Napoleon said, "I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a
man. Superficial minds see resemblance between Christ and the founders
of empires and the gods of other religions; that resemblance does not
exist. There is between Christianity and whatever other religion the
distance of infinity. As for me, I recognize the gods and these great
men as beings like myself. Nothing announces them as divine. It is not
so with Christ. Everything in him astonishes me; between him and whoever
else in the world there is no term of comparison. He is truly a being by
himself. In fact, the sciences and philosophy avail nothing for
salvation, and Jesus came into the world to reveal the mysteries of
Heaven and the laws of the spirit; also he has nothing to do but with
the soul, and to that alone he brings his gospel. * * * Jesus borrowed
nothing from our sciences. He is not a philosopher, since he advances by
miracles, and from the commencement his disciples worshipped him.
"The Bible contains a complete series of facts of historical men, to
explain time and eternity, such as no other religion has to offer. Even
the impious themselves have never dared to deny the sublimity of the
gospel. * * * In every other existence but that of Christ how many
imperfections! * * Christ proved that he was the son of the Eternal by
his disregard of time. All his doctrines signify one only and the same
thing--_eternity_."