From 2018 to 2022, Dr Inigo Bocken worked for the Titus Brandsma Institute on a special publication: an intellectual biography of Titus Brandsma.
Intellectual biography of Titus Brandsma
This biography offers a surprising perspective on a broader movement that influenced the culture of the time: a fascination with mysticism and mysticism, which coloured both artistic and political thought. Moreover, Brandsma's Carmelite background, inspired by Teresa of Ávila, placed him in a unique position within Catholic renewal and its complex relationship with modern culture.
‘In his appreciation as a scientist, he is sold short'
Hero and saint
‘A restless activist who neglected his professorship,’ is how Inigo Bocken describes one of the critical judgements about Titus Brandsma. These opinions already existed when he was appointed professor at Radboud University in 1923. Although his courageous resistance in World War II earned him an undisputed reputation as a hero and saint, this is only part of the story, according to researcher Bocken.
‘In his scholarly work, he is often underestimated,’ says Bocken. 'The special thing about Titus Brandsma is that his life story still inspires so many people today. Not only because of his heroism as a resistance hero, but precisely because of his intellectual depth and his search for the connection between faith and modernity.'
Book launch on Titus Day
On Wednesday 15 May 2024, during Radboud University's Titus Day, the biography of Titus Brandsma: Thinker before God.
