Goethe's piety

The term 'piety,' may not immediately suggest itself as the most appropriat e to describe Goethe's religious outlook. However, the notion of piety refl ected in Goethes use of words like 'Frommigkeit' and fromm, whether with re ference to others or himself, is frequently perceived in a positive light a s a potent ethical force, based on reverence for the numinous. The aim of t his article is to identify the nature of that piety, which Goethe both reco gnises in a wide variety of paradigms and embraces in his own thinking. Through examination of the 'Elegie', poems of the Divan and other works, it is shown that one of the key elements is a recognition of the nature of th e relationship between the human and the divine, the perception of the heav enly and eternal in earthly and transient phenomena. This pattern of thinki ng is shown to be reflected not only in Goethes poetry, But in contexts tha t unite the scientific, aesthetic and religious dimensions of his outlook. Similar paradigms of piety are recognised and evaluated positively by Goeth e in a variety of contexts: in Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, as well as in pagan religion and pantheistic, atheistic or materialistic thinking. In this way piety is seen as a means whereby man can approach, if not fath om, das Unerforschliche, the mysteries of nature and existence itself.