elected to the Académie française in 1946. With the death of his wife, Thérèse Ravisé, on 12 November 1949 Gilson endured a considerable emotional shock. In 1951, he relinquished his chair to Martial Gueroult at the Collège de France to devote himself completely to the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies until 1968. He knew the Jesuit theologian and cardinal Henri de Lubac. Their correspondence has been published. Although Gilson was primarily a historian of philosophy, he was also at the forefront of the 20th century revival of Thomism, along with Jacques Maritain. His work has received critical praise from Richard McKeon. Work Gilson undertook to analyze Thomism from a historical perspective. To Gilson, Thomism is certainly not identical with scholasticism in the pejorative sense, but indeed rather a revolt against it. Gilson considered the philosophy of his own era to be deteriorating into a science which would signal humanity's abdication of the right to judge and rule nature, humanity made a mere part of nature, which in turn would give the green light for the most reckless of social adventures to play havoc with human lives and institutions. Against "systems" of philosophy, Gilson was convinced that it was the revival of the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas that opens the way out of that danger zone. In his time, Gilson was the leading scholar of the history of medieval philosophy as well as a highly regarded philosopher in his own right. His works continue to be reprinted and studied today – perhaps alone among "Thomist" philosophers, his work and reputation have not suffered from the general decline of interest in and regard for medieval philosophy since the 1960s. Publications La Liberté chez Descartes et la Théologie, Alcan, 1913 (reprint: Vrin, 1982). Index scolastico-cartésien, Alcan, 1913 (second revised edition: Vrin, 1979). Le thomisme, introduction au système de saint Thomas, Vrin, 1919. Chapter from English translation on Faith & Reason. Études de philosophie médiévale, Université de Strasbourg, 1921. La philosophie au moyen-âge, vol.I : De Scot Erigène à saint Bonaventure, Payot, 1922. La philosophie au moyen-âge, vol.II : De saint Thomas d'Aquin à Guillaume d'Occam, Payot, 1922. La philosophie de saint Bonaventure, Vrin, 1924. René Descartes. Discours de la méthode, texte et commentaire, Vrin, 1925. Saint Thomas d'Aquin, Gabalda, 1925. Introduction à l'étude de Saint Augustin, Vrin, 1929. Études sur le rôle de la pensée médiévale dans la formation du système cartésien, Vrin,