Historicist thought in the shadow of theology: W. M. L. de Wette, Jacob Burckhardt, and the shaping of nineteenth century historical consciousness

This dissertation calls attention to theological influences on nineteenth-century European attitudes toward history. The process of secularization and the phenomenon of historicism are best understood not as breaks with Europe's religious heritage, but as complex cultural alterations with much continuity; for theological patterns of interpreting experience determined to a large degree the conditions, possibilities, and limitations of the forms of historical imagination realizable by nineteenth-century secular intellectuals.;I focus on the Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897). The son of a Protestant minister, Burckhardt too aspired to become a clergyman. While a theology student, however, he lost his faith after encountering the historical-critical biblical exegesis of the German theologian, Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette (1780-1848). Consequently, Burckhardt abandoned theology, vowed to remain an "honest heretic," and left Basel for Berlin to study history.;Since de Wette's historical criticism precipitated Burckhardt's apostasy, I develop de Wette's ideas at length, placing them in historical context. A theological radical, de Wette disputed orthodox doctrine and reconstructed a modern theology to satisfy the demands of critical scholarship (Wissenschaft). Although today largely forgotten, de Wette was an important figure in shaping modern liberal Protestantism (Kulturprotestantismus).;I interpret Burckhardt's encounter with de Wette, and his subsequent change in professions, as paradigmatic with respect to the themes of secularization and historicism. Burckhardt's choice of profession (historian not pastor) illustrates a pervasive ebbing of religious sensibilities in modern European. I also demonstrate, however, that despite his avowed secularism, Burckhardt's thought retained a profound theological dimension. In particular, his cultural pessimism bespeaks a secularized version of original sin, most evident in Burckhardt's rejection of the idea of historical progress.;Throughout, I argue that much recent literature on historicism inadequately considers the role that theological and biblical-critical issues played in shaping German (and European) attitudes toward history. Further, scholars often minimize the vitality of religious forces in the modern period altogether. For these reasons, I contend that the persistence of theological modi cognoscendi played a consequential role in the birth of a distinctly modern, secular historical consciousness.