Ralph Waldo Emerson's older brother : the letters and journal of William Emerson

This critical edition with introduction focuses on two years of William Emerson's life, 1823-25, while he studied theology at the University of Göttingen in Germany. His studies of Higher German Criticism and nineteenth-century German philosophy with professors like Johann Eichhorn and his conversations with Goethe made William doubt the tenets of traditional Christianity and caused him to withdraw from the clergy years before his famous brother did. Among the main principles of Higher German Criticism and nineteenth-century German philosophy are that man is a part of God and that Christ was no more divine than any other man. Ralph Waldo made these ideas his thesis in Nature, referring to man as "part or particle" of the Deity, and in his "Divinity School Address," causing much controversy in the theological world.

This edition contains an introduction; twenty-two letters written by William to Ralph Waldo and other family members and friends; the Journal of a Tour from Göttingen to Dresden, which records William's visit with Goethe; and a 4 April 1830 letter from William to Ezra Ripley, arguing against continuing the ceremony of the Lord's Supper, a precursor of Ralph Waldo's similar statement. The introduction offers biographical information on William Emerson, a discussion of the philosophies and theologies which he encountered in Germany (most notably those of Johann Gottfried Herder, Friedrich Schleiermacher, and Johann Eichhorn), and an examination of the effect that William's correspondence and experiences had on his famous younger brother.

William's experiences both precede and parallel Ralph Waldo Emerson's. William studied theology before, withdrew from the clergy before, and expressed unconventional views about the Lord's Supper before his famous younger brother. Since Ralph Waldo eagerly sought his advice and read what William suggested, William unmistakably influenced Ralph Waldo Emerson.