To Wallace J. Maclean
Via Santo Stefano Rotondo, 6
Rome. September 23, 1946
Dear Mr. Maclean,
A person who calls himself my disciple and takes the pains to write an interesting letter, deserves an answer. . . .
That my “Idea of Christ” should be disappointing does not surprise me. What might have pleased would have been a fancy life of Jesus, showing that he was a Democrat and not a Totalitarian. I think some one some day may write a Life of Jesus that could be called historical, not in its episodes and personages, which would be traditional, but in the picture of the Soul of Jesus, torn by incompatible ideas and affections. But the author would have to know all about the times and the various sects in conflict; and he would have to dislike the Christian Idea of Christ, or God-in-Man. Now, my book is written in sympathy with that idea, and prudent reserve about the life of Jesus, which I feel was very tragic. But God-in-Man is an eternal theme, not a problem for historical guess-work. That is why it interests me.
Yours sincerely,
G Santayana
From The Letters of George Santayana: Book Seven, 1941-1947. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2006.
Location of manuscript: The Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge MA