Paulus, Nietzsche og loven

Resumé

Focusing on F. Nietzsche’s (1844-1900) discussion of Paul, especially in Day Break (Morgenröte, 1881) and The Antichrist (Der Antichrist, 1888/1895), this essay analyzes Nietzsche’s ambivalent attitude toward Paul and the Judeo-Christian tradition. Departing from a groundbreaking essay by Jörg Salaquarda on the topic, it is suggested that Nietzsche eventually regarded Paul’s theology of the cross as the ultimate and so far most powerful rejection of human existence. Thus Nietzsche’s own attempt at an overcoming of the hostility of Christian moral not only had to depart from Paul’s theology; it also had to assume the form of a theological reflection.