As a theologian, Herder is noted not for science or sys- tem so much as for his freedom of thought and his ge- nial spirit. In some respects he was the precursor of Schleiermacher, and his rationalism, though low enough, was of a totally diifercnt scliool from that of Semler, Paulus, and the neologists generallj'. He sought es- pecially to render Biblical studies more profitable by making them more free, and by investing them with a human and scientific interest. In his work on the Geist der ebrdischen Poesie (1782 ; translated by Dr. Marsh, of Vermont, under the title Sjnrit of Hebrew Poetry, 1833, 2 vols, 12mo), he dwelt especially on the iesthetical and human side of. the Bible, which, in his view, instead of weakenmg its claims to divine authority, greatly strengthens them. He was the first to show critically the poetical beauties of the Bible, which he did not con- sider as mere ornaments, but rather as being grounded in tlie inner nature of the revelation, and not to be sep- arated from a correct view of the inspiration of the con- tents of the O. T. Though others, Lowth for mstance, had already treated this subject of the poetry of the He- brews, none had seen so deeply into its natiu-e, or shown so plainly the true spirit which pervaded it. By this poetical consideration of the O. T. historj', and of the se- ries of religious precepts based on this history, he rid the Bible from the mistakes of such interpreters as Mi- chaelis and others. His dlteste Urkunde d. Menschenge- sckleckts, eine nach Jahrhunderten enthilUte heilige Sckrift, which appeared in 1774, revolutionized the system of O.- T, exegesis by attempting to treat the history of crea- tion (Gen. i) from a different stand-point from the one which generally prevaUed, In his Erlaiiterungen z. N. T. aus einer neti eroffneten morgenldndiscJien Quelle (the Zend Avesta), which he published in 1775, he also en- deavored to render the exegesis of the N, T. more ac- curate and profound, by showing the influence of Par- seeism on the Hebrew and, incidental!}^, on the Chris- tian mode of thought. He worked especially on the books of James and Jude, under the title of Brief e zweier Brikler Jesu in nnserrn Kanon (1775), and on the Apoca- lypse in Das Buck v. der Zukunft des Ilerrn (Riga, 1779). In the former work he considers James and Jude as the real brothers of the Lord according to the flesh, while in the second he maintains that the predictions of the Apocalypse were fulfilled at the destruction of Jeru- salem. Herder also ^vTote on various points of the his- tory of the New -Testament revelation and of Bibli- cal dogmatics, especially in his Christliclie Schriften. In these he treats of the gift of tongues on tlie first Christian Pentecost ; of the resurrection as a point of faith, history, and dogma; of the Redeemer as pre- sented in the three gospels; of the Son of God, the Saviour of the world ; of the spirit of Christianity ; of religion, doctrinal meanings, usages, etc. "One of the chief services of Herder to Christianity was his persist- ent labor to elevate the pastoral office to its original and proper dignity. He held that the pastor of the church should not be solely a learned critic, but the minister of the common people. In his day the pastor was consid- ered the mere instrument of the state, a sort of theolog- ical policeman — a degradation which Herder could hard- ly permit himself to think of without violent indigna- tion. In his Letters on the Stud;/ of Theologij, published in 1780, and in subsequent smaller works, he sought to evoke a generation of theologians, who, being imbued with his own ideas of humanity, would betake them- selves to the edification of the humble mind. He would eject scholasticism from the study of tlie Bible, and show to his readers that simplicity of inquiry is the safest way to happy results. He woiUd pLice the modem pas- tor, both in his relations to the cause of humanity and in the respect awarded him by the world, close beside the patriarch and prophet of other days; and that man, in his opinion, was not worthy the name of pastor wlio could neglect the individual requirements of the soul. According to Herder, the theologian should be trained from childhood m the knowledge of the Bible and of
practical religion. Youth should have ever before them the example of pious parents, who were bringing tliom up with a profomid conviction of the doctrines of divine truth. To choose theology for a profession from mer- cenary aims would preclude all possibility of pastoral usefulness. ' Let prayer and reading the Bible be your morning and evening food,' was his advice to a young preacher. Some of the most eloquent words from his pen were written agamst the customary moral preach- ing which so much afflicted him. ' Why don't you come down from your pulpits,' he asks, ' for they cannot be of any advantage to you in preachuig such things ? "What is the use of aU these Gothic churches, altars, and such matters ? No, indeed ! Religion, true religion, must re- turn to the exercise of its original functions, or a preach- er win become the most indefinite, idle, and inclifferent thing on earth. Teachers of religion, true servants of God's word, what have you to do in our centurj^ ? The harvest is pleiiteous, but the laborers are few ; pray the Lord of the harvest that he will send out laborers who wUl be something more than bare teachers of wisdom and virtue. ]\Iore than this, help yourselves !' The counsel given by Herder to others was practised first by himself. He lived among critical minds, who spiu-ned humble pastoral work, but he felt it his duty, and there- fore discharged it to the best of his ability. His preach- ing was richly lucid, and not directed to the most intel- ligent portion of his autlitors. He took up a plain truth and strove to make it plamer. Yet, while the masses were most benefited by his simplicity of pidpit conver- sation, those gifted men who thought with him arose from their seats profoundly impressed with the dignity and value of tlie Gospel. A witty writer of the time, Sturz, gives an aecount of Herder's preaching that throws some light upon the manner in which the plain, earnest exposition of God's word always affected the in- different auditor. ' You should have seen,' saj's this man, ' how every rustlmg somid was hushed and each curious glance was chained upon him in a very few minutes. \Ve were as still as a Moravian congregation. AU hearts opened themselves spontaneously ; every eye hung upon him and wept unwonted tears ; deep sighs escaped from every breast. .INIy dear friend, noliody preaches like him' " (Hurst, History ofRutioiniH^iii. cli. vii). See Her- zog, Peal-Encyklop. v, 747: Kriiun i-iukjoi^ aus d. Leben Herder's (Tubingen, 1820, 8voJ ; Quiuet, Ideen z. Gesch. (Par. 1834) ; E. G. Herder, Herder's Characterbild (Er- lang. 184G, 6 vols.) ; article by Bancroft, North A mer- ican TterJew, July, 1836, p. 216; MqixzqX, German Liter- ature (American translation, ii, 419) ; review of Marsh's translation. Christian Examiner, xviii, 167 ; Hagenbach, History of the Church in the \Sih and IWi Centuries, translated by Hurst, vol. ii, lectures i-v.