the unseen world and other essays-第24章

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The　time　is　at　hand　when　the　interests　of　religion　can　no　longer　be　supposed　to　be　subserved　by　obstinate　adherence　to　crude　speculations　bequeathed　to　us　from　pre…scientific　antiquity。　One　good　result　of　the　doctrine　of　evolution；　which　is　now　gaining　sway　in　all　departments　of　thought；　is　the　lesson　that　all　our　opinions　must　be　held　subject　to　continual　revision；　and　that　with　none　of　them　can　our　religious　interests　be　regarded　as　irretrievably　implicated。　To　any　one　who　has　once　learned　this　lesson；　a　book　like　Dr。　Draper's　can　be　neither　interesting　nor　useful。　He　who　has　not　learned　it　can　derive　little　benefit　from　a　work　which　in　its　very　title　keeps　open　an　old　and　baneful　source　of　error　and　confusion。

　　　　　　November。　1875。



VII。　NATHAN　THE　WISE。＇28＇

＇28＇　Nathan　the　Wise：　A　Dramatic　Poem；　by　Gotthold　Ephraim　Lessing。　Translated　by　Ellen　Frothingham。　Preceded　by　a　brief　account　of　the　poet　and　his　works；　and　followed　by　an　essay　on　the　poem　by　Kuno　Fischer。　Second　edition。　New　York：　Leypoldt　&　Holt。　1868。

Le　Christianisme　Moderne。　etude　sur　Lessing。　Par　Ernest　Fontanes。　Paris：　Bailliere。　1867。

The　fame　of　Lessing　is　steadily　growing。　Year　by　year　he　is　valued　more　highly；　and　valued　by　a　greater　number　of　people。　And　he　is　destined；　like　his　master　and　forerunner　Spinoza；　to　receive　a　yet　larger　share　of　men's　reverence　and　gratitude　when　the　philosophic　spirit　which　he　lived　to　illustrate　shall　have　become　in　some　measure　the　general　possession　of　the　civilized　part　of　mankind。　In　his　own　day；　Lessing；　though　widely　known　and　greatly　admired；　was　little　understood　or　appreciated。　He　was　known　to　be　a　learned　antiquarian；　a　terrible　controversialist；　and　an　incomparable　writer。　He　was　regarded　as　a　brilliant　ornament　to　Germany；　and　a　paltry　Duke　of　Brunswick　thought　a　few　hundred　thalers　well　spent　in　securing　the　glory　of　having　such　a　man　to　reside　at　his　provincial　court。　But　the　majority　of　Lessing's　contemporaries　understood　him　as　little　perhaps　as　did　the　Duke　of　Brunswick。　If　anything　were　needed　to　prove　this；　it　would　he　the　uproar　which　was　made　over　the　publication　of　the　〃Wolfenbuttel　Fragments；〃　and　the　curious　exegesis　which　was　applied　to　the　poem　of　〃Nathan〃　on　its　first　appearance。　In　order　to　understand　the　true　character　of　this　great　poem；　and　of　Lessing's　religious　opinions　as　embodied　in　it；　it　will　be　necessary　first　to　consider　the　memorable　theological　controversy　which　preceded　it。

