also so in Christianity, in Judaism, in Islam—in the monotheistic religions which have criticized to a certain extent idolatrous elements in the religions in which they appeared; but this criticism is not strong enough.

The weakness of all faith is, as Calvin said, that the human mind is a continuously-working factory of idols. We all produce idols continuously. Sometimes our work becomes an idol, sometimes a beloved one becomes an idol, sometimes a religious dogma, a sacrament—and the human mind never escapes this: it is always creating ultimates which are not really ultimate.

This is the reason that I said (I think it was in the second hour of these lectures) something about which I have often been asked in the meantime, and which I want to repeat now, in order to say what I believe is the criterion of the really ultimate.

We cannot have the really ultimate as something which we can grasp—then it wouldn't be ultimate at all. Ultimacy includes transcendence beyond anything relative, and our language, and everything we would say about the ultimate, is relative.

Therefore I said: the only real ultimate is that finite which sacrifices itself as finite. I referred this to the Messiah who, against all expectations, instead of bringing a new period of history, was crucified by the old period of history. Then I got from many of you the question, “Now there are so many martyrs; self-sacrifice cannot be a criterion, because in every very idolatrous or quasi-religious movement, there are people who sacrifice themselves.” Now this was a misunderstanding, for which I am responsible, and therefore I am glad that