Leibniz: Protestant Theologian

Synopsis

Irena Backus Offers The First Examination Of Leibniz As Both Scholar And Theologian In More Than Four Hundred Years, Illuminating The Relationship Between Metaphysics And Theology In Leibniz's Handling Of Key Theological Issues Of His Time: Predestination, Sacred History, The Eucharist, And Efforts For A Union Between Lutherans And Catholics And Between Lutherans And Calvinists. Drawing On A Wide Range Of Leibniz's Writings, Backus Carefully Presents The Philosophical Points And Counterpoints Of Leibniz's Positions. She Shows How Leibniz's Essentially Lutheran Nonorthodox Theology Was Reconciled With His Philosophy And Demonstrates That Leibniz Was Not A Typical Lutheran: The Solutions He Sought To The Problems Of Confessional Division Were More Philosophical Than Theological, And His View Of Sacred History Was Intended To Vindicate His Theodicy. Leibniz's Unique Integration Of Theology Into Philosophy Proved Satisfactory Neither To Theologians Nor To Many Philosophers Of His Time. This Study Delves Into A Wealth Of Previously Unexplored Material, And Includes The First-ever English Translation Of The Unvorgreiffliches Bedencken. It Will Be An Important Contribution To The History Of Ideas, And To Understanding Leibniz's Place In The Mainstream Protestant Theology Of His Time-- As There Is Neither Recent Nor Updated Scholarship Regarding The Connection Between Leibniz' Thought And Protestant Theology, This Book, Based On A Wide Cross Section Of Leibniz's Writings Including Important New And Unexplored Material Tackles The Question From The Point Of View Of The History Of Ideas Showing That Leibniz' Efforts In View Of A Confessional Union Especially The One Between The Lutherans Of Hannover And The Calvinists Of Brandenburg Were Based On Leibniz' Lutheran Religious Convictions, And At The Same Time And To The Same Extent On His Philosophical Doctrines, Especially Those Relating To The Problem Of Substance And To The Vexed Questions Of Freedom, Necessity, And Theodicy. The Book Is Organized In Seven Chapters And Contains A Separate Introduction And Conclusion. For Sections On The Eucharist And Predestination Especially, Care Is Taken To Present The Philosophical Counterpoints Of These Issues: Substance And Necessity. The Section On Leibniz As Historian Of The Sacred Is Intended To Show How Leibniz, As Opposed To Newton In Particular, Views Sacred History And The Place Of God In It. It Is Meant To Fill In The Gap Left By Various Recent Studies On Leibniz As Historian, Which Have Not Taken His Position As Historian Of The Sacred Into Account. The Conclusion Highlights The Ways Leibniz's Basically Lutheran Nonorthodox Theology Coincides With His Philosophy. This Means Inevitably That Leibniz Was Not A Standard Lutheran But That The Solutions He Sought To The Problems Of Confessional Division Were Rather More Philosophical Than Theological And That His View Of Sacred History Was Intended To Vindicate His Theodicy. Leibniz's Unique Integration Of Theology Into Philosophy Proved Satisfactory Neither To Theologians Nor To Many Philosophers Of His Time-- Machine Generated Contents Note: -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- Part I. Eucharist And Substance -- 1. Transubstantiation And The Problem Of Real Presence -- 2. Negotiations With The Reformed And The Problem Of Real Presence -- Appendix To Chapter 2: A Selection Of Texts On The Negotiations -- Part Ii. Predestination And Necessity -- 3. Predestination -- 4. Necessity -- 5. Leibniz And Augustine -- Part Iii. Leibniz The Historian Of The Sacred -- 6. Leibniz's Concept Of Historia Sacra -- 7. History, Apocalyptic Prophecy, Early Heresies: Leibniz, Newton, Grotius -- 8. Concluding Remarks -- Notes -- Index. Irena Backus. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.