Jacques Ellul

Jacques Ellul (January 6, 1912 - May 19, 1994) was a French philosopher, sociologist, theologian, and Christian anarchist. He wrote several books about the "technological society", and about Christianity and politics, such as Anarchy and Christianity (1991) - anarchism and Christianity are socially following the same goal. A philosopher who approached technology from a deterministic viewpoint. Ellul was professor at the University of Bordeaux. He authored some 40 books and hundreds of articles over his lifetime, the dominant theme of which has been the threat to human freedom and Christian faith created by modern technology. Ellul spoke often about the emergence of a "technological tyranny" over humanity.
Ellul has been credited with saying the phrase, "Think globally, act locally."
Books
Etude sur l'evolution et la nature juridique du Mancipium. Bordeaux: Delmas, 1936.
Le fondement theologique du droit. Neuchatel: Delachaux & Niestle, 1946.
The Theological Foundation of Law. Trans. Marguerite Wieser. Garden City NY: Doubleday, 1960. London: SCM, 1961. New York: Seabury, 1969.
Presence au monde moderne: Problemes de la civilisation post-chretienne. Geneva: Roulet, 1948. Lausanne: Presses Bibliques Universitaires, 1988.
The Presence of the Kingdom. Trans. Olive Wyon. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1951. London: SCM, 1951. New York: Seabury, 1967. Colorado Springs: Helmers and Howard, 1989.
Le livre de Jonas. Paris: Cahiers Bibliques de Foi et Vie, 1952.
The Judgment of Jonah. Trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971.
L'homme et l'argent (Nova et vetera). Neuchatel: Delachaux & Niestle, 1954. Lausanne: Presses Bibliques Universitaires, 1979.
Money and Power. Trans. LaVonne Neff. Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity Press, 1984. Basingstoke, England: Marshall Pickering, 1986.
La technique ou l'enjeu du siecle. Paris: Armand Colin, 1954. Paris: Economica, 1990.
The Technological Society. Trans. John Wilkinson. New York: Knopf, 1964. London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. Rev. ed.: New York: Knopf/Vintage, 1967. with introduction by Robert K. Merton (professor of sociology, Columbia University). This may be his best-known work; Aldous Huxley brought the French edition to the attention of an English publisher, and thus brought it to English readers. Theodore Kaczynski had a copy in his cabin and said he read it five times--his "manifesto" addresses similar themes.
Histoire des institutions. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France; volumes 1 & 2,
L'Antiquite (1955); vol. 3, Le Moyen Age (1956); vol. 4, Les XVIe-XVIIIe siecle (1956); vol. 5, Le XIXe siecle (1789-1914) (1956).
Propagandes. Paris: A. Colin, 1962. Paris: Economica, 1990
Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes. Trans. Konrad Kellen & Jean Lerner. New York: Knopf, 1965. New York: Random House/ Vintage 1973
Fausse presence au monde moderne. Paris: Les Bergers et Les Mages, 1963.
False Presence of the Kingdom. Trans. C. Edward Hopkin. New York: Seabury, 1972.
Le vouloir et le faire: Recherches ethiques pour les chretiens: Introduction (premiere partie). Geneva: Labor et Fides, 1964.
To Will and to Do: An Ethical Research for Christians. Trans. C. Edward Hopkin. Philadelphia: Pilgrim, 1969.
L'illusion politique. Paris: Robert Laffont, 1965. Rev. ed.: Paris: Librairie Generale Francaise, 1977.
The Political Illusion. Trans. Konrad Kellen. New York: Knopf, 1967. New York: Random House/Vintage, 1972.
Exegese des nouveaux lieux communs. Paris: Calmann-Levy, 1966. Paris: La Table Ronde, 1994.
A Critique of the New Commonplaces. Trans. Helen Weaver. New York: Knopf, 1968.
Politique de Dieu, politiques de l'homme. Paris: Editions Universitaires, 1966.
The Politics of God and the Politics of Man. Trans./ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972.
Histoire de la propagande. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1967, 1976.
Metamorphose du bourgeois. Paris: Calmann-Levy, 1967. Paris: La Table Ronde, 1998.
Autopsie de la revolution. Paris: Calmann-Levy, 1969.
Autopsy of Revolution. Trans. Patricia Wolf. New York: Knopf, 1971.
Contre les violents. Paris: Centurion, 1972.
Violence: Reflections from a Christian Perspective. Trans. Cecelia Gaul Kings. New York: Seabury, 1969. London: SCM Press, 1970. London: Mowbrays, 1978.
Sans feu ni lieu: Signification biblique de la Grande Ville. Paris: Gallimard, 1975.
The Meaning of the City. Trans. Dennis Pardee. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970. Carlisle, Cumbria, England: Paternoster, 1997.
L'impossible priere. Paris: Centurion, 1971, 1977.
Prayer and Modern Man. Trans. C. Edward Hopkin. New York: Seabury, 1970, 1973
Jeunesse delinquante: Une experience en province. Avec Yves Charrier. Paris: Mercure de France, 1971. 2nd ed.: Jeunesse delinquante: Des blousons noirs aux hippies. Nantes: Editions de l'AREFPPI, 1985.
