The Gods Will Have Blood (or The Gods Are Athirst) by Anatole France is a historical fiction set during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. It was originally published in French in 1912 as Les Dieux ont soif.
The author attended a Roman Catholic boarding school where the strict disciplines of the priests contributed to his permanent dislike of Christianity, although his distaste for intolerance was far greater. When the atheist Brotteaux teases Father Longuemare in the novel, it is good-naturedly: "The Père Longuemare, who was religious by profession, never talked about religion, while Brotteaux was for ever harping on the subject. He was conscious of a bond of sympathy between himself and the Barnabite, and took a delight in embarrassing and disturbing his peace of mind with objections against divers articles of the Christian faith."
The monk, Father Longuemare, accepts refuge from Brotteaux when the monk loses his ability to find employment; he cannot secure the necessary certificate of citizenship. The monk's loyalty is with the Vatican and he refuses to accept lay control of the church.
Longuemare is very devout and Brotteaux, an atheist, engages him in verbal combat over religion. An example of an exchange is
"Sir," said the Père Longuemare, "do not talk of Nature; you do not know what Nature is."
"Egad, I know it as well as you do, Father."
"You cannot know it, because you have not religion, and religion alone teaches us what Nature is, wherein it is good, and how it has been made evil. However, you must not expect me to answer you; God has vouchsafed me, to refute your errors, neither eloquence nor force of intellect. I should only be afraid, by my inadequate replies, of giving you occasion to blaspheme and further reasons for hardening your heart. I feel a strong desire to help you; yet the sole fruit of my importunate efforts would be to...."
Longuemare's great spiritual weakness is his pride of being a Barnabite, directly descended from St. Paul. He also regrets his cowardice at the outset of the Revolution and admires Brotteaux's convictions, though they be at odds with Longuemare's own beliefs. However, Longuemare does not lose his faith during the novel. Even when brought low, he reverts to his faith.
But as they could not conceive, either one or the other, of anybody being so absurd as to believe in any revealed religion, seeing that the Père Longuemare was no fool, they took him to be a knave. By way, no doubt, of preparing for martyrdom, he made confession of faith at every opportunity, and the more sincerity he displayed, the more like an impostor he seemed.
France uses Longuemare, as he does most of the novel's characters, to fulfill a stereotype. Longuemare is the simple and devout, unflinching man of God.
The Père Longuemare referred himself purely and entirely to God's will. He had not even brought his written defence with him. [...] At the question, the Père Longuemare raised his eyes sorrowfully to heaven, but made no answer; his silence expressed the surprise of an unsophisticated mind and the gravity of a man of religion who fears to utter empty words.
Even at the last, as he and Athenais get into the cart to be taken away, he offers her sacramental rites and urges Brotteaux to pray for him:
"Sir," said the Père Longuemare to the Epicurean philosopher, "I ask you a favour; this God in whom you do not yet believe, pray to Him for me. It is far from sure you are not nearer to Him than I am myself; a moment can decide this. A second, and you may be called by the Lord to be His highly favoured son. Sir, pray for me."
Our last sight of Longuemare is his lips moving as he recites the prayers of the dying, faith intact.
Anatole France was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921.
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