The Essence of Christianity

The Essence of Christianity by Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach, translated by Marian Evans

Preface→

Das Wesen des Christenthums (1841)

• Preface to the Second Edition

CONTENTS.

---

INTRODUCTION.

chapter			page
I.	§ 1. The Essential Nature of Man	. . .	1
I.	§ 2. The Essence of Religion considered generally	. . .	12

Part I.
THE TRUE OR ANTHROPOLOGICAL ESSENCE OF RELIGION.

II.	God as a Being of the Understanding	. . .	32
III.	God as a Moral Being, or Law	. . .	43
IV.	The Mystery of the Incarnation; or, God as Love, as a Being of the Heart	. . .	49
V.	The Mystery of the Suffering God	. . .	58
VI.	The Mystery of the Trinity and the Mother of God	. . .	64
VII.	The Mystery of the Logos and Divine Image	. . .	73
VIII.	The Mystery of the Cosmogonical Principle in God	. . .	79
IX.	The Mystery of Mysticism, or Nature in God	. . .	86
X.	The Mystery of Providence and Creation out of Nothing	. . .	100
XI.	The Significance of the Creation in Judaism	. . .	111
XII.	The Omnipotence of Feeling, or the Mystery of Prayer	. . .	119
XIII.	The Mystery of Faith—the Mystery of Miracle	. . .	125
XIV.	The Mystery of the Resurrection and of the Miraculous Conception	. . .	134
XV.	The Mystery of the Christian Christ, or the Personal God	. . .	139
XVI.	The Distinction between Christianity and Heathenism	. . .	149
XVII.	The Significance of Voluntary Celibacy and Monachism	. . .	159
XVIII.	The Christian Heaven, or Personal Immortality	. . .	169

Part II.
THE FALSE OR THEOLOGICAL ESSENCE OF RELIGION.

chapter			page
XIX.	The Essential Stand-point of Religion	. . .	184
XX.	The Contradiction in the Existence of God	. . .	196
XXI.	The Contradiction in the Revelation of God	. . .	203
XXII.	The Contradiction in the Nature of God in general	. . .	211
XXIII.	The Contradiction in the Speculative Doctrine of God	. . .	224
XXIV.	The Contradiction in the Trinity	. . .	230
XXV.	The Contradiction in the Sacraments	. . .	234
XXVI.	The Contradiction of Faith and Love	. . .	245
XXVII.	Concluding Application	. . .	267

APPENDIX.

section
1.	The Religious Emotions purely Human	. . .	275
2.	God is Feeling released from Limits	. . .	277
3.	God is the highest Feeling of Self	. . .	278
4.	Distinction between the Pantheistic and Personal God	. . .	279
5.	Nature without interest for Christians	. . .	282
6.	In God Man is his own Object	. . .	284
7.	Christianity the Religion of Suffering	. . .	287
8.	Mystery of the Trinity	. . .	288
9.	Creation out of nothing	. . .	293
10.	Egoism of the Israelitish Religion	. . .	294
11.	The Idea of Providence	. . .	295
12.	Contradiction of Faith and Reason	. . .	300
13.	The Resurrection of Christ	. . .	304
14.	The Christian a Supermundane Being	. . .	304
15.	The Celibate and Monachism	. . .	305
16.	The Christian Heaven	. . .	313
17.	What Faith denies on Earth it affirms in Heaven	. . .	315
18.	Contradictions in the Sacraments	. . .	316
19.	Contradiction of Faith and Love	. . .	319
20.	Results of the Principle of Faith	. . .	325
21.	Contradiction of the God-Man	. . .	332
22.	Anthropology the Mystery of Theology	. . .	337

This is a translation and has a separate copyright status from the original text. The license for the translation applies to this edition only.
Original:	This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Translation:	This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.