Did a German jurist start the Enlightenment by lecturing in his native language?

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Christian Thomasius was a radical intellectual who dared to lecture in German rather than Latin in 1687. By challenging traditional prejudices in theology and law, he helped shift the focus of scholarship toward common sense, eventually becoming a pivotal figure in the early German Enlightenment and a defender of free speech.

Born in Leipzig in 1655, Christian Thomasius was shaped by the political philosophy of Hugo Grotius and Samuel Pufendorf. After completing his doctorate in 1679, he began a career that would challenge the academic status quo. His 1685 dissertation on bigamy, where he argued for its permissibility under natural law, was just the beginning of his provocative career. By 1687, he made the daring decision to lecture in German, an act scholar Klaus Luig identifies as the true start of the German Enlightenment.

Thomasius was a fierce advocate for separating politics and jurisprudence from theological control. He fought against the prosecution of witches and the use of torture, while simultaneously arguing that the state should only interfere with public duties, leaving moral and private matters untouched. His outspoken views led to his denunciation from pulpits in 1690, forcing him to flee to Berlin. He eventually found refuge in Halle, where he helped found the University of Halle in 1694 and later served as its rector.

Though some critics suggest he was not a profound philosophical thinker, his impact on law, literature, and social life was immense. He sought to replace rigid Roman law with principles built on Germanic foundations, contributing to the development of private law. While he maintained a belief in revealed religion, his work bridged the gap between academic theory and the everyday world, permanently altering the trajectory of German intellectual history.

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