Ellul, Jacques, 1912-1994

Jacques Ellul was born on January 6, 1912 in Bordeaux, France. He excelled in Latin, French, German and history in the public schools in Bordeaux and after graduation he intended to serve in the navy, but followed his father's wishes and studied law. It was while he was a student that his Christian faith began to take shape. In 1936 Ellul obtained his doctorate and he began teaching Law at Montpellier (1937-1938) and later at Strasbourg and Clermont-Ferrand. He was known as a demanding professor. In 1940, during the Vichy government Ellul was relieved of his teaching position, presumably due to his father's foreign birth. At this time Ellul moved to the small village of Martres and became active in the local resistance movement. After the war, Ellul played a brief role in city administration in Bordeaux and in the fall of 1945 stood as a Democratic and Socialist Resistance candidate in local elections. Ellul saw that it was important for Christians to maintain a presence in the world and not to retreat as many conservative Christians had. To this end, Ellul was active nationally in the French Reformed Church. Additionally, he spent many years as a leader of a local juvenile delinquency prevention club. During his life Ellul wrote nearly one thousand articles and roughly 50 books that have been translated into numerous languages. Hope in Time of Abandonment was his fondest work. Together, Ellul and his wife, Yvette, had four children. Ellul died after a long illness on May 19, 1994 in his house near the University of Bordeaux.

From the description of Papers, 1936-1992. (Wheaton College - Buswell Library). WorldCat record id: 60780394