CONTESTING SPIRIT This page intentionally left blank CONTESTING SPIRIT NIETZSCHE, AFFIRMATION, RELIGION TYLER T. ROBERTS PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY Copyright1998byPrincetonUniversityPress PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet, Princeton,NewJersey08540 IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress, Chichester,WestSussex AllRightsReserved LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Roberts,TylerT.,1960– Contestingspirit:Nietzsche,affirmation,religion/TylerT.Roberts. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN0-691-05937-3(alk.paper).—ISBN0-691-00127-8(pbk.:alk.paper) 1.Nietzsche,FriedrichWilhelm,1844–1900—Religion. 2.Religion—Philosophy—History—19thcentury.I.Title B3318.R4R63 1998 200'.92—dc21 98-14875 CIP “Heaven”wordsandmusicbyDavidByrne.1979SireRecordsCo., p.1979IndexMusic,Inc./BleuDisqueMusicCo.,Inc. ThisbookhasbeencomposedinSabon PrincetonUniversityPressbooksareprinted onacid-freepaperandmeettheguidelinesfor permanenceanddurabilityoftheCommitteeon ProductionGuidelinesforBookLongevity oftheCouncilonLibraryResources http://pup.princeton.edu PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (Pbk.) DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF Alexander S. T. Roberts 1965–1993 This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix NOTEONTEXTSANDCITATIONS xi INTRODUCTION NietzscheandReligion 3 CHAPTERONE TooMuchofNothing:Metaphysicsandthe ValueofExistence 24 CHAPTERTWO FiguringReligion,ContestingSpirit 48 CHAPTERTHREE Nietzsche’sAsceticism 77 CHAPTERFOUR TheProblemofMysticisminNietzsche 103 CHAPTERFIVE EcstaticPhilosophy 138 CHAPTERSIX Nietzsche’sAffirmation:APassionfortheReal 164 CONCLUSION AlterityandAffirmation 202 BIBLIOGRAPHY 215 INDEX 225 This page intentionally left blank ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A FIRST BOOK carries with it more debts of gratitude than it is possibleto remember,much lessacknowledge ina pageor two. This book is a revision of my dissertation, so I will begin by thanking my advisers at Harvard: Gordon Kaufman, Francis Fiorenza, and Fred Neuhouser. Each provided detailed, rigorous responses to my work.IwouldliketothankGordonKaufmaninparticular,notonlyfor the support he gave me throughout my years as a doctoral student, but also for the generosity and guidance he has continued to offer as I have workedtorevisethedissertation.Otherswhodeservethanksforhelpful comments on drafts and stimulating conversation include Margaret Miles, Sharon Welch, David Lamberth, Alec Irwin, Charlie Stang, Brad Cullin, Mark Taylor, Charles Hallisey, and Anne Monius. Charles Win- quist,LesliePaulThiele,andJohnLysakereachreadthepenultimatedraft andofferedinsightfulchallengesthathavemadethisabetterbook.Ialso wouldliketothankthefollowingforopportunitiestopresentanddiscuss portionsofthebook:theHarvardDivinitySchoolTheologyColloquium andtheMysticism,Nineteenth-CenturyTheology,andPhilosophyofRe- ligiongroupsoftheAmericanAcademyofReligion.AnnWaldatPrince- ton University Press has been an informative and encouraging guide through the world of publishing. Lucinda Schutzmann was a great help inputtingtogethertheindex. Inadditiontothosedirectlyinvolvedinthewritingofthebook,many othershaveofferedsupportandinspiration.Earlyinmygraduatestudies, Sharon Welch demonstrated for me, and, I know, for many others, themodel ofanimpassionedand affirmativescholarand teacher.Diana Eck and my colleagues at the Committee for the Study of Religion at Harvard provided a stimulating and challenging environment for a new teacher and young scholar. Throughout the years, Richard Wright, BillZieff,RooneyandSarahSelf,andJackandAudreyBerryhavebeen great friends. I have to give special thanks to Rooney and Sarah for a quietspotinthehillsofNewHampshire,whereIfirstsketchedthebasic ideas for this book. I also want to thank my family, particularly my mother, Jane Roberts, and mygrandfather, Charles Tillinghast. They in- stilledinmeandcontinuetoexemplifyintheirlivesthesynergyofdreams anddiscipline. Finally,Ithankmycolleague,friend,andwife,KathleenRobertsSker- rett.Shehasbeenmymostcherishedintellectualcompanion:apartnerin