The Best of Fénelon

Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon was born in France in 1651. His formal education was carefully guided by his aristocratic elders, and he became a gifted intellectual, but he had a frustrated passion for missionary work.

When an ecclesiastical rival maneuvered to have Fénelon assigned to a parish that was rife with interdenominational conflict, Fénelon became renowned as a peacemaker. King Louis XIV appointed Fénelon to be the tutor to his heir apparent, and Fénelon was ordained an archbishop. But his advancement in the clergy ended when he defended the radical teachings of his contemporary, Madame Jeanne Guyon. Her popular books promoted faith, rather than ritual, as the true route to salvation. Like Madame Guyon, Fénelon sought total abandonment in Christ.

The Best of Fénelon contains three of this prolific author’s most famous Maxims of the Saints, Spiritual Letters, and Christian Counsel , all carefully revised into modern English for easier reading.

For more than 300 years, these texts have been a guide to greater peace and joy in Christ. Read The Best of Fénelon , and learn why.