314 Kant: A Biographythat my existence in this world be also the existence in a pure world of the
understanding beyond natural connections, and finally that my duration is
endless."^166 From the point of view of traditional theology, Kant turned
things upside down.
Kant and His Colleagues and Friends:
"Fired Up by Prejudices?"In the winter semester of 1785-86 Kant was dean again. One of the more
significant events was the application of Isaac Abraham Euchel (1756—
1804), one of Kant's students, to be allowed to teach oriental languages at
the university, that is, to obtain the degree of Magister. Kant supported the
application on the basis of Euchel's excellent knowledge of the languages,
knowing full well that the theological faculty would not like to see a Jew
teach a subject central for them.^167 The application failed simply because
Euchel was Jewish. A similar attempt by Baczko, a former student of Kant,
also found Kant's support. It also failed. As a Catholic, Baczko could not
become Magister either. Hamann wrote:
A certain Mr. Von Baczko, who is blind and lame but has an active and restless head,
has written a history of Prussia and wants to become Magister. But he is a Roman
Catholic, and they cannot be accepted in accordance with the statutes. This man gets
loud and is insistent; he even threatened the Minister von Zedlitz with public insults
because he did not answer his letters...^168
All in all, this was not a pleasant situation.
Again he came into conflict with Metzger, who was doing his best to be¬
come rector during that year. Metzger was confident, but Kant resisted his
attempts, and in the end Metzger did not succeed.^169 In the following se¬
mester, the summer of 1786, it was Kant's turn to become the rector of the
university for the first time.^170 To obtain this position, one had to be a
member of the senate. The position of rector changed every semester, with
the ten senior members of the senate taking regular turns. Kant had become
one of the ten "seniors," which included the four most senior members of
the philosophical faculty, only in 1780.^171 It appears that Kant did not ob¬
ject when it was argued by some in 1786 that he should not become rector
because the complicated system regulating the turns did not favor him.^172
Kant himself seems to have believed that it was not his turn, and it took
some effort by Kraus to prove to everyone's satisfaction that Kant should
be rector.^173 Hamann reported to Jacobi in this connection that Kant "acted