Page:History of the Literature of the Scandinavian North.djvu/224

206 tives of rationalism or rational Christianity were 1740-1819) and  (1731-95), both of whom wrote a number of Christian philosophical works intended for the people. The most zealous champion of orthodoxy was Bishop Nicolai Edinger Balle (1744-1816), who, through his sermons and writings, particularly through his weekly paper, "Bibelen forsvarer sig selv" (the Bible defends itself), attempted with vigorous strokes to repel the attacks that were directed against Christianity.

In this struggle between the old and the new, between strict orthodoxy and the all pervading rational analysis, the latter soon gained the upper hand. People refused to accept blindly and without criticism the established dogmas, and were determined to understand everything clearly. This general striving for enlightenment put its stamp on the whole period and gave this epoch in Danish literature its name. All matters were considered from a utilitarian standpoint. There was a sober, rational activity in every branch of literature, and there was no exception to the rule. This whole movement had in the main entered Denmark from abroad. Foreign scholars and poets, chiefly German and French, were invited in large numbers, or they came of their own accord, to Denmark to bless the country with the new doctrine. These foreigners, particularly the Germans, were favored in every possible manner by the court-circles at the expense of the Danes, and they soon developed an insolence to a degree that aroused the general indignation of the people and ended in bitter hate and a fierce strife against the foreign influence, especially against the Germans. It was, indeed, fortunate for German literature that matters took this turn, and that the national element thus became able to assert its rights.