32.
I can only repeat that I set myself against all efforts to intrude
the fanatic into the figure of the Saviour: the very word imperieux,
used by Renan, is alone enough to annul the type. What the “glad
tidings” tell us is simply that there are no more contradictions; the
kingdom of heaven belongs to children; the faith that is voiced
here is no more an embattled faith—it is at hand, it has been from the
beginning, it is a sort of recrudescent childishness of the spirit. The
physiologists, at all events, are familiar with such a delayed and
incomplete puberty in the living organism, the result of degeneration. A
faith of this sort is not furious, it does not denounce, it does not
defend itself: it does not come with “the sword”—it does not
realize how it will one day set man against man. It does not manifest
itself either by miracles, or by rewards and promises, or by “scriptures”.
it is itself, first and last, its own miracle, its own reward, its own
promise, its own “kingdom of God.” This faith does not formulate
itself—it simply lives, and so guards itself against formulae. To
be sure, the accident of environment, of educational background gives
prominence to concepts of a certain sort: in primitive Christianity one
finds only concepts of a Judaeo—Semitic character (—that of
eating and drinking at the last supper belongs to this category—an idea
which, like everything else Jewish, has been badly mauled by the church).
But let us be careful not to see in all this anything more than symbolical
language, semantics[1] an opportunity to speak in
parables. It is only on the theory that no work is to be taken literally that
this anti-realist is able to speak at all. Set down among Hindus he would have
made use of the concepts of Sankhya,[2]and among Chinese
he would have employed those of Lao-tse[3]—and
in neither case would it have made any difference to him.—With a little
freedom in the use of words, one might actually call Jesus a “free
spirit”.[4]—he cares nothing for what
is established: the word killeth,[5]
whatever is established killeth. The idea of “life”
as an experience, as he alone conceives it, stands opposed to his
mind to every sort of word, formula, law, belief and dogma. He speaks only
of inner things: “life” or “truth” or “light”
is his word for the innermost—in his sight everything else, the whole
of reality, all nature, even language, has significance only as sign, as
allegory.—Here it is of paramount importance to be led into no error
by the temptations lying in Christian, or rather ecclesiastical
prejudices: such a symbolism par excellence stands outside all religion,
all notions of worship, all history, all natural science, all worldly experience,
all knowledge, all politics, all psychology, all books, all art—his
“wisdom” is precisely a pure ignorance[11] of all such things. He has never heard of culture;
he doesn't have to make war on it—he doesn't even deny it. . . The same
thing may be said of the state, of the whole bourgeoise social order, of labour,
of war—he has no ground for denying” the world,” for he knows
nothing of the ecclesiastical concept of “the world” . . . Denial
is precisely the thing that is impossible to him.—In the same way he lacks
argumentative capacity, and has no belief that an article of faith, a
“truth,” may be established by proofs (—his proofs
are inner “lights,” subjective sensations of happiness and self-approval,
simple “proofs of power”—). Such a doctrine cannot
contradict: it doesn't know that other doctrines exist, or can exist,
and is wholly incapable of imagining anything opposed to it. . . If anything of
the sort is ever encountered, it laments the “blindness” with sincere
sympathy—for it alone has “light”—but it does not offer
objections . . .
Footnotes
[1]
. The word Semiotik is in
the text, but it is probable that Semantik
is what Nietzsche had in mind.
[2]
. One of the six great systems of Hindu philosophy.
[3]
. The reputed founder of Taoism.
[4]
. Nietzsche's name for one accepting his own
philosophy.
[5]
. That is, the strict letter of the law—the chief
target of Jesus's early preaching.
[[11]]
. A reference to the “pure ignorance”
(reine Thorheit) of Parsifal.