English, Literature, and Modern Languages Faculty Publications
Document Type
Book
Publication Date
2025
Keywords
Hermann Grassmann, mathematician, faith, theology
Recommended Citation
Shaver, Annis N., "English Translation of Über den Abfall vom Glauben" (2025). English, Literature, and Modern Languages Faculty Publications. 379.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/english_literature_modern_languages_publications/379
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
Translator’s Notes
This translation seeks to retain the academic feel of the 19th Century German professor, while attempting to organize his writing into current American English thought patterns. Footnotes are included to supply literal translations of words that have necessarily been modified for meaning. It is important to remember that any translation runs the risk of losing the “richness” of the original idea. For example, the first footnote in Chapter 3 explains the various possible choices for the translation of the word “Erkenntnis.” Additional footnotes add background information for the reader who may not be acquainted with the development of German religious thought, as well as for the reader whose knowledge of the history of science may be “rusty.” Included in brackets throughout the text are clarifications that this translator sees as helpful for any reader, particularly with the issue of pronoun ambiguity. German pronouns are very clear as to their antecedents, while English pronouns (particularly “it”) can cause confusion if not clearly explained. Page numbers in the original publication are added to this translation for ease in locating particular passages. The purpose of this translation is to make Grassmann’s ideas accessible to an English-speaking audience.