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CRUSIUS, CHRISTIAN AUGUST (1715–1775)

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Originally appearing in Volume V07, Page 552 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CRUSIUS, See also:CHRISTIAN See also:AUGUST (1715–1775) , See also:German philosopher and theologian, was See also:born on the Loth of See also:January 1715 at See also:Lenau near See also:Merseburg in See also:Saxony. He was educated at See also:Leipzig, and became See also:professor of See also:theology there in 1750, and See also:principal of the university in 1773. He died on the 18th of See also:October 1775. Crusius first came into See also:notice as an opponent of the See also:philosophy of See also:Leibnitz and See also:Wolff from the standpoint of religious orthodoxy. He attacked it mainly on the See also:score of the moral evils that must flow from any See also:system of See also:determinism, and exerted himself in particular to vindicate the freedom of the will. The most important See also:works of this See also:period of his See also:life are Entwurf der nothwendigen Vernunftwahrheiten (1745), and Weg zur Gewissheit and Zuverlassigkeit der menschlichen Erkenntniss (1747). Though diffusely written, and neither brilliant nor profound, Crusius' philosophical books had a See also:great but See also:short-lived popularity. His See also:criticism of Wolff, which is generally based on See also:sound sense, had much See also:influence upon See also:Kant at the See also:time when his system was forming; and his ethical doctrines are mentioned with respect in the Kritik of See also:Practical Reasqn. Crusius's later life was devoted to theology. In this capacity his sincere piety and amiable See also:character gained him great influence, and he led the party in the university which became known as the " Crusianer " as opposed to the " Ernestianer," the followers of J. A. See also:Ernesti.

The two professors adopted opposite methods of exegesis. Ernesti wished to subject the Scripture to the same See also:

laws of exposition as are applied to other See also:ancient books; Crusius held firmly to orthodox ecclesiastical tradition. Crusius's See also:chief theological works are Hypomnemata ad theologiam propheticam (1764–1778), and Kurzer Entwurf der Moraltheologie (1772–1773). He sets his See also:face against innovation in such matters as the accepted authorship of canonical writings, verbal See also:inspiration, and the treatment of persons and events in the Old Testament as types of the New. His views, unscholarly and uncritical as they seem to us now, have had influence on later evangelical students of the Old Testament, such as E. W. See also:Hengstenberg and F. See also:Delitzsch. There is a full notice of Crusius in See also:Ersch and See also:Gruber's Allgemeine Encyclopadie. Consult also J. E. See also:Erdmann's See also:History of Philosophy; A.

See also:

Marquardt, Kant and Crusius; and See also:art. in See also:Herzog-Hauck, Realencyklopadie (1898). (H.

End of Article: CRUSIUS, CHRISTIAN AUGUST (1715–1775)

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