This intellectual history uniquely applies Otto Hintze's model-building methodology to Western historical thought, offering a comprehensive synthesis of classical, Christian, and modern historiography. It provides insightful models that enhance the understanding and teaching of historical concepts, aligning with R. G. Collingwood's exploration of "The Idea of History." The study serves as a valuable resource for educators and scholars interested in the evolution of historical thought.
The essay explores Martin Luther's perspective on life, arguing that the common understanding of his "at-the-same-time" concept fails to encompass his broader, more dynamic worldview. It emphasizes Luther's deeply incarnational and mystical approach, highlighting the significance of the Word and the Spirit of God in both his personal experience and the historical context of humanity. This analysis provides a more holistic understanding of Luther's thought, moving beyond the paradoxical to reveal a richer theological framework.
"As we hoped, Hintze's further development made him one of the great ones in the discipline. To be sure, he was one of those who was only known in the circle of experts, like a very high mountain in a mountain range which one first noticed from the vantage point of a high pass." --Friedrich Meinecke, 1941 (translated by Leonard S. Smith) "What we call historicism is a new, unique, categorical-structure of the mind [des Geistes] that began to arise in the West in the eighteenth century and achieved authoritative currency in the nineteenth, particularly in Germany, though not in Germany alone. It is characterized by the categories of individuality and development, which postulate a view of historical reality based on the analogy of the life unit [Lebenseinheit] and the life-process [Lebensprozess]." --Otto Hintze, 1927 (translated by Leonard S. Smith) "If Hintze could be included, as he should be, as one of 'the great ones in the discipline' in historiography classes throughout the United States, this could greatly widen 'the circle of experts' in this and other English-speaking countries and/or encourage history teachers to lead students to reach 'the vantage point of a high pass' where they could see this 'very high mountain' for themselves." --Leonard S. Smith, 2012
