Meditations on the Goodness and Mercy of God
From despair to faith, Johann Georg Hamann’s encounter with the Bible in 1758 London reveals the transformative power of Scripture. Destitute and despondent, Hamann took up the Bible and experienced a profound conversion. Drawn from his journal, The Complete London Writings—newly translated by John W. Kleinig—collects Hamann’s interpretations, meditations, and reflections written during this decisive period of renewal.
Offering the first complete English translation of these writings, the volume illuminates the origins of Hamann’s distinctive philosophical faith: the conviction that all human reason is grounded in God’s Word, and that language and revelation are inseparable. For Hamann, Scripture is a living Word meant to be read spiritually rather than rationally. Through his own biography—his fall into hubris and material need, and his restoration through divine grace—he demonstrates the revelatory power of the Bible.
Overall, The Complete London Writings provides a comprehensive presentation of the texts that form the foundation of Hamann’s later thought. Rooted in autobiographical confession, they unveil both the transforming power of the Word and Hamann’s emergence into a new vocation as a thinker of faith.
Johann Georg Hamann (1730–1788) was a German Lutheran thinker whose reflections on faith, reason, and human complexity offered a sharp critique of Enlightenment rationalism and later shaped post-Kantian philosophy.
John W. Kleinig received his phD from the University of Cambridge, is a former lecturer at Australian Lutheran College, and an ordained pastor in the Lutheran Church of Australia. In addition to his current work, he is the author of the following: Wonderfully Made: A Protestant Theology of the Body.
Reviews and Endorsements of this publication include the following:
“Reading the reflections of Christians from the past is an excellent way to strengthen us in times of doubt and uncertainty. Hamann’s reflections on Scripture, God’s grace in Christ, and the church’s hymnody offer readers a wonderful way to think deeply upon the truths of Scripture.”
—J. V. Fesko, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi
“Hamann offers resources for engaging both rationalists and ‘spiritual but not religious’ outlooks today. This expert translation of his London Writings gives us access to the piety that inspired Hamann’s innovative philosophical and hermeneutical labors.”
–Michael S. Horton, Westminster Seminary California
“This wonderful translation of Hamann’s London Writing exposes readers to a central theme of his life: the passionate encounter with the word that reads us and our world. Here we see Hamann captivated by the perplexing simplicity of God’s word, modeling true enlightenment that sees through a glass darkly.”
–Tyler Wittman, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
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