How Eberhard Arnold Interpreted Nietzsche

Eberhard Arnold, the founder of the Bruderhof communities, often engaged with Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy, offering both defensive and constructive responses. This article explores some of the most noteworthy ways that Arnold interacted with Nietzsche's ideas. While aligning with Nietzsche's critique of Christianity's shift toward afterlife obsession, Arnold advocated a return to early Christianity's celebration of this life. Arnold's theology centered on hope and fulfillment, challenging conventional morality and law-like religion, and underscoring the importance of the inner life, while refusing to pit it against the material world. The article also highlights several productive themes that arise from the intersection of Arnold and Nietzsche by recruiting historical and contemporary interlocutors to make sense of the culmination of Arnold's response: establishing Bruderhof communities as living embodiments of his convictions, transcending rational answers, and exemplifying a life-affirming Christian witness.