The life and letters of Benjamin Jowett, M. A., master of Balliol college, Oxford.

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Life of Benjamin Jowett

[CHAP. IV

of which does not imply any moral guilt, but a want of
acuteness and good sense? I have not any tendency to doubt
about the miracles of the New Testament, but this seems
to me a very difficult question. May not the answer perhaps
be that of Erdmann, that the ideas are the essential, and that
the facts are a manifestation of the ideas? If so, and I think
this is partly true at all events, it does matter very much
what we believe, even though we doubt about our Lord's
resurrection.-Concerning Hegel, I doubt not that Donkin's
ignorance is far more than my knowledge. I have only
a glimpse of his meaning, but feel restless until I can get
deeper into it. Erdmann's advice, if you remember, was to
read first the Phanomenologie, then the Logic, and then
the Philosophie der Religion. The Logic I have been toiling
at since I came back, but it is almost impossible to get any
idea of it in the details without first getting an idea of the
whole. I thought the Geschichte der Philosophie gave me
great help at first. As a history I suppose it is bad, because
it sees Hegelianism everywhere, and brings all systems under
its categories. It is an exposition of himself stufenweise,
his philosophy being the result of all former ones, which are
subordinated as 'moments' and are ever in process of transition.
Without the history of philosophy in which to realize them,
his abstractions and concretions would seem quite unmeaning.
To A. P. STANLEY.
DULOE, LISKEARD, December, 1845.
Samuel of Oxford is not unpleasing, if you will resign
yourself to be semi-humbugged by a semi-humbug. He was
very kind, and would do great good if he could but be persuaded to keep off speculative matters. In the latter respect
Mauricianism, diluted by Trench, and still further watered
by himself, seems to be the prevailing tone. But he is a man
of the world and a gentleman, and above all 'head-of-a-house'
delusions, and exactly agrees with us about the College for
poor students. Nevertheless, with all his practical ability he
shows weakness of character-e. g. he said he would print his
charge if we wished it; but some of us did not wish it, so