{"date":"May 27","id":"05-27","intro":["To advance freedom of thought, Lessing published an essay of one hundred paragraphs outlining the history of religion. The wrath of orthodox churchmen was hurled at his head, and Lessing was left alone to defend his daring theories."],"minutes":18,"readings":[{"author":"Gotthold Ephraim Lessing","end":195,"start":185,"volume":32,"work":"The Education of the Human Race"}],"slug":"may-27","status":"proofread","title":"Lessing’s Courageous Stand for Toleration","url":"/harvard-classics/may-27/","words":3523}