The Essence of Christianity / Translated from the second German edition

by Ludwig Feuerbach

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

CHAPTER PAGE

I. § 1.	[The Essential Nature of Man]					1
§ 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]					33
III.	[God as a Moral Being or Law]					44
IV.	[The Mystery of the Incarnation; or, God as Love, as a Beingof the Heart]					50
V.	[The Mystery of the Suffering God]					59
VI.	[The Mystery of the Trinity and the Mother of God]					65
VII.	[The Mystery of the Logos and Divine Image]					74
VIII.	[The Mystery of the Cosmogonical Principle in God]					80
IX.	[The Mystery of Mysticism, or of Nature in God]					87
X.	[The Mystery of Providence and Creation out ofNothing]					101
XI.	[The Significance of the Creation in Judaism]					112
XII.	[The Omnipotence of Feeling, or the Mystery ofPrayer]					120
XIII.	[The Mystery of Faith—The Mystery of Miracle]					126
XIV.	[The Mystery of the Resurrection and of the MiraculousConception]					135
XV.	[The Mystery of the Christian Christ, or the PersonalGod]					140
XVI.	[The Distinction between Christianity and Heathenism]					150
XVII.	[The Significance of Voluntary Celibacy andMonachism]					160
XVIII.	[The Christian Heaven, or Personal Immortality]					170

Part II.

[THE FALSE OR THEOLOGICAL ESSENCE OF RELIGION].

XIX.	[The Essential Standpoint of Religion]					185
XX.	[The Contradiction in the Existence of God]					197
XXI.	[The Contradiction in the Revelation of God]					204
XXII.	[The Contradiction in the Nature of God in General]					213
XXIII.	[The Contradiction in the Speculative Doctrine ofGod]					226
XXIV.	[The Contradiction in the Trinity]					232
XXV.	[The Contradiction in the Sacraments]					236
XXVI.	[The Contradiction of Faith and Love]					247
XXVII.	[Concluding Application]					270

[APPENDIX.]

SECTION

1.	[The Religious Emotions Purely Human]					281
2.	[God is Feeling Released from Limits]					283
3.	[God is the Highest Feeling of Self]					284
4.	[Distinction between the Pantheistic and PersonalGod]					285
5.	[Nature without Interest for Christians]					287
6.	[In God Man is his Own Object]					289
7.	[Christianity the Religion of Suffering]					292
8.	[Mystery of the Trinity]					293
9.	[Creation out of Nothing]					297
10.	[Egoism of the Israelitish Religion]					298
11.	[The Idea of Providence]					299
12.	[Contradiction of Faith and Reason]					304
13.	[The Resurrection of Christ]					306
14.	[The Christian a Supermundane Being]					307
15.	[The Celibate and Monachism]					308
16.	[The Christian Heaven]					315
17.	[What Faith Denies on Earth it Affirms in Heaven]					316
18.	[Contradictions in the Sacraments]					317
19.	[Contradiction of Faith and Love]					320
20.	[Results of the Principle of Faith]					326
21.	[Contradiction of the God-Man]					332
22.	[Anthropology the Mystery of Theology]					336