Ludwig Feuerbach 
The Essence of Christianity (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) 

This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading.


 



‘[T]he truth of our time.’ — David Friedrich Strauss




The Essence of Christianity is the most significant critique of the Christian religion published in the nineteenth century. The work made Feuerbach a major public figure, admired by some, unpopular with others, but neglected by few. The impact of the book was enormous; it exposed with systematic order, passionate style, and often radical illustrations the weaknesses of contemporary religious thought and philosophy. It upset the entire dominant German philosophical tradition and assumed the lead in the historical critique of religious thought.

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Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach was born at Landshut, Bavaria, on July 28, 1804, the same year Napoleon was crowned emperor of France. The son of a distinguished German family, he was recognized as both a theologian and philosopher, but the radical nature of his writings barred him from receiving a tenured university post. Academic limitations, political constraints, and financial misfortune forced him into an isolated and impoverished life, and he died after a lingering illness on September 13, 1872.