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SCHLEIERMACHER, FRIEDRICH ERNST. 



SCHLEIERMACHER, FRIEDRICH ERNST. 



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feseor Windischmauu of Bonn undertook the editorship of such 

 works as were left in MS., and the first vol. appeared at Bonn in 1836, 

 under the title of ' Philosophische Vorlesungen aus den Jahren 1804-6, 

 nebst Fragtnenten, vorziiglich Philosophisch-theologischen Inhalts.' 

 The death of Windischmann has prevented the completion of this 

 collection, but a complete edition of the works of Friederic Schlegel 

 has been published at Vienna in 15 volumes, 8vo. 



Frederic von Schlegel, together with Tieck and Novalis, were, at 

 the end of the last and the commencement of the present century, at 

 the head of a literary revolution in Germany, which endeavoured to 

 promulgate its principles in the two works above mentioned, the 

 'Athenaeum' and 'Kritiken und Charakteristiken.' The new school 

 which these writers endeavoured to establish is characterised by 

 the name of the jEsthetico-critical, or that of the romantic school of 

 poetry. The predilection for the middle ages and Roman Catholicism 

 was common to all of them, but in none of them so strong as in 

 Frederic von Schlegel, who would gladly have restored the middle 

 ages, with their arts, their literature, and their religion. This tendency, 

 and the great names by which it was supported, led to very injurious 

 consequences ; but some writers of this school have produced poems 

 which will live as long as the German language, and to their exertions 

 we are indebted for a more correct knowledge of the nature of romantic 

 poetry, and its relation to the antique or classical poetry. These 

 writers also established the fact, that the middle ages, though generally 

 looked upon with contempt, were not all darkness. But whatever may 

 be the errors into which Schlegel was led by his peculiar turn of mind, 

 no one has ever accused him of insincerity. It has indeed sometimes 

 been said that he should not have lent himself as an agent to the 

 Austrian government. Now it is true that he did so, but this should 

 not be made a particular charge against him, as it was a natural 

 consequence of his general views and principles. The poetical works 

 of Frederic von Schlegel are of less value than his critical and philo- 

 sophical writings, which are distinguished by acuteness, profundity of 

 thought, and great learning. His style however is not always as clear 

 and lucid as that of many of his contemporaries. Translations of 

 Schlegel's Lectures on the Philosophy of Life, Philosophy of History, 

 Philosophy of Language, and History of Literature, and his ' ^Esthetic 

 and Miscellaneous Works,' form four volumes of Bonn's ' Standard 

 Library.' 



SCHLEIERMACHER, FRIEDRICH ERNST DANIEL, was born 

 on the 21st of November 1768 at Breslau. His parents belonged to 

 the religious sect called Moravians, and the son accordingly received 

 his first instructions in the educational establishment of that body at 

 Niesky. He began his theological studies at Barby, where the Mora- 

 vians possess a seminary for young theologians. But when he was 

 eighteen years old he left this sect, and began a fresh course of study 

 in the University of Halle, where he devoted himself with no less 

 zeal to the study of philology than to theology, though the latter 

 department was that to which he intended to devote his life, for he 

 was thoroughly convinced that theological studies cannot be pursued 

 with advantage without a knowledge of antiquity and its literature. 



In 1790, when he had finished his studies, he undertook the education 

 of the children of Count Dohua-Schlobitten, who lived at Finkenstein 

 iu Prussia. He did not however remain long in this situation as 

 private tutor, but went to Berlin, and was for some time engaged as 

 teacher iu the seminary for teachers, which was then conducted by 

 Gedike. In 1794 he was appointed assistant preacher at Landsberg 

 on the Warthe, but two years after he returned to Berlin, where he 

 was engaged as preacher to tbe great hospital called the ' Charite,' 

 until the year 1802. Here he became acquainted with the theologian 

 F. S. G. Sack, who was then engaged in translating Blair's ' Sermons ' 

 into German (Leipzig, 5 vols., 1781-1800). Schleiermacher took an 

 active part in this undertaking, and the greater part of the last 

 volume was translated by him alone. On the suggestion of Sack he 

 also translated Fawcett's ' Sermons," Berlin, 2 vols., 1798. The first 

 original works of Schleiermacher were some essays in the ' Athe- 

 naeum,' which was edited by the Schlegels. [SCHLEGEL, F. VON.] 

 Among the papers which he contributed to this publication were his 

 ' Vertraute Briefe iiber die Lucinde ' (' Confidential Letters on the 

 Lucinde '), a novel of Fr. von Schlegel. They were published without 

 the author's name, and bestowed the highest commendation on the 

 novel, though it seems to be clear that Schleiermacher was not aware 

 of the dangerous principles that lay at the bottom of the work which 

 he praised. Soon after the death of Schleiermacher these letters were 

 republished by Carl Gutzkow (Hamburg, 1835), one of the writers of 

 the school called Young Germany, with the malignant intention of 

 vilifying the character of their author, and of drawing censure upon 

 him for long-forgotten youthful aberrations. This publication at first 

 created a very great sensation, but the voice of Germany rose against 

 the unworthy conduct of Gutzkow, and the work has since fallen into 

 well-deserved oblivion. 



In 1799 Schleiermachfcr published his 'Discourses on Religion' 

 (' Reden iiber die Religion, an die Gebildeten unter ihren Verachtern'), 

 a third edition of which appeared in 1821, with notes. These dis- 

 courses contain some of the finest specimens of German oratory, are 

 full of profound thoughts, and more calculated than any other work 

 to convince the educated classes of society of the necessity of religion. 

