DEATH AND RESURRECTION. 49 



it remained unnoticed that natural 

 science had discovered the inner, spir- 

 itual body, which is the very kernel of 

 the belief in the body as an eternal 

 part of man's nature, then materialism 

 was the only possible alternative for all 

 those who were convinced that the body 

 contained something imperishable. Ma- 

 terialism, in our days, springs from the 

 same instinct as the death-cultus in 

 ancient times. It has, therefore, in- 

 tegrally, something correct and true as 

 a basis, which not only explains the 

 rapid and wide expansion of this doc- 

 trine, but also the fact that the ma- 

 terialists are continually using data 

 and evidence which clearly and plainly 

 disprove their own position, although 

 they do not perceive it themselves. As 

 probably no one has treated this theme 

 in a manner more characteristic of ma- 

 terialism than Biichner, we will, in the 

 following study, use his work above 

 mentioned, which may be said to be 

 typical for the materialist's mode of 

 thinking and reasoning. It will here 



