The Essence of Christianity
by Ludwig Feuerbach · Das Wesen des Christentums
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1841
- Form
- Theology
- Language
- German
- Length
- Long · 340 pp300 to 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Difficult4 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Essence of Christianity, translated by George EliotDover, 2008Marian Evans's 1854 translation, the one English readers have always used, in a cheap reprint.
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Feuerbach's argument that theology is anthropology in disguise. Human beings project their own species-essence, reason, will and love, onto an imagined being outside themselves and then worship it; God's attributes are human attributes freed from limits. Part I works through the doctrines of Christianity, the Trinity, the Incarnation, prayer, the resurrection, as expressions of human wishes. Part II attacks their contradictions. Marx, Engels and George Eliot were all shaped by it.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Essence of Christianity are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
