Machine generated contents note: INTRODUCTION 3
Lessing's Significance for German Intellectual History 3
Lessing and Modern Protestant Theology 5
Tasks of Lessing Studies 7
The Question of Methodology for Lessing Studies 11
1 LESSING AND CHRISTIANITY 14
Lessing's Formative Period (Bildungsjahre) 14
Lessing and the Fragments Controversy (Fragmentenstreit) 18
Lessing's Theological Position 20
Lessing and the Pursuit of Truth 22
Salient Features of Lessing's Theological Thought 25
2 THE RELIGIOUS THOUGHT OF THE YOUNG LESSING 29
The Young Lessing and His Religious Skepticism 29
The Young Lessing and His Theological Critique 31
The Ideal of Universal Humanity as Expressed in the Comedy
Lessing's Speculative Reflections in The Christianity of Reason 36
3 THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN LESSING AND GOEZE 41
Beginning and Development of the Controversy 42
4 LESSING'S "UGLY BROAD DITCH" 56
The Proof of the Spirit and of Power 57
Truths of History and Truths of Reason 60
The "Inner Truth" of Religion 62
Genuine Christian Love 64
The Authenticity of Lessing's "Ugly Ditch" 67
Lessing's Problem and Peter's Problem 69
5 NATHAN THE WISE AND LESSING'S "IDEAL OF HUMANITY" 72
The Background and Main Theme of Nathan the Wise 73
The Parable of the Three Rings 75
The Truth Claim of a Historical Religion in the Interim 79
Nathan and the Education of Humanity 82
The Essence of Nathan's Reason 85
6 LESSING'S BASIC THOUGHT IN The Education of the Human Race 89
Basic Features of The Education of the Human Race 90
Basic Structure of The Education of the Human Race 92
Lessing's Historical Position 93
Revelation as the Education of the Human Race 96
Revelation and Reason: (1) The Old Testament Age 99
Revelation and Reason: (2) The New Testament Age 103
A "New Eternal Gospel" and the Completion of the Human Race 107
The Idea of Reincarnation 110
A Dialectical View of Revelation and Reason 112
7 LESSING'S "SPINOZISM" 117
The Beginning of the Pantheismusstreit 118
The Spinoza Conversations between Lessing and Jacobi 120
Mendelssohn and "Refined Pantheism" 127
Lessing's Hen kai Pan 130
Lessing's Panentheism 134
Lessing's View of God and the World 136.
