Blaise Pascal Boy Genius Twice Converted

Blaise Pascal never saw his 40th birthday, but his relatively brief life left an indelible mark on the world. Born in 1623, in France, his mother died when Pascal was three years old. The remaining family—his father and two sisters and the boy—moved to Paris. By the age of 19, he’d invented a mechanical calculator and sold 50 of them to affluent families.

He made other discoveries in mathematics and science related to fluids and pressure. In 1646, his father’s serious injury caused Blaise to contemplate and embrace religion, only to backslide five years later when his father died.

On November 23, 1654, as Pascal was preparing for bed, he had a spiritual experience that lasted nearly two hours. He wrote a brief testimony of this “Night of Fire” and had it sewn into his jacket lining, where it was found only after Blaise Pascal died.

From that night, Blaise Pascal dropped his work in mathematics and instead concentrated on theological writings. He became famous for a book known as “Lettres Provincials,” or “Provincial Letters,” written under a pen name, which defended Jansenist theology from attacks by the Jesuits. Readers relished not only Pascal’s arguments, but also his use of humor and satire to make his points.

In his mid-30s, Pascal began writing “Defense of the Christian Religion,” an apologetic treatise. In August of 1662, Blaise Pascal fell ill with convulsions and died without completing the book. “May God never abandon me,” were reported to be Pascal’s last words.

Friends collected Pascal’s notes and drafts for his apologetic book and published them as “Thoughts of M. Pascal.” Under the French word for thoughts, “Pensées,” those words have endured for more than 350 years as a compelling defense of the Christian faith. It remains in print today, read and studied around the world.

His theological writing is not his only living memorial: A computer programming language, Pascal, would be named in his honor centuries later.

Reflect: One night of intense spiritual experience changed Blaise Pascal into a devoted disciple. Can you recall a similar experience? And if not, have you prayed for one?

Key Bible Texts

Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. (1 Corinthians 3:13 KJV)