Christianity or Europe (Novalis)

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"Christianity or Europe" (German: "Die Christenheit oder Europa", also known simply as "Europa") is a pamphlet written by the German writer Novalis between October and November 1799. Novalis wrote the pamphlet to present to his Romantic contemporaries in Jena.^[1] The pamphlet presents a philosophy of history and religion, and culminates in a vision of a new epoch.^[2]

The pamphlet discusses the future of the European continent, which seemed unstable given the recent rise of Napoleon and the death of Pope Pius VI in 1799. He attempts to identify the roots of a perceived "withering of the sacral sense" in Europe, and investigates possibilities for its renewal.^[2] Novalis reminisces on the perceived glory of pre-Reformation Europe and advocates a greater political union between European states based on religion to bring Europe back to its former glory.