Abstract
The thesis "Mirroring of Motives of F. Nietzsche's Critique of Christianity in D.
Bonhoeffer's Prison Theology" contemplates Bonhoeffer's thoughts on non-religious interpretation, that Bonhoeffer expands upon in his letters from prison, in the light of critique of Christianity that was expressed by Friedrich Nietzsche. Chapter I looks into the history of interpretation of Bonhoeffer's research and provides a brief overview of past and contemporary efforts to explain Bonhoeffer's approach to philosophy.
Chapter II introduces basic principles and key topics of the critique of Christianity first in Nietzsche's work The Antichrist, followed by Bonhoeffer's Letters and Papers from Prison. Chapter III compares the most obvious motives in the thinking of Nietzsche and Bonhoeffer within the aforementioned scope.
Selected themes in works of these two German thinkers overlap particularly in their philosophy of life, understanding of a man come of age, and their critiques of Christianity that is deflecting from this world towards the transcendent sphere of the world beyond (in German, it is expressed as a difference in the meaning of "Diesseits" and "Jenseits"). Bonhoeffer's thoughts on the preaching of Gospel to the man come of age who is free of false, religious misbeliefs, and who feels strong, capable, and spiritually healthy, may be inspired by Nietzsche's demands for the removal of "Jenseits" - the world beyond - and for the utter acceptance of life which he feels Christians keep rejecting.
While there is a considerable overlap of Bonhoeffer's and Nietzsche's critique of Christianity, the thesis concludes that in his letters from prison Bonhoeffer presents his own theology, and the aforementioned motives from Nietzsche are viewed particularly through Bonhoeffer's Christology. The exact scope of Nietzsche's influence on Bonhoeffer is difficult to determine mainly because the examined letters are incomplete, and also because there is no direct reference to Nietzsche in relation to the studied themes within these letters.