Lessing and the 18th Century Enlightenment : Returning Revealed Religion to Natural Religion

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  • レッシングと 18 世紀啓蒙主義 : 啓示宗教から自然宗教へ
  • レッシング ト 18セイキ ケイモウ シュギ : ケイジ シュウキョウ カラ シゼン シュウキョウ エ

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In his play “Nathan the Wise” (1779), Lessing sought to overcome religious conflict by preaching that Judaism, Christianity and Islam were each true. Historically, these three religions have sprung from the same basis and adhere to the same God. This common basis is called ‘Natural religion’, whereas the three particular religions are referred to as ‘revealed religion’. Lessing wished to return revealed religions to natural religions. Why did the three religions become differentiated from each other? It was because of the particular doctrines that each religion adopted. Lessing condemns the dogmatic doctrines that particularized Christianity. What motivated Lessing to write “Nathan the Wise” was the publication by him of the posthumous manuscript “Apology - In Defense of the Rational Theist” by a Hamburg philosopher Hermann Samuel Reimarus (1694-1768). Reimarus was a committed Christian, so much so that he doubted the truth of the revelations and miracles preached by Christian orthodoxy, as well as the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and sought to construct a Christianity without lies. When Lessing published his last book, which contained radical content, it naturally caused a storm of criticism from the orthodox community, and Lessing was forced to defend it. The dispute between him and the orthodoxy became so bitter that he was finally forbidden by the emperor to continue the debate. Instead of continuing the debate, Lessing wrote the play “Nathan the Wise”, which contains his passionate desire to achieve world peace by spreading ‘natural religion’.

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