Entre littérature, philosophie de l’histoire et histoire des religions : l’idée de religion universelle dans la première moitié du XIXe siècle sur l’exemple d’Edgar Quinet

Between literature, philosophy of history and history of religions: the idea of universal religion in France in the first half of the 19th century on the example of Edgar Quinet In the first half of the 19th century in France, in the context of the new problems brought by this period, are developed various types of the idea of universal religion, among others its variation based on lay humanitarianism, whose representative is Edgar Quinet. The aim of the article is to show how Quinet formulates this idea at the intersection of three different fields: literature, philosophy of history and history of religion. The first one is used to give it form, the two others to interpret historical data and religious beliefs according to a millenarianist key. The universal religion of Quinet, which fits into a unitive worldview, is paradoxically a religion without religion, emanated from the ‘empty sky’.