HTA 16.1; Emerson; "Divinity School Address, i.e., Acquaint Thyself First Hand with Deity" [1838]

Abstract

This episode is part one of two of the lecture series [HTA 16] on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Divinity School Address, i.e., Acquaint Thyself First Hand with Deity,” delivered to the Harvard Divinity School in the summer of 1838.

Primary Source

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Divinity School Address, I.e., Acquaint Thyself First Hand with Deity,” 2019 [1838]. https://emersoncentral.com/ebook/Divinity-School-Address.pdf.

• HillJ_ Teacher Exemplar Annotations.

Guiding Questions

• What is the relationship between deity, spirit, truth, and direct experience?

• How does Emerson argue that we have misunderstood Christianity?

• “And now, my brothers, you will ask, What in these desponding days can be done by us?”

• Which two benefits does Emerson argue Christianity offers to us as a starting point?

• How does Christian/religious anarchism’s relate to the notions of individualism, personal access to God, self-reliance, and transcendentalism?