Abstract

There is a sense in which the philosophy of religion is the consummation and the final fruition of the whole of Hegel’s system of philosophy. It could not be superseded except by “the philosophy of philosophy” and that is the system as a whole. It is not without significance that Hegel embarked on these lectures late in his career and after he had thought out and publishd the entire system in two distinct forms, the Phenomenology and the Encyclopedia. And in dealing with the philosophy of religion Hegel is, perhaps, at his best. His style is more lucid and understandable than anywhere else in the corpus of his writings, certainly much more so than in the Phenomenology, and the theory he unfolds rounds off and completes his entire doctrine, confirming his view that not only is religion essential to philosophy, but that essentially, and in the last resort, they are one and the same. To have at our disposal a good translation of this work into English is, therefore, of inestimable value and is long overdue. This is unquestionably a good translation, well and clearly set out, voluminously documented as to its various sources, leaving virtually nothing to be desired.