De la revolution aux revoltes. Paris: Calmann-Levy, 1972.
L'esperance oubliee. Paris: Gallimard, 1972.
Hope in Time of Abandonment. Trans. C. Edward Hopkin. New York: Seabury, 1973.
Ethique de la liberte, 2 vols. Geneva: Labor et Fides, I:1973, II:1974.
The Ethics of Freedom. Trans. and ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976. London: Mowbrays, 1976.
Les nouveaux possedes. Paris: Artheme Fayard, 1973.
The New Demons. Trans. C. Edward Hopkin. New York: Seabury, 1975. London: Mowbrays, 1975.
L'Apocalypse: Architecture en mouvement. Paris: Desclee, 1975.
Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation. Trans. George W. Schreiner. New York: Seabury, 1977.
Trahison de l'Occident. Paris: Calmann-Levy, 1975.
The Betrayal of the West. Trans. Matthew J. O'Connell. New York: Seabury,1978.
Le systeme technicien. Paris: Calmann-Levy, 1977.
The Technological System. Trans. Joachim Neugroschel. New York: Continuum, 1980.
L'ideologie marxiste chretienne. Paris: Centurion, 1979.
Jesus and Marx: From Gospel to Ideology. Trans. Joyce Main Hanks. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.
L'empire du non-sens: L'art et la societe technicienne. Paris: Press Universitaires de France, 1980.
La foi au prix du doute: "Encore quarante jours . . ." Paris: Hachette, 1980.
Living Faith: Belief and Doubt in a Perilous World. Trans. Peter Heinegg. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1983.
La Parole humiliee. Paris: Seuil, 1981.
The Humiliation of the Word. Trans. Joyce Main Hanks. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.
Changer de revolution: L'ineluctable proletariat. Paris: Seuil, 1982.
Les combats de la liberte. (Tome 3, L'Ethique de la Liberte) Geneva: Labor et Fides, 1984. Paris: Centurion, 1984.
La subversion du christianisme. Paris: Seuil, 1984, 1994. reedition en 2001, La Table Ronde;
The Subversion of Christianity. Trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986.
Conference sur l'Apocalypse de Jean. Nantes: AREFPPI, 1985.
Un chretien pour Israel. Monaco: Editions du Rocher, 1986.
Ce que je crois. Paris: Grasset and Fasquelle, 1987.
What I Believe. Trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989.
La Genese aujourd'hui. Avec Francois Tosquelles. Ligne: AREFPPI, 1987.
La raison d'etre: Meditation sur l'Ecclesiaste. Paris: Seuil, 1987
Reason for Being: A Meditation on Ecclesiastes. Trans. Joyce Main Hanks. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.
Anarchie et christianisme. Lyon: Atelier de Creation Libertaire, 1988. Paris: La Table Ronde, 1998
Anarchy and Christianity. Trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.
Le bluff technologique. Paris: Hachette, 1988.
The Technological Bluff. Trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.
Ce Dieu injuste . . .?: Theologie chretienne pour le peuple d'Israel. Paris: Arlea, 1991, 1999.
Si tu es le Fils de Dieu: Souffrances et tentations de Jesus. Paris: Centurion, 1991.
Deviances et deviants dans notre societe intolerante. Toulouse: Eres, 1992.
Silences: Poemes. Bordeaux: Opales, 1995.
Oratorio: Les quatre cavaliers de l'Apocalypse. Bordeaux: Opales, 1997.
Sources and Trajectories: Eight Early Articles by Jacques Ellul that Set the Stage. Trans./ed. Marva J. Dawn. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997.
Interviews
"A temps et a contretemps: Entretiens avec Madeleine Garrigou-Lagrange". Paris: Centurion, 1981.
"In Season, Out of Season: An Introduction to the Thought of Jacques Ellul: Interviews by Madeleine Garrigou-Lagrange." Trans. Lani K. Niles. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1982.
"Perspectives on Our Age: Jacques Ellul Speaks on His Life and Work". Ed. Willem H. Vanderburg. Trans. Joachim Neugroschel. Toronto: CBC, 1981. New York: Seabury, 1981. Concord, Ontario: House of Anansi, 1997.
"". Avec Didier Nordon. Paris: Felin, 1992.
"Entretiens avec Jacques Ellul". Patrick Chastenet. Paris: Table Ronde, 1994.
"Jacques Ellul on Religion, Technology, and Politics: Conversations with Patrick Troude-Chastenet". Trans. Joan Mendes France. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1998.
"Jacques Ellul on Politics, Technology, and Christianity: Conversations with Patrick Troude-Chastenet". Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2005.
Related pages
Christian anarchism
Indoctrination
Propaganda
Randal Marlin
List of anarchists
References
Other websites
International Jacques Ellul Society
Association Internationale Jacques Ellul
AIJE, groupe Marseille / Aix-en-Provence
Wheaton College Library's Jacques Ellul page (with biographical information and listings of their holdings of rare Ellul manuscripts)
Jacques Ellul works on Jesus Radicals
Jacques Ellul at Anarchist Archive
A Politics of God and a Politics of Man
1912 births
1994 deaths
Anarchists
Calvinists
French Christians
French theologians
People from Bordeaux