Schleiermacher and Reformed Scholastics on the Divine Attributes

Schleiermacher’s doctrine of the divine attributes has been controversial
from its day until the present, with various nineteenth- and twentieth century
figures seeing it as a theological novum. Recent work has clarified
Schleiermacher’s understanding of the status of the attributes, challenging the
simplistic readings of his critics. However, the charge of novelty still has not
been addressed. I argue in response to this charge that Schleiermacher’s doctrine
is best explained as an inheritance of the Reformed tradition. Not only is
Schleiermacher’s doctrine of the divine attributes nearly identical to that of his
Reformed Scholastic predecessors, but Schleiermacher holds the same
conceptions for the same reasons.