ThefameofLessingissteadilygrowing。Yearbyyearheisvaluedmorehighly，andvaluedbyagreaternumberofpeople。Andheisdestined，likehismasterandforerunnerSpinoza，toreceiveayetlargershareofmen’sreverenceandgratitudewhenthephilosophicspiritwhichhelivedtoillustrateshallhavebecomeinsomemeasurethegeneralpossessionofthecivilizedpartofmankind。Inhisownday，Lessing，thoughwidelyknownandgreatlyadmired，waslittleunderstoodorappreciated。Hewasknowntobealearnedantiquarian，aterriblecontroversialist，andanincomparablewriter。HewasregardedasabrilliantornamenttoGermany；andapaltryDukeofBrunswickthoughtafewhundredthalerswellspentinsecuringthegloryofhavingsuchamantoresideathisprovincialcourt。ButthemajorityofLessing’scontemporariesunderstoodhimaslittleperhapsasdidtheDukeofBrunswick。Ifanythingwereneededtoprovethis，itwouldhetheuproarwhichwasmadeoverthepublicationofthe“WolfenbuttelFragments，“andthecuriousexegesiswhichwasappliedtothepoemof“Nathan“onitsfirstappearance。Inordertounderstandthetruecharacterofthisgreatpoem，andofLessing’sreligiousopinionsasembodiedinit，itwillbenecessaryfirsttoconsiderthememorabletheologicalcontroversywhichprecededit。
DuringLessing’sresidenceatHamburg，hehadcomeintopossessionofamostimportantmanuscript，writtenbyHermannSamuelReimarus，aprofessorofOrientallanguages，andbearingthetitleofan“ApologyfortheRationalWorshippersofGod。“
Struckwiththerigorouslogicdisplayedinitsarguments，andwiththequietdignityofitsstyle，whileyetunabletoacceptitsmostgeneralconclusions，Lessingresolvedtopublishthemanuscript，accompanyingitwithhisowncommentsandstrictures。
Accordinglyin1774，availinghimselfofthefreedomfromcensorshipenjoyedbypublicationsdrawnfrommanuscriptsdepositedintheDucalLibraryatWolfenbuttel，ofwhichhewaslibrarian，Lessingpublishedthefirstportionofthiswork，underthetitleof“FragmentsdrawnfromthePapersofanAnonymousWriter。“ThisfirstFragment，onthe“TolerationofDeists，“awakenedbutlittleopposition；fortheeighteenthcentury，thoughintolerantenough，didnotparadeitsbigotry，butrathersawfittodisclaimit。Ahundredyearsbefore，Rutherford，inhis“FreeDisputation，“haddeclared“tolerationofallereligionstobeenotfarreremovedfromblasphemie。“
Intolerancewasthenathingtobeproudof，butinLessing’stimesomeprogresshadbeenachieved，andmenbegantothinkitagoodthingtoseemtolerant。ThesucceedingFragmentsweretotestthisliberalityandrevealtheflimsinessofthestuffofwhichitwasmade。Whentheunknowndisputantbegantodeclare“theimpossibilityofarevelationuponwhichallmencanrestasolidfaith，“andwhenhebegantocriticizetheevidencesofChrist’sresurrection，suchastormburstoutinthetheologicalworldofGermanyashadnotbeenwitnessedsincethetimeofLuther。TherecentColensocontroversyinEnglandwasbutagentlebreezecomparedtoit。Pressandpulpitswarmedwith“refutations，“inwhichweaknessofargumentandscantinessoferuditionwerecompensatedbystrengthofacrimonyandunscrupulousnessofslander。Pamphletsandsermons，saysM。