The Tongues of Men: Hegel and Hamann on Religious Language and History

by Stephen N. Dunning

Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Stephen N. Dunning is a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Adam Carnehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Along with Brian Alkire's work "The Last Mask: Hamann's Theater of the Grotesque," this is one of the most compelling works on J. G. Hamann (1730-1788) to be found in English. Dunning's thesis is that so much of twentieth century theology has followed Hegel's secularization program in its interpretation of history so that the Bible (God's language) falls in line behind secular grammars; the result is that contemporary theology is always succumbing to secular methods (Van Harvey) or is incorporating secular notions (Pannenberg) or is attempting to be radically insulated against anything secular (Barth). But, as Dunning argues brilliantly, the religious works of Hamann presents something completely different in terms of theological method. Hamann does not 'pretend' that secular methods are the only viable options for interpreting history; he actually believes that any notion of 'history' apart from God's communication to us is nonsensical - indeed, impossible. Hamann's great genius is nourished by his overriding belief that nothing is unclean, impure, or strictly 'secular,' for everything is a gift from God. It is because of the givenness of all things that human beings respond in love and gratitude. This is the substance of Hamann's writing against Mendelssohn titled "Golgotha and Scheblimini!" Any discussions of rights and privileges take place in a la-la-land of the author's own invention and according to his or her own whims; it is the Bible which orders all human relations; it is God's condescension that sets the standard for all earthly rulers.

Dunning clearly grasps that the essence of Hamann is his method, his style, his way of doing his writing, and that this flows from the Old and New Testament Scriptures. In Hamann's style, he consciously (and unconsciously) utilizes scriptural imagery and phraseology not because he is a crazy pietist that is so obsessed with his Christian Faith that it is all he can think about (essentially Hegel's complaint), but because for Hamann, Scripture is the grammar of history, of faith, of life. God's Word is a gift that orders and directs our words and therefore all our days. Dunning argues that Hamann's style is so thoroughly scriptural because Hamann had scriptural tasks in his writings: to direct his opponents away from idolatry and toward the true worship of God the Father through Christ. If anything, Dunning's book shows us again how Hamann is not a 'professional theologian' but a writer who is continually engaging in theology (Theos + Logos) - discourse about God using God's discourse (the Bible) as a grammar. About this Dunning writes, "The Bible provides [Hamann] with a way of understanding the world without submitting to its values, its criteria for judgment, and its belief in itself. Questions raised by secular philosophers can be answered only by turning to biblical language and imagery. Indeed, the personal identity of the Christian is constituted in the language of the Bible" (185).

Throughout the book, Dunning highlights Hegel's severe misunderstanding of Hamann. In a famous review of F. Roth's new edition of Hamann's writings, Hegel essentially says that the best part of Hamann is his originality and that this is the only part which makes him worth reading. Other than his flashes of brilliance, he is a tiresome, pietistic radical who unfortunately left no system in his wake and no lasting gifts to world movements, states, or governments. In short, Hegel wishes that Hamann had been more like Hegel. Dunning points out the hypocrisy in this as well as Hegel's sustained mis-readings of Hamann's works, particularly the Golgotha (which Hegel did, however, declare to be Hamann's greatest work). But Hegel had no idea about how radical Hamann's theological project actually was; he mistakes Hamann's scriptural quotations to be pious flexing, a waste of the reader's time. Yet in Hamann we see nothing less than a brilliant, committed, original return to God's Word as the guiding light for all of life (not just a private sphere of "spirituality") and for all time. Yet Hamann realizes that most will laugh at this notion, and so he veils his writings with all his obscurity and biting humor and parody. But it's the laughter of Heaven (Psalm 2:4) which is the divine laughter that unmasks the reader and exposes his or her nakedness.