Metaphysik zwischen Tradition und Aufklärung: Wolffs Theologia naturalis im Kontext seines Gesamtwerkes

Given that Kant famously ‘destroyed’ the classical proofs for the existence of God, it is perhaps not surprising that Christian Wolff’s philosophy of religion, which incorporates these, has received less attention than, for example, his moral philosophy. Indeed, Wolff’s Theologia naturalis has of late been portrayed as a prime example of the so-called “moderate Enlightenment”, for Wolff attempted to develop a philosophy which provided a system of rational theology as well as a justification of Christian revelation; moreover, he explicitly attacked proponents of “radical Enlightenment”. On the other hand, Wolff himself was by his contemporaries attacked as an enemy of Christian religion, a follower of notorious thinkers such as Spinoza or Hobbes. Also, the attempt fully to justify revelation seems to be at odds given Wolff’s rather vigorous plea for enlightenment. The question posed by this state of affairs is if Wolff’s affirmative stand on the Christian religion was consistent with his autonomous Rationalism. This curious and seemingly contradictory aspect of Wolff’s philosophy, to which the different interpretations testify, demands detailed studies of the respective elements of his philosophy. Therefore, this study focuses on Wolff’s concepts of natural theology and natural religion, thus answering the question how Wolff wanted to succeed in applying his philosophical method on Christian theology while at once securing the unrestricted use of reason and leaving the Christian religion unharmed. Given that Wolff was accused of having negated the biblical miracles and abolished natural as well as revealed religion, this study deals in four chapters with his proof of miracles, the relation of natural religion and morals, his critique of Spinozism and his proof of the truth of revealed religion. The key to Wolff’s works, or so I argue, is his attempt to justify revealed religion as a means to guide Christians to the lex naturalis. On the one hand, his arguments in favour of revealed religion do not contradict the demand of his philosophical method, even if his adversaries correctly took these to be the greatest danger to the authority of revealed religion. On the other hand I will show that Wolff did not justify Christianity for purely apologetic reasons. Being overtly certain that his philosophy was able thus to justify revealed religion, Wolff's main interest lay in adjusting the key tenets of Christianity to the doctrine of the lex naturalis.