During　Lessing's　residence　at　Hamburg；　he　had　come　into　possession　of　a　most　important　manuscript；　written　by　Hermann　Samuel　Reimarus；　a　professor　of　Oriental　languages；　and　bearing　the　title　of　an　〃Apology　for　the　Rational　Worshippers　of　God。〃　Struck　with　the　rigorous　logic　displayed　in　its　arguments；　and　with　the　quiet　dignity　of　its　style；　while　yet　unable　to　accept　its　most　general　conclusions；　Lessing　resolved　to　publish　the　manuscript；　accompanying　it　with　his　own　comments　and　strictures。　Accordingly　in　1774；　availing　himself　of　the　freedom　from　censorship　enjoyed　by　publications　drawn　from　manuscripts　deposited　in　the　Ducal　Library　at　Wolfenbuttel；　of　which　he　was　librarian；　Lessing　published　the　first　portion　of　this　work；　under　the　title　of　〃Fragments　drawn　from　the　Papers　of　an　Anonymous　Writer。〃　This　first　Fragment；　on　the　〃Toleration　of　Deists；〃　awakened　but　little　opposition；　for　the　eighteenth　century；　though　intolerant　enough；　did　not　parade　its　bigotry；　but　rather　saw　fit　to　disclaim　it。　A　hundred　years　before；　Rutherford；　in　his　〃Free　Disputation；〃　had　declared　〃toleration　of　alle　religions　to　bee　not　farre　removed　from　blasphemie。〃　Intolerance　was　then　a　thing　to　be　proud　of；　but　in　Lessing's　time　some　progress　had　been　achieved；　and　men　began　to　think　it　a　good　thing　to　seem　tolerant。　The　succeeding　Fragments　were　to　test　this　liberality　and　reveal　the　flimsiness　of　the　stuff　of　which　it　was　made。　When　the　unknown　disputant　began　to　declare　〃the　impossibility　of　a　revelation　upon　which　all　men　can　rest　a　solid　faith；〃　and　when　he　began　to　criticize　the　evidences　of　Christ's　resurrection；　such　a　storm　burst　out　in　the　theological　world　of　Germany　as　had　not　been　witnessed　since　the　time　of　Luther。　The　recent　Colenso　controversy　in　England　was　but　a　gentle　breeze　compared　to　it。　Press　and　pulpit　swarmed　with　〃refutations；〃　in　which　weakness　of　argument　and　scantiness　of　erudition　were　compensated　by　strength　of　acrimony　and　unscrupulousness　of　slander。　Pamphlets　and　sermons；　says　M。　Fontanes；　〃were　multiplied；　to　denounce　the　impious　blasphemer；　who；　destitute　alike　of　shame　and　of　courage；　had　sheltered　himself　behind　a　paltry　fiction；　in　order　to　let　loose　upon　society　an　evil　spirit　of　unbelief。〃　But　Lessing's　artifice　had　been　intended　to　screen　the　memory　of　Reimarus；　rather　than　his　own　reputation。　He　was　not　the　man　to　quail　before　any　amount　of　human　opposition；　and　it　was　when　the　tempest　of　invective　was　just　at　its　height　that　he　published　the　last　and　boldest　Fragment　of　all；on　〃the　Designs　of　Jesus　and　his　Disciples。〃

The　publication　of　these　Fragments　led　to　a　mighty　controversy。　The　most　eminent；　both　for　uncompromising　zeal　and　for　worldly　position；　of　those　who　had　attacked　Lessing；　was　Melchior　Goetze；　〃pastor　primarius〃　at　the　Hamburg　Cathedral。　Though　his　name　is　now　remembered　only　because　of　his　connection　with　Lessing；　Goetze　was　not　destitute　of　learning　and　ability。　He　was　a　collector　of　rare　books；　an　amateur　in　numismatics；　and　an　antiquarian　of　the　narrow…minded　sort。　Lessing　had　known　him　while　at　Hamburg；　and　had　visited　him　so　constantly　as　to　draw　forth　from　his　friends　malicious　insinuations　as　to　the　excellence　of　the　pastor's　white　wine。　Doubtless　Lessing；　as　a　wise　man；　was　not　insensible　to　the　attractions　of　good　Moselle；　but　that　which　he　chiefly　liked　in　this　theologian　was　his　logical　and　rigorously　consistent　turn　of　mind。　〃He　always；〃　says　M。　Fontanes；　〃cherished　a　holy　horror　of　loose；　inconsequent　thinkers；　and　the　man　of　the　past；　the　inexorable　guardian　of　tradition；　appeared　to　him　far　more　worthy　of　respect　than　the　heterodox　innovator　who　stops　in　mid…course；　and　is　faithful　neither　to　reason　nor　to　faith。〃

