At the moment when they get rid of their _loathing (—and we do as well!_), they will be thankful for the spectacle the Christians have offered: the wretched little planet called Earth perhaps deserves on account of _this_ curious case alone, a divine glance, and divine interest.... Let us not therefore underestimate the Christians: the Christian, false _to the point of innocence in falsity,_ is far above the apes,—in regard to the Christians a certain well-known theory of Descent becomes a mere good-natured compliment. 40 —The fate of the gospel was decided at the moment of the death,—it hung on the “cross.” ... It was only death, this unexpected and ignominious death; it was only the cross which as a rule was reserved simply for the _canaille,_—only this appalling paradox which confronted the disciples with the actual riddle: _Who was that? what was that?_—The state produced by the excited and profoundly wounded feelings of these men, the suspicion that such a death might imply the _refutation_ of their cause, and the terrible note of interrogation: “why precisely thus?” will be understood only too well. In this case everything _must_ be necessary, everything must have meaning, a reason, the highest reason. The love of a disciple admits of no such thing as accident. Only then did the chasm yawn: “who has killed him?” “who was his natural enemy?”—this question rent the firmament like a flash of lightning. Reply: _dominant_ Judaism, its ruling class. Thenceforward the disciple felt himself in revolt _against_ established order; he understood Jesus, after the fact, as one in _revolt against established order._ Heretofore this warlike, this nay-saying and nay-doing feature in Christ had been lacking; nay more, he was its contradiction. The small primitive community had obviously understood _nothing_ of the principal factor of all, which was the example of freedom and of superiority to every form of _resentment_ which lay in this way of dying. And this shows how little they understood him altogether! At bottom Jesus could not have desired anything else by his death than to give the strongest public _example_ and _proof_ of his doctrine.... But his disciples were very far from _forgiving this_ death—though if they had done so it would have been in the highest sense evangelical on their part,—neither were they prepared, with a gentle and serene calmness of heart, to _offer_ themselves for a similar death.... Precisely the most unevangelical feeling, _revenge,_ became once more ascendant. It was impossible for the cause to end with this death: “compensation” and “judgment” were required (—and forsooth, what could be more unevangelical than “compensation,” “punishment,” “judgment”!) The popular expectation of a Messiah once more became prominent; attention was fixed upon one historical moment: the “Kingdom of God” descends to sit in judgment upon his enemies. But this proves that