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Line 4: − Alphonse-Louis's father was a shoemaker living in what is today the 6th Arrondissement in Paris, on the left bank of the Seine. The family's material conditions were very limited, but the parson at the church of Saint-André-des-Arts was running a school free of charge for the poor, at which Alphonse-Louis too would receive basic education. After that, and several intermediary steps later, last of which the seminary of Saint-Sulpice, in 1835 he became ordained sub-deacon, and from then on he was himself entrusted with teaching appointments. With one of his schoolgirls (whom in his confusion he took for a reincarnation of Virgin Mary) he fell in immortal love, and left the seminary for her just before he was to be ordained priest. But alas, she ran out on him.+ + + + + − [[image:Eliphas_Levi_1836.jpg|left|Portrait of the young man, 1836|thumb]]Overcome with disappointment when he quit his education, his mother took her life a few weeks later. For Alphonse there commenced a time of aimless searching. Within just one year he made the acquaintance of Honoré de Balzac, developed his gifts for the visual arts by collaborating on the chorus line "Les Belles Femmes de Paris", made friends with the militant socialist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_Tristan Flora Tristan], and yet at the same time he carried on dreaming of a future as a priest. This dream guided his way to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter's_Abbey,_Solesmes St. Peter's Abbey], a Benedictine monastery whose library of 20,000 volumes gave him the chance of making himself acquainted with scriptures from the early Christianity, by ancient gnostics, and by religious mystics as well. It was here that he authored a first booklet of his own entitled "Le Rosier de Mai" which was as pious as romantic, and rhapsodized about matters of love in so fancyful and vivid a way that it was deemed better to expell him from the monastery. − Following an intervention in his support by the archbishop of Paris, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Auguste_Affre Denis Auguste Affre], Constant finally was given an appointment as warden at the college of Juilly, east of Paris. However, his seniors treated him badly, but now all the wrath broke out of him, and he wrote a first raging pamphlet, ''La Bible de la liberté''. With its publication in February 1841 he not only provided for a outright scandal throughout the ecclesiastical hierarchy, but at the court in Versailles as well<ref>There exists a rather sardonic, but contemporary report of these incidents and of the following: [http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb33497059p Mystères galans des théâtres de Paris]. Paris: Cazel, 1844. Page 88 et seqq.</ref>. He was arrested, and sentenced in May 1841 to eight months of imprisonment, with an additional fine of 300 Francs. Since he couldn't afford the money he served eleven months, a time which he used for studying the works of the Swedish mystic [[Emmanuel Swedenborg]]. Line 17:
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→Per aspera ...
== Life ==
== Life ==
=== Per aspera ... ===
=== Per aspera ... ===
Constant's father was a shoemaker in Paris. Although the material conditions of his family were rather limited, Constant attended a school for the poor free of charge run by a parish and was able to attend a seminary. Ordained as a sub-deacon in 1835, he was entrusted with teaching assignments. Since he fell in love with one of his pupils (whom he thought to be a reincarnation of the Virgin Mary), he left the seminary prior to the ordination to priesthood. The relationship, however, failed shortly after this.
[[image:Eliphas_Levi_1836.jpg|left|Portrait of the young man, 1836|thumb]]Disappointed with him leaving his education, Constant's mother committed suicide a few weeks later. Constant then saw a period of erratic quest. Within the following year, he made the acquaintance of Honoré de Balzac, befriended militant socialist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_Tristan Flora Tristan], and yet still dreamt of a future as a priest. This dream took him to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter's_Abbey,_Solesmes St. Peter's Abbey], a Benedictine monastery in whose library of 20,000 volumes he became acqainted with scripts from early Christianity, by ancient gnostics, as well as the works of religious mystics. It was there he authored his first book "Le Rosier de Mai" which was as pious as it was romantic, but at the same time enthused about matters of love in such fancyful and vivid ways he was expelled from the monastery.
Since the archbishop of Paris, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Auguste_Affre Denis Auguste Affre], interceded on his behalf, Constant received an appointment as a supervisor at Juilly College east of Paris. Treated badly by his seniors, he wrote his first furious pamphlet, ''La Bible de la liberté''. Its publication in February 1841 not only caused a scandal within the church hierarchy, but also at the court in Versailles.<ref>A contemporary, if rather sardonic report of these incidents and of the following may be seen at: [http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb33497059p Mystères galans des théâtres de Paris]. Paris: Cazel, 1844. Page 88 et seqq.</ref> Constant was arrested and sentenced to a prison term of eight months and a fine of 300 Francs. Unable to raise this sum, he served eleven months in prison, studying the works of Swedish mystic Emmanuel Swedenborg.
