The Antichrist | Study Guide

Friedrich Nietzsche wrote The Antichrist toward the end of his life. He had explored many of its central ideas in the works that preceded it. In The Antichrist Nietzsche offers a more in-depth analysis of the psychological profiles of the Christians' savior Jesus Christ (c. 6–4 BCE to c. 30 CE) and Christians to shed light on the subtle forces that motivate a religious way of life. Nietzsche traces the roots of the institution of Christianity back to the early days after Christ's death. Nietzsche concludes that Christian belief is not benign and that Christian priests are predators who intentionally distort Christ's authentic teachings for their own gain. Nietzsche begins The Antichrist with a scathing critique of the institution of the church. He then praises a form of life marked by joy and the independent quest for truth and knowledge. The Antichrist offers Nietzsche's most comprehensive and systematic attack against the priesthood, the church, and the value system that accompanied the institutionalization of Christ's teachings.