On Religion

Friedrich Schleiermacher reveals his philosophical attitudes to religion, and mounts a defense and justification for faith as an expression of human nature.

At the time Schleiermacher authored this passionate and detailed account of faith, he was all too aware of the changes in the scholarly atmosphere of late 18th century Germany. The traditional, theological schools of thought were being rapidly supplanted by philosophy and the natural sciences, as discoveries multiplied and the earliest incarnation of modernity commenced to assume shape. The growing animosity among academics is reflected in the subtitle; indeed, this rise of such sophisticated anti-religious discourse worried the author.

This work is divided into five speeches. The first is concerned with defending religion against common detraction. As a learned man who had also struggled with aspects of his Protestant faith, Schleiermacher is in a good position to counter the arguments levied against religious belief. Eloquent and familiar with theology from across the ages, On Religion represents a summation of the author's pious views.

The second book seeks to define the characteristics of religion, the traits of worship, virtue and belief necessary to partake in faith in God. The third expands on these points, detailing how believers partake in evolving the character of a religion. The fourth speech discusses church organization, hierarchy and priesthood, while the final speech anthropologically observes how religions have manifested in the past.

This edition contains the popular translation to English by John Oman, a noted Biblical scholar and theologian who translated several works during his lifetime.