Sir, - M. O'Flanagan (April 11th) found John Banville's reminiscences on "Bad Friday" and his quotations from - and commentary on - Nietzsche's The Antichrist(ian) offensive, but rallied to challenge him to read the Cathechism of the Catholic Church and the New Testament and then to "return to his invective, if he can do so in good faith".
In line with current attempts to explore beyond old boundaries may I recommend that, in return, M. O'Flanagan reads Nietzsche's The Antichrist(ian). John Banville will, no doubt, heed Nietzsche's advice "that one does well to put on gloves when reading the New Testament," but I'll wager that M. O'Flanagan's brand of tetchy Christianity will need more robust armour for an encounter with Nietzsche's critique! - Yours, etc.,
D. J. Doody
Cornahoe, Glaslough, Co Monaghan.