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in 1835/36.18 The book stirred enormous polemical reactions, which jeopardized Strauss’ career as an academic, pushing him to become a freelance intellectu- al. His book about Jesus was reprinted four times between 1835/36 and 1864. Translations into foreign languages appeared very soon, and criticism stemmed from both the Catholic and the Protestant folds.19 By the 1870s Strauss had ulti- mately left religion behind, becoming a true follower of science, especially in the guise of social Darwinism.20 Schweitzer praised his style and clarity and claimed, “as a literary work, Strauss’ first life of Jesus is one of the most perfect things in the whole range of learned literature. In over fourteen hundred pages he has not a superfluous phrase; his analysis descends to the minutest details, but he does not lose his way among them.”21 Much of the scandal about Strauss’ life of Jesus has to be linked to his idea of myth as applied to the Gospels. Strauss claimed, indeed, that much of what was recounted in the Gospels is mythical, as none of the authors of the Gospels were eyewitnesses. The narrative patterns of the Gospels, according to Strauss, are often modelled after Old Testament narrative stories. The notion of myth as applied to the New Testament was outrageous enough to kindle severe criticism and harassment. Nevertheless, Strauss’ work became a classic, and his deconstructive reading of the Bible was applied subsequently by other scholars. In Strauss’ last work on religion, Jesus had become a “religious enthusiast” whose authentic message was unsuitable for a modern society.22 Strauss had fuelled immense debate in the many European countries where his works were translated and commented upon, and another book similarly destined soon appeared. In 1863 the French Orientalist and biblical scholar Er- nest Renan (1823–1892) published the acclaimed Vie de Jésus (Life of Jesus), which became one of the most popular books of its time, second only to the novels of Émile Zola.23 Renan, who had been raised a Catholic, left behind his religion to become a committed secular historian, an icon for freethinkers and liberals who applauded him as a modern hero devoted to the pursuit of sci- ence. His Life of Jesus was the result of much preparation, which included both a long journey to the Holy Land and his cooperative enterprise with his publisher, Michel Lévy.24 Renan’s controversial masterpiece was created under two cultur- al influences, one of which spread from within, related to the vast production of 18 Strauss 1835/36; third edition with modification 1838/39; fourth edition 1840 (as the first and second). In 1864 Strauss published a book on Jesus modeled after Renan’s Vie de Jésus: Strauss 1864. 19 Labanca 1903. 20 Moxnes 2012. 21 Schweitzer 2005, 65. 22 Moxnes 2012. 23 Renan 1863; Renan 1864. 24 Richard 2015; Priest 2015. 74 | Cristiana Facchini www.jrfm.eu 2019, 5/1