The Life and Works of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Volume 2W. V. Spencer, 1866 |
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according adversary æsthetical afterwards appeared Berengarius of Tours Berlin betrothed Breslau brother Brunswick called cause character Christianity circumstances conception controversy criticism death declared desire doctrine drama Dramaturgy duke Ebert Eliza Reimarus Emilia Galotti essay eternal Eva König expression feeling finally Fragmentist Fragments freedom freemason freemasonry genius German Gleim Goethe Goethe's GOTTHOLD EPHRAIM LESSING Götze Guhrauer Hamburg happiness heart Herder honor human idea Jacobi journey Klotz labor Laokoön Leibnitz Lessing Lessing's letter literary literature live louis-d'ors Madame König manner Mannheim Marinelli means Mendelssohn ment mind Minna von Barnhelm monad moral Nathan Nathan the Wise nation nature necessity never Nicolai obliged passion philosophical poem poet political prince reason regarded religion revelation says sense sing's soul Spinoza spirit thalers theatre theologians theological things thought tion true truth unity utterance Vienna Werther whole wholly wish Wolfenbüttel words writes wrote youth
Popular passages
Page 205 - And what if all of animated nature Be but organic harps diversely framed, That tremble into thought, as o'er them sweeps Plastic and vast, one intellectual breeze, At once the Soul of each, and God of all?
Page 257 - If God held enclosed in His right hand all truth, and in His left hand the ever-active striving after truth, although with the condition that I must forever err, and said to me: choose!
Page 247 - In short, the letter is not the spirit, and the Bible. is not religion.
Page 269 - Every man has his own style, as he has his own nose ; and it is neither polite nor Christian to rally an honest man about his nose, however singular it may be. How can I help it that my style is not different ? That there is no affectation in it, I am very certain.
Page 339 - For wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me: for in her is an understanding spirit holy, one only, manifold, subtil, lively, clear, undefiled, plain, not subject to hurt, loving the thing that is good quick, which cannot be letted, ready to do good...
Page 262 - Religion is not true because the evangelists and apostles taught it ; but they taught it because it is true.
Page 317 - And only not as to their grounds of proof. Are not all built alike on history, Traditional or written? History Must be received on trust,— is it not so? In whom now are we likeliest to put trust? In our own people surely, in those men Whose blood we are, in them who from our childhood Have given us proofs of love, who ne'er deceived us, Unless 'twere wholesomer to be deceived.
Page 317 - ... Traditional, or written. History Must be received on trust — is it not so ? In whom now are we likeliest to put trust >. In our own people surely, in those men Whose blood we are, in them, who from our childhood Have given us proofs of love, who ne'er deceiv'd us, Unless 't were wholesomer to be deceiv'd.
Page 124 - In certain eyes the name of heretic is the greatest recommendation that can be transmitted by a scholar to posterity — far greater than the name of sorcerer, magus, exorcist, for these serve to cover many an impostor.
Page 257 - But whether this hope be realized or not, we all unite in that one great object, the search after truth for its own sake, and we all, therefore, may join in re-echoing the words of Lessing : ' The worth of man lies not in the truth which he possesses, or believes that he possesses, but in the honest endeavor which he puts forth to secure that truth...