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When German universities such as the University of Halle, Prussia's most notable academic institution and home to Friedrich Schleiermacher, were taken over by French troops during the Napoleonic Wars, doubt was cast on the very survival of German academia, in particular theology's status as Wissenschaft. Zachary Purvis links the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire at the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte with this challenge to the very nature of the university itself, the organization of knowledge, and the unity of theological study.
Schleiermacher and many of his contemporaries throughout Europe, particularly in Germany, voiced concern over theology's post-Enlightenment, declining prominence within the university. Whereas theology had once been thought of as the "queen of sciences" (2), its academic prestige was now diminished and its place within the university called into question. In response was born the German scholarly tradition collectively referred to as the theological encyclopedia (theologische Enzyklopädie).
These theologische Enzyklopädien, systematic attempts to define the scope of theology, enhanced the subject's academic respectability. University programs were developed to schematize theological fields and subfields of study. The consequence of this systematization was deeper theological, philosophical, and doctrinal divides, which in turn resulted in the establishment of various ecclesiastical schools. However, although helpful in many...