«Deus est mortuus»
Roots of Nietzsche’s «Gott ist todt!» in the Later Middle Ages
This essay presents textual evidence that Nietzsche’s slogan “Gott ist todt!” (“God is dead!”) can be found in several texts of the later Middle Ages (both in Latin and in vernacular languages). Furthermore, it is argued that Nietzsche read one of these texts very early in his life – probably during the six years of his stay at Schulpforta – and that this may be one of the sources of his famous slogan. It is also shown how the slogan “God is dead!” could originate during the later Middle Ages.