Hermann von Schullern zu Schrattenhofen · 1892
Schullern’s short review assesses Jäger’s two-volume treatment of the social question through biblical revelation and European history. Its central judgment balances respect for scholarly ingenuity against reservations about confessional polemic, scientific objectivity, and accessibility.
Following the book’s structure, Schullern first describes an interpretation of the Revelation of John through German and Jewish imperial history from a strictly Protestant standpoint. He credits Jäger’s persistence and interpretive acuity, but finds the elaborate analogies difficult for non-theologians and questions the sharply anti-Catholic polemic.
The second volume moves toward social and monetary history, making it more accessible while retaining the same theological framework:
Der zweite Band bietet für den Laien grösseres Interesse; er untersucht die Geschichte der wichtigsten europäischen Völker u. z. insbesondere ihre sozialen und Währungs-Verhältnisse im Geiste des gelehrten Theologen und vom Standpunkte desselben, wobei allerdings von vornherein vielfach auf wissenschaftliche Objectivität verzichtet wird.
English translation: The second volume offers greater interest for the layman; it examines the history of the most important European peoples, and specifically their social and monetary conditions, in the spirit of the learned theologian and from his standpoint, whereby, to be sure, scientific objectivity is in many respects renounced from the outset.
Schullern distinguishes the limitations of that framework from the value of its historical learning:
Dieser zweite Theil ist reich an historischen Einzelheiten und zeigt von grosser Belesenheit und bedeutendem Scharfsinne.
English translation: This second part is rich in historical details and testifies to great erudition and considerable acumen.
His closing assessment anticipates limited understanding among readers because of the work’s design and spirit, yet grants that some ideas deserve wider circulation. The review’s significance lies in this measured separation of erudition and insight from the confessional premises that constrain their reception and scholarly authority.
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