Friedrich Schleiermacher 1768 – 1834
Friedrich Schleiermacher was a German theologian and philosopher, often regarded as the father of modern Protestant theology and modern hermeneutics. His Speeches on Religion to its Cultured Despisers reframed religion as neither doctrine nor morality but the immediate consciousness of absolute dependence on the infinite. His lectures on hermeneutics generalized the discipline beyond the interpretation of sacred texts to the understanding of any meaningful expression. He produced the first complete German translation of Plato's dialogues and helped to found the University of Berlin.
Key facts
- Nationality
- German
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- German Idealism, Christian
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Friedrich Schleiermacher:
“Religion is the feeling of absolute dependence.”
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Attributed to Friedrich Schleiermacher:
“Hermeneutics is the art of understanding.”
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Attributed to Friedrich Schleiermacher:
“Wherever there is misunderstanding, there is also the possibility of understanding.”
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Attributed to Friedrich Schleiermacher:
“The contemplation of the pious is the immediate consciousness of the universal existence of all finite things, in and through the Infinite.”
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Attributed to Friedrich Schleiermacher:
“Every man has been made by God for religion.”