11. On the Essence of Christianity

The materialistic worldview is incapable of penetrating the essence of Christianity. It is impossible to get through to Christ by mere belief in the written word, which is subject to historical-critical research, these documents of Christianity. The first three Gospels, which tell us the story of Jesus of Nazareth, were written long, long after his sacrificial death. Centuries had passed since then. Nothing has been preserved to us from the time when Jesus lived. Why not? Because the individual facts are not important in themselves; they are not of such outstanding significance. If it is not possible for us to solve the question in this way, by investigating the facts, how can we solve the mystery at all?