what is true and right. So, also, the norm for the evaluation of the historical facts of religion lies in their agreement with the idea of religion found within us as a living, active principle, or, in other words, in this: that it corresponds to and satisfies our religio-ethical impulses and cravings.
Even if we should regard a critical comparison of Christianity with other religions as superfluous, and presuppose its perfection as a postulate of faith, we could not avoid such a consideration of the subjective religious consciousness. For here, too, the question would always have to be answered, What is the peculiar religious essence of Christianity ? In what consists the distinguishing characteristic of this religion, in view of which it is identical with the concept of religion itself? In short, what is it that makes Christianity appear to us as the perfect religion ? It is impossible to answer this question by a mere historical survey of Christianity. For history nowhere reveals to us Christianity as a simple and unmistakable fact, but as a highly intricate aggregation of different kinds of phenomena, which might impress the superficial observer as a maze of contradictions where every attempt at unification must fail. We have but to glance at the accounts of Christianity given by the various ecclesiastical historians — be they Catholic or Protestant — to appreciate how differently they conceived the essence of Christianity, although they possessed the same accurate knowledge of details. What seemed to one essential, and most important, was for the other an unessential accident, a foreign addition, a survival of Judaism or Paganism, something wholly incongruous with Christianity. How can we decide in what the true conception of Christianity consists? Historical details could not help us to a decision, for they themselves are capable of manifold interpretations. Christianity must attest its superiority through the total impression which it makes upon the mind of the observer. This impression is conditioned by the religious ideal, through which alone the religious nature of the individual attains its necessary realization, and in which his religio-ethical needs find their ultimate satisfaction.
