Schleiermacher, Friedrich (1768–1834)

Theologian Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher was born in Breslau, a city located in the Prussian province of Silesia (today known as the Polish city of Wroclaw). After having been educated in the Protestant pietistic tradition of a Moravian sect, Schleiermacher studied theology at the University of Halle. As a preacher and theologian, he contributed to the organization of the Prussian church and to the reformation of Protestant theology but also took part in the consolidation of the independent new University of Berlin, a model for future universities. He is considered to be one of the precursors of comparative studies of religion.

In 1799, On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers, was published. In this book, Schleiermacher postulates the autonomy of religion and defends it from the ...