Bayan kammala karatunsa a watan Satumbar 1864, Nietzsche ya fara karatun tauhidi da ilimin kimiyyar gargajiya a Jami'ar Bonn tare da fatan zama minista. A cikin ɗan gajeren lokaci shi da Deussen sun zama membobin Burschenschaft Frankonia. Bayan semester daya (da kuma fushin mahaifiyarsa), ya dakatar da karatunsa na ilimin tauhidi kuma ya rasa imaninsa. Tun a farkon rubutunsa na 1862 "Fate da Tarihi", Nietzsche ya yi jayayya cewa binciken tarihi ya ɓata koyarwar koyarwar Kiristanci, amma David Strauss's Game da Rayuwar Yesu kuma da alama ya yi tasiri sosai a kan saurayin. Bugu da ƙari, Ludwig Feuerbach's Mahimmancin Kiristanci ya rinjayi Nietzsche tare da hujjar cewa Allah ne ya halicci mutane, ba wai akasin haka ba.
Satumba na shekara ta 1864