Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Bilingual Edition

Joseph Joubert

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II

Name: The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II
Author: Joseph Joubert

Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.

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The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume IIYEAR 1808 · Entry 5864

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English Page · Branch 2083 of 4529

YEAR 1808 · Entry 5864

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 4165

[…] décembre.

Dieu comme être et premier principe est une vérité purement spéculative; mais Dieu comme juge et providence est une vérité d’où découle la pratique. De même, Dieu Trinité ne seroit en soi qu’une vérité spéculative; mais si à ce premier mystère on joint celui de l’Incarnation, la trinité devient vérité pratique. Dans le Christianisme et surtout dans le catholicisme, les mystères sont des vérités purement spéculatives d’où naissent par la réunion d’un mystère à l’autre des vérités éminemment pratiques.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1808

p. 4166

December […].

God as being and first principle is a purely speculative truth; but God as judge and providence is a truth from which practice flows. Likewise, God as Trinity would in itself be only a speculative truth; but if to this first mystery one joins that of the Incarnation, the trinity becomes practical truth. In Christianity and especially in Catholicism, mysteries are purely speculative truths from which, through the joining of one mystery to another, eminently practical truths arise.

T419.Speculative refers to contemplation or theoretical knowledge here, not merely to uncertainty. The contrast with practice is retained throughout. Would preserves the conditional in the Trinity formulation. The first Trinity is capitalized and the later trinity remains lowercase, while Catholicism takes its conventional English capital. No doctrinal explanation is supplied beyond Joubert’s stated relations among the mysteries.

T732.The day before December is too damaged to establish a digit: an enlarged facsimile does not establish a reading of 7. The sequence of neighboring dates does not restore it. Left-edge losses affect portions of spéculative, découle, vérité and Incarnation; the qualified readings follow surviving letters and line continuity. Trinité is capitalized first and trinité is lowercase later; Christianisme is capitalized and catholicisme lowercase.

About This Reading Edition

Joubert’s notebooks return to the work of thinking and writing, the demands of friendship, and questions of faith, beauty and conduct. This edition pairs the French with a new English translation, preserving the order of the chosen source and the unfinished character of its fragments. Dates and source references allow readers to follow a thought through time or return to its printed context.

Historical Text and Translation

The French text follows André Beaunier’s 1938 edition of Les Carnets de Joseph Joubert, published by Gallimard from Joubert’s autograph manuscripts. Volume II continues the notebooks and includes seventy undated pieces. French and English are aligned paragraph by paragraph, retaining the source order, printed dates and page references so readers can return to the facsimile.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared this new English translation directly from the French, preserving Joubert’s distinctions, recurring images, ambiguities and unfinished thoughts. Translator’s notes clarify wording, references and uncertain readings: Essential keeps notes that help explain a passage, while All includes technical detail. Annotations from the 1938 source edition remain distinct from the new translator’s notes.

Rights

The linked facsimile records identify the French source as public domain in the United States. The new English translation and editorial notes are © 2026 Diotimos, with source annotations and new editorial contributions credited separately. This edition pairs the complete French notebooks with an independent English translation, preserving the distinction between Joubert’s text and its accompanying notes.