Schleiermachers Kirchengeschichte

As a protestant theologian, philosopher, Plato translator, churchman and pedagog, Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834) was one of the greatest men of his time, yet his work on church history has been hitherto little investigated. Simon Gerber sets out to change that and offer new avenues into Schleiermacher's work and thinking. The author deals with Schleiermacher's work on church history within the context of his philosophical and theological systems, while also paying attention to the historical and theological debates of the time. Schleiermacher gave three lectures on church history but his work here encompassed much more and included a theological encyclopaedia, teachings on Christian ethics and essays on the history of dogma. According to Schleiermacher, church history reveals Christianity as an effective force in the world for establishing community and creating history. The author portrays how Schleiermacher reconstructed the Christian church's development and how he interpreted and judged characters, occurrences and institutions.