heory of descent becomes a mere piece of politeness....

[14] So in the text. One of Nietzsche's numerous coinages, obviously
suggested by _Evangelium_, the German for _gospel_.

40.

--The fate of the Gospels was decided by death--it hung on the "cross."...
It was only death, that unexpected and shameful death; it was only
the cross, which was usually reserved for the canaille only--it was only
this appalling paradox which brought the disciples face to face with the
real riddle: "_Who was it? what was it_?"--The feeling of dismay, of
profound affront and injury; the suspicion that such a death might
involve a _refutation_ of their cause; the terrible question, "Why just
in this way?"--this state of mind is only too easy to understand. Here
everything _must_ be accounted for as necessary; everything must have a
meaning, a reason, the highest sort of reason; the love of a disciple
excludes all chance. Only then did the chasm of doubt yawn: "_Who_ put
him to death? who was his natural enemy?"--this question flashed like a
lightning-stroke. Answer: dominant Judaism, its ruling class. From that
moment, one found one's self in revolt _against_ the established order,
and began to understand Jesus as _in revolt against the established
order_. Until then this militant, this nay-saying, nay-doing element in
his character had been lacking; what is more, he had appeared to present
its opposite. Obviously, the little community had _not_ understood what
was precisely the most important thing of all: the example offered by
this way of dying, the freedom from and superiority to every feeling of
_ressentiment_--a plain indication of how little he was understood at
all! All that Jesus could hope to accomplish by his death, in itself,
was to offer the strongest possible proof, or _example_, of his
teachings in the most public manner.... But his disciples were very far
from _forgiving_ his death--though to have done so would have accorded
with the Gospels in the highest degree; and neither were they prepared
to _offer_ themselves, with gentle and serene calmness of heart, for a
similar death.... On the contrary, it was precisely the most
unevangelical of feelings, _revenge_, that now possessed them. It seemed
impossible that the cause should perish with his death: "recompense" and
"judgment" became necessary (--yet what could be less evangelical than
"recompense," "punishment," and "sitting in judgment"!). Once more the
popular belief