Louis Gardet (15 August 1904,^[1] in Toulouse – 17 July 1986) was a French Roman Catholic priest and historian. As an author he was an expert in Islamic culture and sociology who had a sympathetic view of Islam as a religion. He considered himself "a Christian philosopher of cultures".^[2] Islam's men, Mentality of Approaches is one of his best and most widely read works.^[3]

Biography

His real name was André Brottier and he is known under three identities that correspond to three phases of his life:

• Under the name of André Hallaire, he published some texts in literary magazines.
• As Frère André-Marie, he was one of the founders of the Little Brothers of Jesus congregation, along with his friend Louis Massignon, in 1933.^[4]
• Under the name of Louis Gardet he devoted himself to the research of the Islamic religion in the last part of his life, becoming an authority on the subject.

As a philosopher he espoused the Thomist thought. Youakim Moubarac, Jacques Jomier and Denise Masson were among his numerous disciples.

Published works

Louis Gardet wrote many books. His main works are:

• Introduction à la théologie musulmane, essai de théologie comparée, by Louis Gardet and Rev. George Anawati, with an introduction by Louis Massignon, Vrin, 1948 1946
• La pensée religieuse d'Avicenne, Paris, Vrin, 1951.
• Expériences mystiques en terres non chrétiennes, Paris, Alsatia, 1953.
• La cité musulmane, vie sociale et politique, Paris, Vrin, 1954.
• L'Islam, by Youakim Moubarac, Rev. Jacques Jomier, Louis Gardet and Rev. Anawati, Saint-Alban-Leysse (Savoie), Collège théologique dominicain, 1956.
• Connaître l'islam, Paris, Fayard, 1958.
• Mystique musulmane. Aspects et tendances, expériences et techniques, by Rev. Anawati & Louis Gardet, Paris, Vrin, 1961
• L'islam. Religion, et communauté, Paris, Desclée De Brouwer, 1967.
• Dieu et la destinée de l'homme, Paris : J. Vrin, 1967 ("Les grands problèmes de la théologie musulmane")
• Les hommes de l'islam, approche des mentalités, Paris, Hachette, 1977
• L'Islam : hier, demain, by Mohammed Arkoun & Louis Gardet, Paris, Buchet-Chastel, 1978
• Louis Gardet also took part in La passion de Hussayn Ibn Mansûr an-Hallâj, the posthumous edition of Louis Massignon's work, 1975.