Henri-Charles Puech (; 20 July 1902, Montpellier – 11 January 1986, aged 83) was a French historian who long held the chair of

History of religions The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious feelings, thoughts, and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,200 years ago (3200 BC). The prehistory of religion involves th ...

at the

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment ('' grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris n ...

from 1952 to 1972.

Biography

A philosopher by training, he was interested in

Greek philosophy Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC, marking the end of the Greek Dark Ages. Greek philosophy continued throughout the Hellenistic period and the period in which Greece and most Greek-inhabited lands were part of the Roman Empi ...

, especially in

hermeticism Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical system that is primarily based on the purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus (a legendary Hellenistic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth). These teachings are containe ...

and

neoplatonism Neoplatonism is a strand of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a chain of thinkers. But there are some i ...

, before turning to the study of Christian doctrines of the early centuries, a discipline he long taught in the

École pratique des hautes études The École pratique des hautes études (), abbreviated EPHE, is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is highly selective, and counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions. It is a constituent college o ...

. His teaching had a great influence on the development of patristics studies in the second half of the twentieth in France. But it is primarily as a result of the discovery of new documents in the study of

Manichaeism Manichaeism (; in New Persian ; ) is a former major religionR. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff ''Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times''SUNY Press, 1998 p. 37 founded in the 3rd century AD by the Parthian Empire, Parthian ...

and the various systems of

Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

thought that he gained international recognition. A long collaborator of the ' before he directed it, he presided the ''Association internationale pour l'étude de l'histoire des religions'' from 1950 to 1965.

Honours

* Officier of the Légion d'honneur (1963) * Commandeur of the Ordre of the Palmes académiques (1965) * Commandeur of the Ordre national du Mérite (1969)

Work

*1970: ''Histoire des religions'', 3 vol.,

Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003 it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by Ga ...

*1978: ''En quête de la gnose'', Paris, Gallimard, series "Bibliothèque des Sciences Humaines", 2 volumes Tome 1 : La Gnose et le Temps. Tome 2 : Sur l'évangile selon Thomas *1979: ''Sur le manichéisme et autres essais'', Paris, Flammarion, series "Idées et recherches"

External links

Henri-Charles Puech
on the site of the collège de France
Notice sur la vie et les travaux d'Henri-Charles Puech, membre de l'Académie
on Persée
Puech, Henri-Charles
on E. Universalis
Allocution de M. Henri-Charles Puech, président
on Persée {{DEFAULTSORT:Puech, Henri-Charles Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni École Normale Supérieure alumni 20th-century French historians French historians of religion Historians of Gnosticism Academic staff of the Collège de France Academic staff of the École pratique des hautes études Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Commandeurs of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Fellows of the British Academy Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres Writers from Montpellier 1902 births 1986 deaths Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy