Friedrich Nietzsche, the leading philosopher of his time in the 19th century, attacked prevalent moral and religious beliefs with radical ideas. His critique of Christianity and commentaries on Jesus in his work “The Antichrist” have been the subject of broad philosophical discussion. Much of Nietzsche’s philosophy was an outgrowth of his uncompromising negation of accepted values, skepticism with regard to religion, and research into human nature. His criticism of Christianity had put forward a rigorous view regarding this religion’s hold over Western civilization, more especially on its moral scaffolding and ascetic ideals (van Os 2021). He insisted on stating that Christian values, such as self-denial and the suppression of instincts, really did hamper the freedom and flourishing development of the individual. Within the framework of “The Antichrist,” a thought-provoking image of Jesus as the incarnation of Christian virtues is brought into contrast with his antithesis to Nietzsche’s conception of instincts as entirely affiliated with the affirmation of life (Bishop 2023). This paper will focus on delving into Nietzsche’s critique of Christianity, mainly centered on his comments about Jesus in “The Antichrist.” Using appropriate sources, including the original, this paper shall articulate the philosophical arguments and ideas of Nietzsche regarding his stance, which is critical of Christianity. It aims to understand Nietzsche’s alternative to the traditional Christian-based value system in greater depth.
Nietzsche’s criticism of Christianity only goes further to lay down its radical abhorrence of Christian moral practices and their immense impact on Western civilization. The Christian values, therefore, were an obstacle to human growth and individual freedom, especially where they prescribed asceticism and the negation of passions in life.
Nietzsche says that Christianity brought in a kind of morality that was totally against human nature and the affirmation of life. The morality introduced by Christianity, he says, was such that it presented a system of values that were hostile to mundane pleasures. On the other hand, it was fostering self-denial and sacrifice. Nietzsche saw this as a negation of the fundamental desires and instincts that make life worth living (van Os 2021). He saw what was mainly Christian, renunciation of the world, desire, and seeking something for personal satisfaction or self-realization, as suppression of individual freedom and stifling human potential.
Central to Nietzsche’s critique of Christianity are his terms “slave morality” and “master morality,” opposing them with what he called “master morality,” which he felt represented the values only of the strong and noble. Slave morality, on the other hand, was a mere reaction to the dominance of the masters and praised virtues such as humility, meekness, and obedience (van Os 2021). Christian morality is expressed in slave morality, with its virtues for the weak and oppressed, according to Nietzsche.
Indeed, Nietzsche argued that these values, as they are epitomized within the Christian outlook toward a life filled with humility and selflessness, were diametrically opposed to the development of human possibilities and the flowering of the individual. These values came to block the will to power, creativity, and self-expression. Nietzsche held that the real greatness of man lies in living out life’s passions and asserting one’s will to power.
Moreover, Nietzsche thought Christianity brought a devaluation attitude to this world in favor of increasing interest in an afterlife and supernatural realms. Such devaluation, he claimed, led to a depreciation in the present life, and by neglecting the material realm, people might develop. According to Nietzsche, this means that Christians weakened the knowledge sought through scientific development and all forms of appreciation of the beauty of the world and worldly things and pleasures (Bishop 2023).
According to Nietzsche, the adverse effects that Christianity bore on individual freedom and human excellence far exceeded the moral domain. He opined that Christian morality and its associated values had reached into every nook of society, right from political theories to philosophies of education and cultural practices. He criticized the fact that Christianity’s absolute concern with obedience, humility, and renunciation of worldly desires had created a conformist, repressive social order that stifled creativity, innovation, and individual expression.
Nietzsche’s criticism of Christianity is an attack on the traditional, conservative conception of a moral and religious framework that has framed the face of Western civilization for centuries. In this, his rejection of the Christian moralistic sense, his address of the meaning of slave morality, and his view on the downside effects of Christianity on individual freedom and human flourishing bear clear evidence of his break with orthodox moral and religious views (Reginster 2020). Going deep into the basic foundation of Christian values and their implications in society, Nietzsche appealed to rethink the traditional view and reconsider the possibility of new moral and philosophical ideals.
“The Antichrist” is a controversial work by Friedrich Nietzsche, who blasts Christianity, particularly in his comments about Jesus. Summarily, this part of the paper will synopsize “The Antichrist,” picking up the portrayal of Jesus by Nietzsche, discuss his interpretation that Jesus is a figure who stands in opposition to life-affirmative instincts, and engage with Nietzsche’s criticism of Jesus and his supposed teachings of humility, self-sacrifice, and other Christian virtues (Nietzsche 2022).
“The Antichrist” is Nietzsche’s passionate, polemical attack on Christianity, seeking to undercut the foundation and unmask what he sees as the pernicious effects of this form of tyranny on humanity. He believed that Christianity had perverted the natural character of morality and the production of fundamental human values. It is within this perspective that Nietzsche points out Jesus as the center of his critique.
Vivid and scandalous is the image of Jesus in “The Antichrist.” He presented him as a living embodiment of Christian virtues that he bitterly censured. Jesus, as presented in the Gospels, is an archetype for pure Christian ethics: humble, self-sacrificing, and carrying other virtues (Nietzsche 2022). However, Nietzsche doubts the value and even whether it is good to hold those virtues at all, as he claims they are instead born out of a consciousness of weakness and hate.
Nietzsche postulates Jesus as the single personality to have walked on earth, representing a revolt against the life-instinctive affirmative. He thinks the teachings of Jesus and the Christian dogmas, with their logic of humility, fullness, and self-denial a long time before what he calls “slave moralities,” enforced a denial of one’s desires. In this giving up, Nietzsche finds the negation of the value of life and self-affirmation (Nietzsche 2022). He points out that the doctrines of Jesus literally work against individual flourishing, against the very pursuit of happiness by which man realizes himself.
Nietzsche roundly castigates Jesus’ supposed teachings of humility, self-sacrifice, and other Christian virtues with an iron hand. He says these very teachings tend to propagate a kind of morality for subservience and thus only further culture for the weak. Christians exhibit resentment against those who have power and strength by showing an emphasis on humility, says Nietzsche (Nietzsche 2022). He views that in self-sacrifice, there lies a form of self-abnegation, which hinders the development of individual potential and even suffocates the affirmation of personal desires and ambitions.
Besides, Nietzsche refuted the supposed moral superiority held in Jesus’ teachings. He further cast doubt on the ethical value of humility and mentioned that the idea gave way to denying the affirmation of worth and the quest for excellence. He maintains that absolute morality should be based on the individual’s enthusiasm for life, assertion, and the exercise of individual will to live in pursuit of their own passions. Some say that Jesus’ teachings are a terrible example of allowing such a doctrine to emerge. They include encouraging a system that values only weak and mediocre people and prohibits the progress and success of the individual and society in general.
In “The Antichrist,” Nietzsche’s commentary on Jesus serves as a sharp critique of core Christian values and teachings. He does away with the traditional conception of Jesus as a teacher of morality. He claims that his doctrine undermines the affirmation of life and weakens the development of fundamental human values (Nietzsche 2022). Criticizing Jesus with his alleged teaching of humility, meekness, self-denial, and other sorts of Christian virtues is just a more prominent manifestation of Nietzsche’s rejection of Christian morality and his, in fact, call for a revaluation of the entire existing value system.
Nietzsche’s critique of Christianity has sparked considerable scholarly discourse, with various interpretations offering different perspectives on his ideas. This section introduces selected scholarly sources and provides a close analysis of their respective arguments, along with standard themes and differences between them, in relation to the Nietzschean critique in this scholarly discursive context.
One of the primary sources with a scholarly approach in this field is Walter Kaufmann’s “Nietzsche and the Death of God.” Kaufmann views it as Nietzsche’s critique of Christianity as a transcendent God and the rejection of morality based on such a belief. It must be noted with great caution that the criticism of Nietzsche is not only directed toward religious dogmatism but also toward all moral values and cultural standards, including those grown out of the Christian tradition (Fritzsche 2013). Nietzsche described this as revaluing all values and emphasized that even the revaluing of life is the attitude with which each one should live.
Another great work is “Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, and Antichrist” by Walter A. Kaufmann. Kaufmann explains how Nietzsche criticizes Christianity in light of psychological truths. Kaufmann emphasizes the approach of Nietzsche, according to whom Christian morality necessarily grows out of psychological and social prescripts. He explores the concept of ressentiment in the light of Nietzsche (Walter 1974). Thus, he claims that ressentiment is something Christians place a substantial value on: humility and self-sacrifice, because both are expressions of ressentiment.
Robert C. Holub, on the other hand, writes in “Nietzsche’s Jewish Problem: Between Anti-Semitism and Anti-Judaism” on a different aspect. In this book, Holub tries to query the criticism presented by Nietzsche against Christianity in view of his troubled relationship with Judaism. He states that Nietzsche’s criticism with respect to the origin of Christianity from Judaism is very much anti-Semitic, together with anti-Judaism (Holub 2016). He seeks, then, to explore the subtleties of Nietzsche’s critique, from its highlights to the tensions and contradictions it bears.
The common themes in all these interpretations include the emphasis laid by Nietzsche on the revaluation of values and, in some manner, his criticism of Christian moral influence on individual freedom. The works also partake in the realization of the psychological basis on which Nietzsche’s critique differs, just to the extent that the emphasis is put on ressentiment and its role in Christian values. The authors recognize Nietzsche’s refusal of transcendent faith and his appeal to life-affirming.
However, these interpretations underline divergences. If Kaufmann highlights Nietzsche’s denial of a transcendent God, Holub insists on his complex relations with Judaism. These orientations mirrored the multiple issues arising from Nietzsche’s complex criticism and, at the same time, reflected the different traditions that informed his thinking.
The critique of Nietzsche is very thought-provoking in evaluating the critique of Nietzsche through scholarly discourse. One of the most vital points in Nietzsche’s critique is that it makes people question their firmly established moral and religious beliefs; hence, it allows people to give critical thought to further development in an intellectual discussion (Bishop 2023). His doctrine centered on the affirmation of life and revaluation of values that may provide an alternative view towards individuals, hence liberating them from examining the traditional norms in their regard.
On the other hand, Nietzsche’s critique could be more robust on some accounts. Critics argue that his indictment against Christian morality is oblivious to the possibility of moral development and the positive characteristics of compassion and sympathy that could be developed through religious dogmas. Further, Nietzsche’s criticism has often been understood in terms of overgeneralized and panoptic claims, looking the other way towards the multi-layered interpretation and practice of Christianity.
In conclusion, the following essay explores a critique of Christianity and a comment on Jesus by Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche’s “The Antichrist” might seem to be nothing but a violent attack on Christian values, with Jesus at its center. This essay summarizes Nietzsche’s representation of Jesus as a representative of Christian virtues and his interpretation of Jesus as an opponent of life-affirming instincts. It has touched on Nietzsche’s criticism of the teaching of Jesus himself, humility and self-sacrifice, and other generally meek, mild, and mild Christian virtues described as promoting weakness in the light of motivation for moral good.
Most importantly, Nietzsche’s critique is highly relevant in that it seriously questions traditional Christian values. In so doing, it provokes a reassessment of morality since it calls into question the very basis of Christianity and incites the exercise of criticism, together with free intellectual debate, which might lead to a review of generally admitted truths. Their eminence in the affirmation of life, which takes on a clarion call for the revaluation of values, comes out as an alternative perspective that poses a challenge to the status quo. However, Nietzsche’s critical standpoint is not accessible from weak areas since he was considered to be blind to moral development and to the positive factors supposedly inherent in religious teachings. It is of great importance that scholars continue to explore and debate the views that Nietzsche suggested through his writings and get involved in critical discourse.
Bishop, P., 2023. Nietzsche and the Quest for the Historical Jesus. In Discourses of Philology and Theology in Nietzsche: From the “Untimelies” to The Anti-Christ (pp. 103-166). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Fritzsche, P., 2013. Nietzsche and the death of God: Selected Writings. Waveland Press.
Holub, R.C., 2016. Nietzsche’s Jewish Problem: Between Anti-Semitism and Anti-Judaism. Princeton University Press.
Nietzsche, F., 2022. The Antichrist: Curse on Christianity. DigiCat.
Reginster, B., 2020. What is Nietzsche’s genealogical critique of morality?. Inquiry, pp.1-25.
Van Os, A.C., 2021. The Pious Antichrist: Nietzsche as a Religious Thinker (Master’s thesis).
Walter, K., 1974. Nietzsche: Philosopher Psychologist and Antichrist.