduism, Bangalore, TPI, 1975.
• Mattam, Joseph, "Interpreting Christ to India: The Calcutta School.” Indian Journal of Theology 23 (1974) 198-202.
• Wilfred, Felix, Beyond Settled Foundations: The Journey of Indian Theology, Madras, Department of Christian Studies at the University of Madras, 1993. Ch. 3 A: "Fr P. Johanns and the Calcutta School," 37-40.
• England, John C., Jose Kuttianimattathil, John M. Prior, Lily A. Quintos, David Suh Kwang-sun, Janice Wikeri, eds. Asian Christian Theologies: A Research Guide to Authors, Movements, Sources. Vol. 1: Asia Region 7th-20th centuries; South Asia; Austral Asia. Delhi: ISPCK / Claretian Publishers; Maryknoll: Orbis, 2002. 220-1: Pierre Johanns, sj (1882-1955).