The Apostle Paul’s Conception of Sárx and Nietzsche’s Feeling of Power

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The theological concept of sárx designates the “carnality of flesh”, locus of sin, corruption and weakness. As Nietzsche worked on Dawn, he elaborated the concept of feeling of power, which he thought to be a key element in his study of the prejudices of morality and often linked to reflexions on the apostle. Paul, according to Nietzsche, used the notion of flesh as a tool to reach a feeling of power. How could the very source of weakness lead to power? The feeling of power, should it come from the flesh, could attest no real power but would be an illusion that masks powerlessness. Even when Paul claimed that his flesh was eradicated, it was maybe nothing but one of its most sophisticated tricks to create the highest, but also the most fanciful, feeling of power. However, Paul exerted power in many ways: he reinterpreted the world, transformed himself, reverted the values, lead the masses, influenced the course of history and founded Christianity. Was the Pauline feeling of power just delusion or part of his power? Both, as I show: Nietzsche’s refined analysis of the feeling of power blurs the boundaries between power and powerlessness.