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Eduard Gottlob Zeller (; 22 January 1814, Kleinbottwar19 March 1908, Stuttgart) was a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
philosopher and
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...
of the
Tübingen School of theology Ferdinand Christian Baur (21 June 1792 – 2 December 1860) was a German Protestant theologian and founder and leader of the (new) Tübingen School of theology (named for the University of Tübingen where Baur studied and taught). Following Heg ...
. He was well known for his writings on
Ancient Greek philosophy Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC, marking the end of the Greek Dark Ages. Greek philosophy continued throughout the Hellenistic period and the period in which Greece and most Greek-inhabited lands were part of the Roman Empire ...
, especially
Pre-Socratic Philosophy Pre-Socratic philosophy, also known as early Greek philosophy, is ancient Greek philosophy before Socrates. Pre-Socratic philosophers were mostly interested in cosmology, the beginning and the substance of the universe, but the inquiries of the ...
, and most of all for his celebrated, multi-volume historical treatise ''The Philosophy of Greeks in their Historical Development'' (1844–52). Zeller was also a central figure in the revival of neo-Kantianism.


Life

Eduard Zeller was born at Kleinbottwar in
Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Wür ...
, the son of a government official. He was educated first at the Evangelical Seminaries of Maulbronn and Blaubeuren starting in 1831, and later at the
University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-W ...
(the
Tübinger Stift The Tübinger Stift () is a hall of residence and teaching; it is owned and supported by the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg, and located in the university city of Tübingen, in South West Germany. The Stift was founded as an Augus ...
), then much under the influence of
Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends ...
. He received his doctorate in 1836 with a thesis on
Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institutio ...
's
Laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
. In 1840 he was ''
Privatdozent ''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualific ...
'' of
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...
at Tübingen, in 1847 professor of theology at
Berne german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , websit ...
, and in 1849 professor of theology at
Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approx ...
, where he soon shifted to the philosophy faculty as the result of disputes with the Clerical party. He became professor of philosophy at the
University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, B ...
in 1862, moved to Berlin in 1872, and retired around 1895. He remained best known for his ''The Philosophy of Greeks in their Historical Development'' (1844–52). He continued to expand and improve this work to reflect new research, and the last edition appeared in 1902. It was translated into most European languages and became the standard textbook on Greek philosophy. Zeller also published many works on theology and three volumes of philosophical essays. He was also one of the founders of the ''Theologische Jahrbücher'' (Theological Yearbooks), a periodical which became well known as the exponent of the
historical method Historical method is the collection of techniques and guidelines that historians use to research and write histories of the past. Secondary sources, primary sources and material evidence such as that derived from archaeology may all be drawn ...
of
David Strauss David Friedrich Strauss (german: link=no, Strauß ; 27 January 1808 – 8 February 1874) was a German liberal Protestant theologian and writer, who influenced Christian Europe with his portrayal of the " historical Jesus", whose divine nature h ...
and
Christian Baur Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...
. He wrote much on the debate about whether theology was a kind of science (''Wissenschaft''). Like most of his contemporaries, including Friedrich Theodor Vischer, he began with
Hegelianism Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends ...
, but subsequently developed a system of his own. He felt the necessity of going back to
Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aest ...
and critically reconsidering the
epistemological Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Episte ...
problems which, he believed, Kant had only partially resolved.


