Lessing’s Conflict with the Theologians

Abstract

Even to the cultivated reader of to-day, theology seems an arid subject, divorced from the realities of modern life. It is exceptionally difficult in our time to understand an age when theological writings were both widely read and highly esteemed. Yet if all aspects of Lessing’s work and personality are to be appreciated (and the effort is worth while) it is necessary to make the attempt to understand in an historical light this feature of his day.