HIST 219 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Moses Mendelssohn, Henriette Herz, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Document Summary
Essential teachings of the enlightenment: 1600s 1800s. In england, enlightenment was concerned with economy; france political system; germany ensuring the freedom of faith and religious tolerance: share 4 essential beliefs, knowledge enl. Teaching himself german, latin, greek, french and english: hired by silk merchant as a tutor, later becomes bookkeeper. Silk merchant is a member of a salon, goes to a meeting and meets gotthold lessing, who wrote about how jews have virtue. Become quick friends, and mendelssohn becomes a celebrity: pirated editions of mendelssohn, asked about. Catholic theology, wins awards: 1769, johann lavater calls on mendelssohn to convert to. Can judaism really exist in a secular political order: as a response, mendelssohn uses the rest of his career to answer those questions. Religion truth is not contrary to reason whatever is irrational in religion does not come from god, it is the product of the middle ages; in other words historical circumstances.
