FRANCOIS VARILLON

A SUFFERING GOD (La Souffrance de Dieu)

Translated from the French by Brother Anthony

Francois Varillon was a French Jesuit, who died some years ago, and who combined a love of philosophy with a love for literature. Quite late in his life, he wrote two short books, one on the Suffering of God and another on God's Humility (L'humilite de Dieu). I once translated the first, and it seems a pity to leave the text sleeping in a computer. It is here offered for any who care to read what seems to me a very subtle and sensitive account of a particularly vital topic. I have included footnotes to the first part but not the remainder. Anyone who wishes to know the origin of a quotation in the other parts should contact me.