To the majority of learned then, looking at the living, moral
teaching of Christ from the lower standpoint of the conception of
life, this doctrine appears as nothing but very indefinite and
incongruous combination of Indian asceticism, Stoic and
Neoplatonic philosophy, and insubstantial anti-social visions,
which have no serious significance for our times. Its whole
meaning is concentrated for them in its external manifestations--
in Catholicism, Protestantism, in certain dogmas, or in the
conflict with the temporal power. Estimating the value of
Christianity by these phenomena is like a deaf man's judging of
the character and quality of music by seeing the movements of the
musicians.

The result of this is that all these scientific men, from Kant,
Strauss, Spencer, and Renan down, do not understand the meaning of
Christ's sayings, do not understand the significance, the object,
or the reason of their utterance, do not understand even the
question to which they form the answer. Yet, without even taking
the pains to enter into their meaning, they refuse, if unfavorably
disposed, to recognize any reasonableness in his doctrines; or if
they want to treat them indulgently, they condescend, from the
height of their superiority, to correct them, on the supposition
that Christ meant to express precisely their own ideas, but did
not succeed in doing so. They behave to his teaching much as
self-assertive people talk to those whom they consider beneath
them, often supplying their companions' words: "Yes, you mean to
say this and that." This correction is always with the aim of
reducing the teaching of the higher, divine conception of life to
the level of the lower, state conception of life.