 In 1800 he published a work called ' Monologen, eine Neujahrsgabe ' 



(a fourth edition of which appeared at Berlin in 1829), and 'Briefe 

 eines Predigers ausserhalb Berlin.' The last of these two little works 

 was a reply to a public letter (Sendschreiben) addressed by some Jews 

 to the Protestant theologian W. A. Teller. About this time Schleier- 

 macher conceived the plan of translating with Fr. Schlegel the works 

 of Plato, and when Schlegel abandoned the undertaking, Schleier- 

 macher continued it by himself. This translation, which however un- 

 fortunately does not comprehend all the works of Plato, appeared at 

 intervals, from 1804 to 1828, and consists of 3 vols., in 6 parts. A 

 second edition of the first 5 parts appeared at Berlin from 1817 till 

 1827. This translation of Plato is the most correct and most beautiful 

 that has been published in any European language. Each of the 

 dialogues is moreover preceded by a very valuable introduction, iu 

 which the author developes the spirit and principle of the dialogue. 

 These introductions, some of which have been translated into English, 

 show that Schleiermacher was deeply acquainted with the spirit of 

 the Platonic philosophy. In 1801 he published his first collection of 

 sermons, a third edition of which appeared in 1816. This collection 

 of sermons was in subsequent years followed by six other collections, 

 which were published between the years 1808 and 1833. Of the 

 second, third, and fourth collection's, second editions appeared in 

 1816-26. All these collections together make seven small octavo 

 volumes. Besides these collections Schleiermacher published a great 

 number of single sermons delivered on particular occasions. All the 

 sermons of Schleiermacher are distinguished for a clearness aud per- 

 spicuity of style and thought such as are seldom found in any modern 

 writer of sermons. Their prevailing characteristics are, that they 

 address themselves more to the understanding of his hearers than to 

 their feelings or imagination, whence Schleiermacher and his followers 

 have been designated by the name of the ' Denkglaubigen,' hi contra- 

 distinction from the ' Wort-' or ' Altglaubigen,' and the mystical 

 Pietists. In 1802 Schleiermacher went to Stolpe with the title of 

 court preacher, and here he wrote an admirable work called ' Grund- 

 linien einer Kritik der bisherigen Sittenlehre,' Berlin, 1803, a second 

 edition of which appeared in 1834, and another called ' Zwei unvor- 

 greifliche Gutachten in Sachen des Protestantischen Kirchenwesens,' 

 Berlin, 1803. The latter work appeared without the author's name. 

 He had not been long at Stolpe when he received an invitation to a 

 professorship in the University of Wiirzburg, but he declined the offer 

 at the request of the Prussian government, which in return appointed 

 him professor of theology and philosophy in the University of Halle 

 (1802). 



After the political catastrophe of 1806, when Halle was made a part 

 of the new kingdom of Westphalia, Schleiermacher went back to 

 Berlin, where he began to deliver public letters on theological and 

 philological subjects. During this period of the political humiliation 

 of Prussia, Schleiermacber showed himself a true patriot, and in the 

 pulpit, as well as on other " occasions, he fearlessly endeavoured to 

 rouse the spirit of his hearers against the foreign oppressors. During 

 this period he wrote the following little works : ' Die Weihnachts- 

 feier, ein Gesprach,' Halle, 1806,2nd edition, Berlin, 1827; ' Ueber 

 den sogenannten ersten Brief des Paulus an den Timotheus,' Berlin, 

 1807 ; ' Gelegentliche Gedanken iiber Universitaten im Deutscheu 

 Sinne,' Berlin, 1808; and an essay on Heraclitus, which appeared in 

 F. A. Wolfs 'Museum der Alterthumswissenschaften.' In 1809 

 Schleiermacher was appointed preacher at Trinity Church in Berlin ; 

 and in 1810, when the new university of that capital was opened, he 

 was appointed professor of theology, and at the same time he began 

 to take an active part in the business of the ministry for public instruc- 

 tion. His lectures in the university gained for him universal admira- 

 tion, for here he combined with the great oratorical powers which he 

 had already displayed in the pulpit, profound thought and the most 

 extensive learning ; here he had an opportunity of unfolding all the 

 treasures of his mind, and he followed out the most abstruse investi- 

 gations into their minutest details with luminous order and distinctness. 

 In 1811 he was created a member of the Academy of Sciences at 

 Berlin, and furnished some of the best papers on various subjects, but 

 especially on particular points of the history of ancient philosophy. 

 They are published in the 'Transactions' of the Academy. In 1811 

 Schleiermacher published ' Kurze Darstellung des Theologischen 

 Studiums.' In 1814 he was made secretary to the philosophical section 

 of the Academy, and on this account he was released from his duties 

 in the ministry for public instruction. 



During the period which now followed, Schleiermacher was partly 

 engaged in new editions of former works, cr their continuations, and 

 partly in publishing a number of smaller polemical writings, especially 

 against F. A. H. Schmalz and C. F. von Ammon. Among the greater 

 works which he wrote during the last period of his life we shall 

 mention 'Ueber die Schrifteu des Lukas, eiu Kritischer Versuch,' 

 Leipzig, 1817, which was translated into English in 1825, and 

 'Der Christliche Glaube, nach den Grundsatzen der Evangelischen 

 Kirche im Zusammenhange dargestellt/ Berlin, 1821-22, 2 vols., a 

 second edition of which appeared in 1830. In the autumn of the 

 year 1833, Schleiermacher visited England, and opened the new 

 German chapel at the Savoy. He died on the 12th of February, 

 1834. The whole of the works of Schleiermacher have been collected 

 and published since his death (1835, &c.), in three sections. The first 

 section (called ' Zur Theologie ' ) contains, iu four volumes, those 



