Hermann Samuel Reimarus
Hermann Samuel Reimarus (22 December 1694,
Biography
Reimarus was educated by his father and by the scholar
His duties were light; and he employed his leisure in the study of
Publications
Reimarus' reputation as a scholar rests on the valuable edition of
But Reimarus' main contribution to theological science was his analysis of the historical Jesus, Apologie oder Schutzschrift für die vernünftigen Verehrer Gottes ("An apology for, or some words in defense of, reasoning worshippers of God" – read by only a few intimate friends during his lifetime), which he left unpublished. After Reimarus' death, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing published parts of this work as "Fragments by an Anonymous Writer" in his Zur Geschichte und Literatur in 1774–1778, giving rise to what is known as the Fragmentenstreit.[5] This had a deep impact as the beginning of critical research of the historical Jesus.
Reimarus pointed out the differences between what Jesus said and what the apostles said, identifying Jesus as a Jewish preacher. Jesus, according to this view, was an apocalyptic prophet preaching about a worldly kingdom soon to come. This view still has currency within modern scholarship. Reimarus also considered Christianity to be a fabrication.
Reimarus' philosophical position is essentially that of
The standpoint of the Apologie is that of pure naturalistic Deism. Miracles and mysteries are denied and natural religion is put forward as the absolute contradiction of revealed religion. The essential truths of the former are the existence of a wise and good Creator and the immortality of the soul. These truths are discoverable by reason, and can constitute the basis of a universal religion. A revealed religion could never obtain universality, as it could never be intelligible and credible to all men. However, the Bible does not present such a revelation. It abounds in error as to matters of fact, contradicts human experience, reason and morals, and is one tissue of folly, deceit, enthusiasm, selfishness and crime. Moreover, it is not a doctrinal compendium, or catechism, which a revelation would have to be.[3]
According to Reimarus, the
Analysis
Estimates of Reimarus may be found in the works of B. Pünjer, Otto Pfleiderer and Harald Høffding. Pünjer states the position of Reimarus as follows: "God is the Creator of the world, and His wisdom and goodness are conspicuous in it. Immortality is founded upon the essential nature of man and upon the purpose of God in creation. Religion is conducive to our happiness and alone brings satisfaction. Miracles are at variance with the divine purpose; without miracles there could be no revelation."[3]
Pfleiderer says the errors of Reimarus were that he ignored historical and literary criticism, sources, date, origin, etc., of documents, and the narratives were said to be either purely divine or purely human. He had no conception of an immanent reason.[3]
Høffding also has a brief section on the Apologie, stating its main position as follows:[3]
"Natural religion suffices; a revelation is therefore superfluous. Moreover, such a thing is both physically and morally impossible. God cannot interrupt His own work by miracles; nor can He favour some men above others by revelations which are not granted to all, and with which it is not even possible for all to become acquainted. But of all doctrines that of eternal punishment is most contrary, Reimarus thinks, to true ideas of God; and it was this point which first caused him to stumble."[3]
The work of Reimarus was highly praised by Albert Schweitzer. While calling the views expressed in the Fragments mistaken in some respects and one-sided, Schweitzer describes the essay on "The Aims of Jesus and His Disciples" as not only "one of the greatest events in the history of criticism" but also "a masterpiece of general literature". Lessing's third excerpt in Fragments, "On the Passing of the Israelites Through the Red Sea," is said to be "one of the ablest, wittiest and most acute which has ever been written."[6]
See also
- Karl Friedrich Bahrdt – another rationalist theologian (1741–1792)
- Heinrich Paulus – another rationalist theologian (1761–1851)
Notes
- New International Encyclopedia(1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
- ^ a b Theissen, Gerd and Annette Merz. The historical Jesus: a comprehensive guide. Fortress Press. 1998. translated from German (1996 edition). Chapter 1. The quest of the historical Jesus. p. 1–15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Reimarus, Hermann Samuel". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 53. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ The second edition can be found online : (in German) Allgemeine Betrachtungen über die Triebe der Thiere, hauptsächlich über ihre Kunsttriebe. Zum Erkenntniss des Zusammenhanges der Welt, des Schöpfers und unser selbst, p. PP5, at Google Books, 2nd ed. Hamburg: Johann Carl Bohn, 1762
- ^ Sime, James; Robertson, John George (1911). . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 498.
