 In light of his distinctive philosophical approach, using a method that is dialectical and historical, Hegel offers a radical reinterpretation of the meaning of Christianity and its characteristic doctrines.The approach taken in these lectures is to some extent prefigured in Hegel's first published book, "The Phenomenology of Spirit" (1807).Hegel's conception and execution of the lectures differed significantly on each of the occasions he delivered them, in 1821, 1824, 1827, and 1831.