The moment which the high priest said to him, 'Who are you?''I am the anointed, the Son of the Uncreated God, and you should see me appearing at the end of all history as the judge of the universe!'When you look into his conversion you will find this sort of claim running throughout the whole thing. Well, that is the other side. On the one side clear, definite moral teaching. On the other, claims which, if not true, are those of a megalomaniac, compared with whom Hitler was the most sane and humble of man. here is no halfway house and these is no parallel in other religions.
If you had gone to Buddha and ask him:'Are you the Son of Brahma?' he would have said,'My son, you are still in the vale of illusion.' If you had gone to Socrates and asked 'Are you Zeus?' He would have laughed at you. If you had gone to Mohammed and ask, 'Are you Allah?' He would have first have rent his clothes and then cut your head off. If you had asked Confucius, 'Are you haven?', I think he would have probably replied, 'Remarks which are not in accordance with the nature are in bad taste.'
The idea of a great moral teacher saying what Christ said is out of the question. In my opinion, the only person who can say that sort of thing is either God or a complete lunatic suffering from that form of delusion which undermines the whole mind of man. If you think you are a poached egg, when you are looking for a piece of toast to suit you, you may be sane, but if you think you are God, there is no chance for you.
[C.S. Lewis, Essays Collection]
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