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the "making-profit." There is no proof whatever that a weaker natural "endowment" for technical
economic "rationalism" was responsible for the actual difference in this respect. At the present time, all
these people import this "commodity" as the most important Occidental product, and whatever
impediments exist result from rigid traditions, such as existed among us in the Middle Ages, not from
any lack of ability or will. Such impediments to rational economic development must be sought
primarily in the domain of religion, insofar as they must not be located in the purely political conditions,
the inner structures of rulership, with which we shall deal later. [185]
Only ascetic Protestantism completely eliminated magic and the outer-worldly quest for salvation, of
which the highest form was intellectualist, contemplative "illumination." It alone created the religious
motivations for seeking salvation primarily through the devotion in one's worldly "vocation." This
Protestant concept of the methodically rationalized fulfillment of one's vocation was contrary opposite to
Hinduism's strongly traditionalistic concept of vocations. For the various folk religiosity of Asia, in
contrast to ascetic Protestantism, the world remained a great magical garden, in which the reverence and
coercion of "spirits" and the quest of salvation in this world or the next through ritual, idolatrous, or
sacramental means were in practice oriented and secured. No path led to a rational, methodical conduct
of life from the world accommodation of Confucianism, from the messianic expectations and economic
pariah law of Judaism, from the world-conquest of Islam, from the world-rejection of Buddhism, or
from the magical religiosity of the non-intellectual strata of Asia.
(K.5) Jesus: World-indifference
(K.5.a) Jesus's Self-Consciousness
The second great religion of "world-rejection," in our special sense of the term, was early Christianity, at
the cradle of which magic and belief in demons were also present. Its Savior was primarily a magician
whose magical charisma was an indispensable source of his unique self-consciousness. The distinctive
character of early Christianity, however, was decisively conditioned by the absolutely unique religious
promises of Judaism. It will be recalled that Jesus appeared during the period of the most intensive
messianic expectations. Still another factor contributing to the distinctive message of Christianity was its
reaction to the most highly developed education of scriptural intellectualism of Jewish piety. The
Christian evangel arose in opposition to this intellectualism, as a non-intellectual's proclamation directed
to non-intellectuals, the "poor in spirit." [186] Jesus understood and interpreted the "law," from which he
did not remove even a letter, [187] in a manner common to the lowly and unlearned pious people of the
countryside and the small towns. The pious people of the countryside understood the Law in their own
way and in accordance with the needs of their own occupations, in contrast to the Hellenized, wealthy
and upper-class people and to the scriptural scholars and Pharisees trained in casuistry. Jesus'
interpretation of the Jewish law was milder than theirs in regard to ritual prescriptions, particularly in
regard to the keeping of the Sabbath, [188] but stricter than theirs in other respects, for example, in
regard to the grounds for divorce. [189] There already appears to have been an anticipation of the
Pauline view that the requirements of the Mosaic law were conditioned by the sinfulness of the false
piety. [190] There were, in any case, instances in which Jesus squarely opposed specific injunctions of
the ancient tradition. [191]
Jesus' distinctive self-consciousness did not come from anything like a "proletarian instinct" but from
the knowledge that he was oneness with God and the way of God is through him alone. [192] His self-
dignity was grounded in the fact that he, the non-scholar, possessed both the charisma to control demons
and a powerful preaching ability, both of which no scholar or Pharisee can command. [193] Jesus
experienced that his power to cast out demons was operative only among the people who believed in
him, even if they be heathens, but none of those among in his home town, his own family, the wealthy
and nobles of the land, the scholars, and the Pharisees did he find the faith that gave him his magical
power to work miracles. [194] He did find such a faith among the poor and the oppressed, among
publicans and sinners, and even among Roman soldiers. [195] These charismatic powers were the
absolutely decisive components in Jesus' consciousness concerning his messiahship. And disbelief in
these powers were the fundamental issue in his "denunciation" of the Galilean cities and in his angry
curse upon the fruitless fig tree. [196] His dignity about his own powers also explains why the election
of Israel became ever more problematical to him and the importance of the Temple ever more dubious,
while the rejection of the Pharisees and the scholars became increasingly certain to him. [197]
(K.5.b) Salvational Heroism
Jesus recognized two absolutely mortal sins. One was the "sin against the spirit" committed by the
scriptural scholar who disregarded charisma and its bearers. [198] The other was unbrotherly arrogance,
such as the arrogance of the intellectual toward the poor in spirit, when the intellectual throws at his
brother the exclamation "Fool!" [199] This anti-intellectualist rejection of scholarly arrogance and of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]