History, Reform, and Aufklarung. German Theological Writing and Dutch Literary Publicity in the Eighteenth Century

In the second half of the eighteenth century, German books achieved an unprecedented degree of popularity in the Netherlands. The increase in popularity was accompanied by an enormous growth in the number of writings translated from German into Dutch. While this spate of translations has often been noted, it has never been subject to a thorough analysis. German theological writings were the most popular genre, so that our lack of knowledge applies especially to books of a religious nature. The following is a first comprehensive appraisal of the massive introduction of German theological writing on the eighteenth-century Dutch market, based on an analysis of translations from German or ‘German’ Latin into Dutch, on their reception in review periodicals, and on other responses of contemporaries to books of a broadly German provenance. In particular, the way these translations reflected the nature of, as well as developments within, Dutch literary ‘publicity’ (Offentlichkeit) is discussed. The emphasis is especially on the last four decades of the eighteenth century, because the impact of German religious books was greater by far in these years than in any previous period. Four main trends are examined: apologetic writings, philological and historical writings, critiques of the clerical establishment, and theological radicalism. The article generally illustrates the effects of international intellectual developments on a minor European country in the age of the Enlightenment. The article includes 1 table.