But　when　Lessing　published　these　unhallowed　Fragments；　the　hour　of　conflict　had　sounded；　and　Goetze　cast　himself　into　the　arena　with　a　boldness　and　impetuosity　which　Lessing；　in　his　artistic　capacity；　could　not　fail　to　admire。　He　spared　no　possible　means　of　reducing　his　enemy　to　submission。　He　aroused　against　him　all　the　constituted　authorities；　the　consistories；　and　even　the　Aulic　Council　of　the　Empire；　and　he　even　succeeded　in　drawing　along　with　him　the　chief　of　contemporary　rationalists；　Semler；　who　so　far　forgot　himself　as　to　declare　that　Lessing；　for　what　he　had　done；　deserved　to　be　sent　to　the　madhouse。　But　with　all　Goetze's　orthodox　valour；　he　was　no　match　for　the　antagonist　whom　he　had　excited　to　activity。　The　great　critic　replied　with　pamphlet　after　pamphlet；　invincible　in　logic　and　erudition；　sparkling　with　wit；　and　irritating　in　their　utter　coolness。　Such　pamphlets　had　not　been　seen　since　Pascal　published　the　〃Provincial　Letters。〃　Goetze　found　that　he　had　taken　up　arms　against　a　master　in　the　arts　of　controversy；　and　before　long　he　became　well　aware　that　he　was　worsted。　Having　brought　the　case　before　the　Aulic　Council；　which　consisted　in　great　part　of　Catholics；　the　stout　pastor；　forgetting　that　judgment　had　not　yet　been　rendered；　allowed　himself　to　proclaim　that　all　who　do　not　recognize　the　Bible　as　the　only　source　of　Christianity　are　not　fit　to　be　called　Christians　at　all。　Lessing　was　not　slow　to　profit　by　this　unlucky　declaration。　Questioned；　with　all　manner　of　ferocious　vituperation；　by　Goetze；　as　to　what　sort　of　Christianity　might　have　existed　prior　to　and　independently　of　the　New　Testament　canon；　Lessing　imperturbably　answered：　〃By　the　Christian　religion　I　mean　all　the　confessions　of　faith　contained　in　the　collection　of　creeds　of　the　first　four　centuries　of　the　Christian　Church；　including；　if　you　wish　it；　the　so…called　creed　of　the　apostles；　as　well　as　the　creed　of　Athanasius。　The　content　of　these　confessions　is　called　by　the　earlier　Fathers　the　regula　fidei；　or　rule　of　faith。　This　rule　of　faith　is　not　drawn　from　the　writings　of　the　New　Testament。　It　existed　before　any　of　the　books　in　the　New　Testament　were　written。　It　sufficed　not　only　for　the　first　Christians　of　the　age　of　the　apostles；　but　for　their　descendants　during　four　centuries。　And　it　is；　therefore；　the　veritable　foundation　upon　which　the　Church　of　Christ　is　built；　a　foundation　not　based　upon　Scripture。〃　Thus；　by　a　master…stroke；　Lessing　secured　the　adherence　of　the　Catholics　constituting　a　majority　of　the　Aulic　Council　of　the　Empire。　Like　Paul　before　him；　he　divided　the　Sanhedrim。　So　that　Goetze；　foiled　in　his　attempts　at　using　violence；　and　disconcerted　by　the　patristic　learning　of　one　whom　he　had　taken　to　be　a　mere　connoisseur　in　art　and　writer　of　plays　for　the　theatre；　concluded　that　discretion　was　the　surest　kind　of　valour；　and　desisted　from　further　attacks。

Lessing's　triumph　came　opportunely；　for　already　the　ministry　of　Brunswick　had　not　only　confiscated　the　Fragments；　but　had　prohibited　him　from　publishing　anything　more　on　the　subject　without　first　obtaining　express　authority　to　do　so。　His　last　replies　to　Goetze　were　published　at　Hamburg；　and　as　he　held　himself　in　readiness　to　depart　from　Wolfenbuttel；　he　wrote　to　several　friends　that　he　had　conceived　the　design　of　a　drama；　with　which　he　would　tear　the　theologians　in　pieces　more　than　with　a　dozen　Fragments。　〃I　will　try　and　see；〃　said　he；　〃if　they　will　let　me　preach　in　peace　from　my　old　pulpit；　the　theatre。〃　In　this　way　originated　〃Nathan　the　Wise。〃　But　it　in　no　way　answered　to　the　expectations　either　of　Lessing's　friends　or　of　his　enemies。　Both　the　one　and　the　other　expected　to　see　the　controversy　with　Goetze　carried　on；　developed；　and　generalized　in　the　poem。　They　looked　for　a　satirical　comedy；　in　which　orthodoxy　should　be　held　up　for　scathing　ridicule；　or　at　least　for　a　direful　tragedy；　the　moral　of　which；　like　that　of　the　great　poem　of　Lucretius；　should　be

　　　　　　　　　　〃Tantum　religio　potuit　suadere　malorum。〃

Had　Lessing　produced　such　a　poem；　he　would　doubtless　have　gratified　his　free…thinking　friends　and　wreaked　due　literary　vengeance　upon　his　theological　persecutors。　He　would；　perhaps；　have　given　articulate　expression　to　the　radicalism　of　his　own　time；　and；　like　Voltaire；　might　have　constituted　himself　the　leader　of　the　age；　the　incarnation　of　its　most　conspicuous　tendencies。　But　Lessing　did　nothing　of　the　kind；　and　the　expectations　formed　of　him　by　friends　and　enemies　alike　show　how　little　he　was　understood　by　either。　〃Nathan　the　Wise〃　was；　as　we　shall　see；　in　the　eighteenth　century　an　entirely　new　phenomenon；　and　its　author　was　the　pioneer　of　a　quite　new　religious　philosophy。

Reimarus；　the　able　author　of　the　Fragments；　in　his　attack　upon　the　evidences　of　revealed　religion；　had　taken　the　same　ground　as　Voltaire　and　the　old　English　deists。　And　when　we　have　said　this；　we　have　sufficiently　defined　his　position；　for　the　tenets　of　the　deists　are　at　the　present　day　pretty　well　known；　and　are；　moreover；　of　very　little　vital　importance；　having　long　since　been　supplanted　by　a　more　just　and　compre