The Antichrist (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading): A Criticism of Christianity

Needless to say, I find this book meaningful - and enormously so, independently from the ideas that are professed in it, with which I do not directly agree or disagree. More than discussing the book itself, in this review I would like to point out a couple of things that have not been mentioned yet in other reviews. After having been read for entire generations principally by delusional emo teenagers, the Antichrist seems to have gained renewed fortune lately after the recent "I hate religion at all costs" cultural trend that has originated in America in reaction to the increasing loudness of Christian Creationist/Anti-homosexual/anti-Atheism propaganda. This comports essentially that the focus that is given to the book is on whether Christianity is evil and not on other aspects that I find more relevant. Firstly, this book was not intended to be an attack on Christianity because Nietzsche one afternoon got bored and did not know what else to do. The Antichrist was the preface, in a sense, to a much larger and unaccomplished literary work ("The Transvaluation of all values") for which a critique of Christianity was a necessary beginning. Secondly, Nietzsche was a philologist. All his books to an extent are philology works and the Antichrist is no exception. After reading it some time ago, what I still remember well of the Antichrist is how Nietzsche created an incredibly insightful and brave interpretation of an hypothetical 'real' story of Christ basing himself on his philological analysis of the Gospels.

Beyond doubt it is a interesting and provoking book. But if you really want to read something radical about the Christian relegion and its origin you should read a greek book called "M to the N" by the notable author Mimis Androulakis. It contains shoking information on the Christ`s private life.

IS it in english

Nietzsche explains the actual regressive impact of the Christian faith upon human cultural evolution as well as the mindset behind the Christian belief system. Ultimately, he illustrates how Christians see greatness as only an external possibility, doubting themselves to the extent that they hand their own autonomy and personal power/greatness over to an imaginary friend they call "God".