Der Fragmentenstreit:
Lessing's Radical Popular Enlightenment

The Fragments

The first fragment, "Von Duldung der Deisten," was published by Lessing in 1774; it attracted little notice. Lessing published the five fragments known as the Fragmente eines Ungenannten in January 1777. The titles of the individual fragments are:
  1. Verschreyung der Vernunft auf den Kanzeln
  2. Unmöglichkeit einer Offenbarung, die alle Menschen auf eine gegründete Art glauben könnten
  3. Durchgang der Israeliten durchs rothe Meer
  4. Daß die Bücher A. T. nicht geschrieben worden, eine Religion zu offenbaren
  5. Über die Auferstehungsgeschichte
These five fragments were followed by Lessing's "Gegensätze des Herausgebers," a text that contains the first fifty-three theses of Die Erziehung des Menschengeschlechts.

Lessing subsequently published "Von dem Zwecke Jesu und seiner Jünger." It was after this final excerpt from Reimarus's manuscript that the Fragmentenstreit exploded into public consciousness and attracted dozens of responses by eminent theologians as well as numerous marginal figures. These texts were discussed and debated in journals throughout Europe. Lessing could not participate in much of this debate on account of his censorship by the Duke of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. He compensated for this forced retreat via the publication of his drama Nathan der Weise.

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