Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900; Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900 -- Criticism and interpretation; Philosophy
"The world" to Christianity means that a man is a soldier, a judge,
a patriot, that he defends himself, that he values his honour, that
he desires his own advantage, that he is _proud._ ... The conduct of
every moment, every instinct, every valuation that leads to a deed, is
at present anti-Christian: what an _abortion of falsehood_ modern man
must be, in order to be able _without a blush_ still to call himself a
Christian! 178
The very word "Christianity" is a misunderstanding,--truth to tell,
there never was more than one Christian, and he _died_ on the Cross.
The "gospel" _died_ on the cross. That which thenceforward was called
"gospel" was the reverse of that "gospel" that Christ had lived: it
was "evil tidings," a _dysangel._ It is false to the point of nonsense
to see in "faith," in the faith in salvation through Christ, the
distinguishing trait of the Christian; the only thing that is Christian
is the Christian mode of existence, a life such as he led who died on
the Cross.... To this day a life of this kind is still possible; for
certain men, it is even necessary: genuine, primitive Christianity
will be possible in all ages.... _Not_ a faith, but a course of action.
173-179
To regard a man like St.-Paul as honest (a man whose home was the
very headquarters of Stoical enlightenment) when he devises a proof
of the continued existence of the Saviour out of a hallucination; or
even to believe him when he declares that he had this hallucination,
would amount to foolishness on the part of a psychologist: St.-Paul
desired the end, consequently he also desired the means.... Even what
he himself did not believe, was believed in by the idiots among whom
he spread _his_ doctrine.--What he wanted was power; with St.-Paul the
priest again aspired to power. 185
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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