ied no abolition, however, of his resolve to
dedicate himself to a spiritual revival of his people. Through his
historical work he wished to show the influence of Christianity upon the
people of Europe. "That the life of every people," he writes, "is and
must be a fruit of faith should be clear to all. For who can dispute that
every human action--irrespective of how little considered it may have
been--is expressive of its doer's attitude, of his way of feeling and
thinking. But what determines a man's way of thinking except his
essential thoughts concerning the relationship between God and the world,
the visible and the invisible? Every serious thinker, therefore, must
recognize the importance of faith in the furtherance of science, the
progress of nations and the life of the state. It is a fearful delusion
that man can be immoral, an unbeliever, even an enemy of the cross of
Christ, and yet a furtherer of morality and science, a good neighbor and
a benefactor to his country."

_A Brief Survey of the World's History_, which Grundtvig published in
1812, is thus the opposite of an objective presentation of historical
events. It is a Christian philosophy of history, an attempt to prove the
truth of the Gospel by its effect upon the nations. With the Bible before
him Grundtvig weighs and evaluates people and events upon the scale of
the revealed word. And his judgment is often relentless, stripping both
persons and events of the glorified robes in which history and traditions
invested them. In answer to countless protests against such a method of
reading history, Grundtvig contends that the Christian historian must
accept the consequences of his faith. He cannot profess the truth of
Christianity and ignore its implication in the life of the world. If the
Gospel be true, history must be measured by its relation to its truth.

Grundtvig's history caused a sensation, especially on account of its
frank appraisal of many well-known persons. Nearly all praised its lucid
style; a few, such as George Sverdrup, spoke highly of its strikingly
original estimate and correlation of events; but the intelligentsia
condemned it as the work of an impossible fanatic. With this work, they
claimed, Grundtvig had clearly removed himself from the pale of
intelligent men.

But while his enemies raged, Grundtvig was already busy with another
work: _A Brief Account of God's Way with the Danish and Norwegian
Peoples_. This history which, written i