In their philosophical texts, Schelling and Hegel used mathematical and scientific models such as Unendlichkeit (infinity) or Gleichgewicht (balance). The structures of these terms provide a criterion for comparing the positions of Schelling and Hegel, a comparison conducted for Schelling‹s identity philosophy and Hegel‹s first Jena writings. The most significant result of this comparison is the proof of a fundamental difference between both positions around 1801. It is shown that this was based on differing conceptions of the role of the absolute.