Jean Bodin

Known for his masterpiece, Les six livres de la République (1576), as a polymath author Jean Bodin (Angers, b. 1530–d. 1596) wrote on a wide variety of subjects; he combined his deep knowledge of law, of Scripture, and of classical sources with philosophical ones with a clear preference for Neoplatonism. Bodin’s own religious allegiances are still debated and unresolved. Throughout his life Bodin was charged to be a Calvinist, a Jew, and any other form of “heresy” because of his conception of vera religio. Bodin is an author difficult to approach, even if he is one of the main authors of European history for his definition of sovereignty, for his claim of toleration, and for his view of the harmony of the created universe. Deeply influenced by the political circumstances, including the French civil wars, he wrote other important works on history, natural philosophy, economics, and demonology. Inspired by several classical and humanistic authors, Bodin relied on a widespread Renaissance idea of method and developed a personal philosophy of education, for the prince too. As political thinker, to solve the French political crisis he suggested strengthening the monarchical institution while recognizing important limits to royal sovereignty, such as the fundamental laws of the state, the laws of nature, and the laws of God. In the debate on his political masterpiece, his absolutism is discussed. Since the sixteenth century, his theory has been taken as a model or harshly criticized. Bodin thus shares the fate of those classical thinkers who pass through the ages and are often interpreted anachronistically. Only in recent times have scholars addressed his oeuvre as a whole, in search of continuities and consistency, while before scholars concentrated on a particular work. Renewal of these studies has also opened up new lines of inquiry that examine Bodin within a domain of gender and postcolonial studies, with new, interesting, and thought-provoking considerations. The new approach of the “history of the book” is informing Bodin’s studies too. This bibliography focuses mainly on essays and books from the 2000s.