- ^ Von Reimarus zu Wrede, English translation by W. Montgomery as The Quest of the Historical Jesus.
- ^ Handbook of Biblical Criticism, Atlanta 1981, pp. 166–7.
Further reading
- Büttner, Wilhelm. Hermann Samuel Reimarus als Metaphysiker. Schöningh, Paderborn 1909 (Diss. Würzburg, 1908).
- Fleischer, Dirk. "Reimarus, Hermann Samuel." In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Vol. 21, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-428-11202-4, S. 337 f. (digitized).
- Groetsch, Ulrich. Hermann Samuel Reimarus (1694–1768): Classicist, Hebraist, Enlightenment Radical in Disguise. Brill, Leiden, 2015, ISBN 978-90-04-27299-6.
- Wulf Kellerwessel. "Hermann Samuel Reimarus' Bibel- und Religionskritik." In Aufklärung und Kritik. Vol. 17 (2010), pp. 159–169.
- Klein, Dietrich. Hermann Samuel Reimarus (1694–1768). Das theologische Werk. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2009, ISBN 978-3-16-149912-8.
- Mulsow, Martin (ed.). Between Philology and Radical Enlightenment: Hermann Samuel Reimarus (1694–1768). Leiden and New York, 2011,ISBN 978-9-00-420946-6.
- Mulzer, Martin. "Reimarus, Hermann Samuel." In Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier, eds. Das wissenschaftliche Bibellexikon im Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff.
- Lachner, Raimund. "Hermann Samuel Reimarus." In Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon. Vol. 7, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, ISBN 3-88309-048-4, pp. 1514–1520.
- Overhoff, Jürgen. "Reimarus, Hermann Samuel." In Hamburgische Biografie, Vol. 4, Wallstein, Göttingen 2008, ISBN 978-3-8353-0229-7, pp. 278–280.
- Raupp, Werner: Reimarus, Hermann Samuel (1694-1768). In: The Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century German Philosophers. General Editors Heiner F. Klemme, Manfred Kuehn, vol. 3, London/New York 2010 (ISBN 978-0-8264-1862-3), p. 923–928.
- Schultze, Harald. Reimarus, Hermann Samuel. In Theologische Realenzyklopädie. Vol. 28 (1997): 470–473.
- Steiger, Johann Anselm. "Bibliotheca Reimariana: Die Bibliothek des Hamburger Aufklärers und Gelehrten Hermann Samuel Reimarus (1694–1768)." In Wolfenbütteler Notizen zur Buchgeschichte. ISSN 0341-2253. Vol. 30 (2005): 145–154.
External links
- Fragments from Reimarus English 1879
- The Posthumous Essays of John Churton Collins John Churton Collins 1912 p 229ff Browning and Lessing
- Radical Faith - exploring faith in a changed world: Hermann Reimarus Archived 3 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- Radical Faith - exploring faith in a changed world: G. E. Lessing
- New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. XII, pp. 402-403: Wolfenbüttel Fragments
- Fragmente eines Ungenannten (Hrsg. Lessing) (Note that the common engl. translation "Fragments by an Unknown Author" is misleading; the German adjective "ungenannt" means "anonymous".)
- Albert Schweitzer, (Ed.)Peter Kirby, The Quest of the Historical Jesus: Chapter II: Hermann Samuel Reimarus
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. XX (9th ed.). 1886. .
- Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service: Reimarus, Hermann Samuel
- Liber Liber
- English translation of the Third Fragment Passing of the Israelites Through the Red Sea
- Metaphor and Boundary: H. S. Reimarus' Vernunftlehre as Kant's Source by Serena Feloj (PDF)
- Views on Jesus and Paul of Tarsus