Book excerpt: In his lifetime, French philosopher Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) achieved a reputation as both a leading Catholic intellectual and an outspoken critic of anti-Semitism. Here, historian Richard Francis Crane traces the development of Maritain's opposition toward anti-Semitism and analyzes the Catholic appreciation of Judaism that animated his stance. Crane probes the writings and teachings of Maritain--before, during, and after the Holocaust--and illuminates how Maritain's ideas altered Christian perceptions of Jews and Judaism during his lifetime and continue to do so today.