Between pantheism and monotheism: Goethe's religious conception in mahomets gesang through the lens of conceptual metaphor theory
Social Sciences and Humanities Open, vol.14, 2026 (Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 14
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.103533
- Journal Name: Social Sciences and Humanities Open
- Journal Indexes: Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Keywords: Conceptual metaphor, Goethe, Mahomets gesang, Monotheism, Pantheism, Religious imagery
- Akdeniz University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
This article examines how Goethe's Mahomets Gesang (1773/74) conceptualizes religious experience through metaphor and how its central metaphorical network mediates between pantheistic immanence and monotheistic transcendence. Drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT), close reading, and descriptive quantitative coding, the study analyzes the German original as its primary textual basis and uses English glosses only as auxiliary support. The analysis identifies metaphorical expressions, reconstructs their source and target domains, and classifies their dominant religious orientation as pantheistic, monotheistic, or hybrid. The results show that the poem is organized by a coherent network of conceptual metaphors, especially the prophet is a river , religious inspiration is motion , religious community is a tributary network , and union with God is return to the sea . These metaphors present divine energy as immanent in natural movement while also directing the river's course toward a singular divine destination. The descriptive overview further shows that hybrid metaphors form the largest group of coded excerpts, confirming that the poem does not simply oppose pantheism and monotheism but poetically integrates both paradigms. By combining CMT with literary hermeneutics and cautious comparison with Qur'anic imagery of water, light, guidance, and return, the article contributes to Goethe scholarship, metaphor studies, and intercultural religious literary analysis.