After Constant's discharge bishop Affre recommended him to his colleague in Évreux<ref>[http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas-Théodore_Olivier Nicolas-Théodore Olivier]</ref>, where from February 1843 on he preached in so successful a way that his fellow ministers jealously announced the death of abbé Constant in the newspapers. Despite a swift denial another scandal couldn't be avoided, however, the bishop kept his hand upon him, and commissioned him with the realisation of a mural painting in a nunnery. Rumour has it that at about the same time he nearly became a member of the secretive [[Rosicrucianism|Rosicrucian Order]]. Friends of his father's vouched for him, by which he might even have prospects of the rank of a Grand Master. Unfortunately nothing of that came about, and the painting too would not be finished. Because when in 1844 his second sweeping blow appeared, ''La Mère de Dieu'', his relationship with the bishop experienced a rapid deterioration, and Constant returned to Paris.
After Constant's discharge bishop Affre recommended him to his colleague in Évreux<ref>[http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas-Théodore_Olivier Nicolas-Théodore Olivier]</ref>, where from February 1843 on he preached in so successful a way that his fellow ministers jealously announced the death of abbé Constant in the newspapers. Despite a swift denial another scandal couldn't be avoided, however, the bishop kept his hand upon him, and commissioned him with the realisation of a mural painting in a nunnery. Rumour has it that at about the same time he nearly became a member of the secretive [[Rosicrucianism|Rosicrucian Order]]. Friends of his father's vouched for him, by which he might even have prospects of the rank of a Grand Master. Unfortunately nothing of that came about, and the painting too would not be finished. Because when in 1844 his second sweeping blow appeared, ''La Mère de Dieu'', his relationship with the bishop experienced a rapid deterioration, and Constant returned to Paris.
The revolution of February 1848 brought more liberties for Alphonse-Louis too. Just one year ago he had once more been convicted for one of his pamphlets, ''La Voix de la famine'', now nothing could hamper his roaming the political stage any longer. He headed the left-wing magazine ''Le Tribun du peuple'' which died after the fourth issue, founded a political workers' association named (in revolutionary tradition) ''Le Club de la montagne''<ref>In the first National Assembly in 1791 the deputies of the political left were seated on the upper ranks, hence the name ''La montagne'' ("Mountain Party").</ref>, then in June, when the political reaction felt uneasy about the latest developments and tried to turn back the wheels, he nearly got killed by a firing squad. Luckily they took someone else for him and shot the wrong fellow. He tried to be elected to the National Assemply, but a friend of his made the race, after which the friendship broke. Under financial aspects however the couple Constant was well off now, because Marie-Noémi was emancipating herself. She published literary feuilletons, and received lessons from the sculptor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Pradier James Pradier] who had already been promoted by the Roi Citoyen and now helped her open the doors to the Parisian society. In this wake of hers Alphonse too was commissioned by the government with two paintings for the ministry of the interior.
The revolution of February 1848 brought more liberties for Alphonse-Louis too. Just one year ago he had once more been convicted for one of his pamphlets, ''La Voix de la famine'', now nothing could hamper his roaming the political stage any longer. He headed the left-wing magazine ''Le Tribun du peuple'' which died after the fourth issue, founded a political workers' association named (in revolutionary tradition) ''Le Club de la montagne''<ref>In the first National Assembly in 1791 the deputies of the political left were seated on the upper ranks, hence the name ''La montagne'' ("Mountain Party").</ref>, then in June, when the political reaction felt uneasy about the latest developments and tried to turn back the wheels, he nearly got killed by a firing squad. Luckily they took someone else for him and shot the wrong fellow. He tried to be elected to the National Assemply, but a friend of his made the race, after which the friendship broke. Under financial aspects however the couple Constant was well off now, because Marie-Noémi was emancipating herself. She published literary feuilletons, and received lessons from the sculptor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Pradier James Pradier] who had already been promoted by the Roi Citoyen and now helped her open the doors to the Parisian society. In this wake of hers Alphonse too was commissioned by the government with two paintings for the ministry of the interior.
=== ... ad occultum ===
=== ... ad occultum ===