The Genesis of Weltliteratur: Goethe's West-östlicher Divan and Kerygmatic Pluralism*

Goethe's West-östlicher Divan constitutes a unique culmination of the 18th and 19th century European encounter with extra-biblical scripture and sacred verse. Depicted by its advocates as embodying a pluralistic ideal, and by its detractors as a work of cultural imperialism, Goethe's late collection of poetry functioned as an influential model for religious and literary syntheses between the ‘occident’ and the ‘orient’ in the 19th century. Tracing the reception and composition of the Divan through its physical and textual monuments, this article explores how Goethe's hybrid poem reflects an increasing European awareness of the ‘Eastern’ origin of biblically informed culture.