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 1815 · Entry 7291

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Facing Pages · Branch 3510 of 4529

YEAR 1815 · Entry 7291

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 7019

Ce n’est pas la vérité qui nous sauve, c’est la foi; mais les théologiens qui devroient se borner à nous enseigner cette foi, veulent absolument nous démontrer qu’ils enseignent la vérité. L’écrit (disoit Bossuët) la tradition; et il croyoit avoir tout dit sans argumenter davantage.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1815

p. 7020

It is not truth that saves us, it is faith; but theologians, who ought to confine themselves to teaching us that faith, insist on proving to us that they teach the truth. The written word (Bossuet said), tradition; and he thought he had said everything without arguing further.

T92.Truth/faith and the obligation to confine teaching retain their contrast. Insist conveys veulent absolument without inventing a successful proof. The written word and tradition remain nominal authorities; no verb or extra conjunction is inserted between them. The separating comma after the parenthesis is English punctuation, not a claimed source mark. The neutral attribution imperfect and his judgment that everything had been said remain without authenticating a particular Bossuet text. Bossuet is the ordinary English name for the source’s literal Bossuët, whose paired upper marks remain in French.

T477.The negative cleft, repeated faith/truth terms, modal devroient, absolutely and plural theological subject remain. L’écrit and la tradition retain their compressed relation around the parenthetic report without a supplied conjunction or finite verb. Disoit and croyoit remain imperfect; the perfect infinitive, tout and sans argumenter remain. Bossuët retains paired upper e components at the qualified color level. The théo-/logiens, abso-/lument and da-/vantage wraps are complete; the opening words remain identifiable foreground despite show-through. All text is roman.

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.