Philosophical work

Nonetheless, his accomplishments in the history of philosophy were far more influential than his contributions as an original thinker. Zeller's conception of the history of Greek thought was influenced by the
dialectic Dialectic ( grc-gre, διαλεκτική, ''dialektikḗ''; related to dialogue; german: Dialektik), also known as the dialectical method, is a discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to ...
al philosophy of Hegel. Some critics maintain that Zeller was not alive enough to cultural context and to the idiosyncrasies of individual thinkers. Some hold that he laid too much stress upon Hegel's notion of "
concept Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs. They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...
", and relied too much on the Hegelian
antithesis Antithesis (Greek for "setting opposite", from "against" and "placing") is used in writing or speech either as a proposition that contrasts with or reverses some previously mentioned proposition, or when two opposites are introduced together f ...
of
subject Subject ( la, subiectus "lying beneath") may refer to: Philosophy *''Hypokeimenon'', or ''subiectum'', in metaphysics, the "internal", non-objective being of a thing **Subject (philosophy), a being that has subjective experiences, subjective cons ...
and object, though his history of
Greek philosophy Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC, marking the end of the Greek Dark Ages. Greek philosophy continued throughout the Hellenistic period and the period in which Greece and most Greek-inhabited lands were part of the Roman Empi ...
was nonetheless influential and highly regarded. He received the highest recognition, not only from philosophers and learned societies all over the world, but also from the
German emperor The German Emperor (german: Deutscher Kaiser, ) was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the off ...
and German people. In 1894 the
Emperor Wilhelm II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism ( Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Vikto ...
made him a "''Wirklicher Geheimrat''" with the title of "''Excellenz''," and his bust, along with that of Helmholtz, was set up at the
Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate (german: Brandenburger Tor ) is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin, built on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II after restoring the Orangist power by suppressing the Dutch popular unrest. One ...
near the statues erected to the Emperor and Empress Frederick. The ''Philosophie der Griechen'' has been translated into English by S. F. Alleyne (2 vols, 1881) in sections: S. F. Alleyne, ''History of Greek Philosophy to the time of Socrates'' (1881
''Volume 1''
an
''Volume 2''
O. J. Reichel
''Socrates and the Socratic Schools''
(1868; 2nd ed. 1877; 3rd ed. 1885); S. F. Alleyne and A. Goodwin
''Plato and the Older Academy''
(1876); Benjamin Francis Conn Costelloe and J. H. Muirhead, ''Aristotle and the Earlier Peripatetics'' (189
''Volume 1''
an
''Volume 2''
O. J. Reichel
''Stoics, Epicureans and Sceptics''
(1870 and 1880); S. F. Alleyne
''History of Eclecticism in Greek Philosophy''
(1883). Zeller was also, in his ''Philosophie der Griechen'', one of the first to use the word 'Superhuman' (''übermensch''), later central in
Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ca ...
and the propaganda of the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
, in adjectival form as a technical term in philosophy. He said "... thus the happiness in her can be designated superhuman (''übermenschliche'') while in contrast the happiness flowing from ethical virtues is merely a characteristic human good.'"...''so kann die Glückseligkeit, welche in ihr besteht, auch als eine übermenschliche, die Glückseligkeit der ethischen Tugend dagegen als das eigenthümlich menschliche Gut bezeichnet werden.''"


Works

The ''Philosophie'' appeared in an abbreviated form as ''Grundriss der Geschichte der Griechischen Philosophie'' (1883; 5th ed. 1898); English transl. by Alleyne and Evelyn Abbott (1886), under the title
''Outlines of the History of Greek Philosophy''
Among his other works are: *''Platonische Studien'' (1839) *''Die Apostelgeschichte kritisch untersucht'' (1854; English translation J Dare, 1875–76
''Volume 1''
an
''Volume 2''
*''Entwickelung des Monotheismus bei den Griechen'' (1862) *''Strauss und Renan'' (1864);
''English translation''
1866) *''Geschichte der christlichen Kirche'' (1898) *''Geschichte der deutschen Philosophie seit Leibniz'' (1873, ed. 1875) *''Staat und Kirche'' (1873) *''Strauss in seinen Leben und Schriften'' 1874;
''English translation''
1874) *''Über Bedeutung und Aufgabe der Erkenntnisstheorie'' (1862) *''Über teleologische und mechanische Naturerklärung'' (1876) *''Vorträge und Abhandlungen'' (1865–84) *''Religion und Philosophie bei den Römern'' (1866, ed. 1871) *''Philosophische Aufsätze'' (1887).


See also

* Wilhelm Nestle


References

*


External links

*
Zeller's works on Archive.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeller, Eduard 1814 births 1908 deaths 19th-century essayists 19th-century German male writers 19th-century German philosophers 19th-century German Protestant theologians 19th-century German historians Continental philosophers Epistemologists German ethicists German Lutheran theologians German male essayists German male non-fiction writers Heidelberg University faculty Historians of philosophy Humboldt University of Berlin faculty Lecturers Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences Metaphysicians Moral philosophers Ontologists People from Ludwigsburg (district) People from the Kingdom of Württemberg Philosophers of culture Philosophers of education Philosophers of ethics and morality Philosophers of mind Philosophers of religion Philosophers of social science Philosophy academics Philosophy writers Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) University of Marburg faculty University of Tübingen alumni University of Tübingen faculty 19th-century Lutherans