A Contemporary in Dissent: Johann Georg Hamann as Radical Enlightener

In this biography -- translated for the first time into English -- German theologian Oswald Bayer describes the life and work of journalist-theologian Johann Georg Hamann (1730-1788). At a time when it seemed that the forces of secularization were attempting to claim the future, Hamann churned out small publications aimed at undermining the Enlightenment zeitgeist, turning its assumptions upside down and skewering its pretensions. Although largely forgotten until recent times, Hamann as radical dissenter -- whom Goethe called the "brightest man of his age" -- remains relevant today, as Bayer shows in this book.

Author: Oswald Bayer
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Published: 01/31/2012
Pages: 254
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.80h x 5.90w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780802866707

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 04/01/2012 pg. 188

About the Author
Oswald Bayer is professor emeritus of systematic theology at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and director of the Luther Academy Sondershausen-Ratzeburg. He is also an ordained pastor of the Lutheran Church of Württemberg and was the editor of Neue Zeitschrift für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie from 1986 to 2006. His research focuses especially on Luther and Hamann.