The Prince of This World

Author:   Adam Kotsko
Publisher:   Stanford University Press
ISBN:  

9781503600201


Pages:   240
Publication Date:   26 October 2016
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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The Prince of This World


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Overview

The most enduring challenge to traditional monotheism is the problem of evil, which attempts to reconcile three incompatible propositions: God is all-good, God is all-powerful, and evil happens. The Prince of This World traces the story of one of the most influential attempts to square this circle: the offloading of responsibility for evil onto one of God's rebellious creatures. In this striking reexamination, the devil's story is bitterly ironic, full of tragic reversals. He emerges as a theological symbol who helps oppressed communities cope with the trauma of unjust persecution, torture, and death at the hands of political authorities and eventually becomes a vehicle to justify oppression at the hands of Christian rulers. And he evolves alongside the biblical God, who at first presents himself as the liberator of the oppressed but ends up a cruel ruler who delights in the infliction of suffering on his friends and enemies alike. In other words, this is the story of how God becomes the devil-a devil who remains with us in our ostensibly secular age.

Full Product Details

Author:   Adam Kotsko
Publisher:   Stanford University Press
Imprint:   Stanford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 14.00cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   0.318kg
ISBN:  

9781503600201


ISBN 10:   1503600203
Pages:   240
Publication Date:   26 October 2016
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

"Contents and AbstractsIntroduction: Why the Devil? chapter abstractThe Introduction begins with the tortured discussions of moral accountability in the context of police shootings of unarmed black victims, arguing that there are similarly convoluted dynamics at work in medieval theological reflections on the devil. It traces this problematic back to the problem of evil, using the Book of Job as its primary point of reference while noting that the text is an outlier in the Hebrew biblical tradition. Where Job is focused on problems of individual suffering, most of the Hebrew Bible is more concerned with the problems of justice and political legitimacy that arise from Israel's unique relationship to God. 1The Hebrew Biblical Tradition chapter abstractThis chapter begins with God's rivalry with Pharaoh, who serves as the earliest model for the theological figure who will become the devil. It traces three major theological paradigms that attempt to vindicate the claim that Israel's God is the God of all the world in the face of the Jewish community's various political experiences under self-rule, in conditions of diaspora under tolerable rulers, and in situations of systematic persecution. The latter gives rise to the apocalyptic paradigm, which is where the figure of a cosmic rival to God first emerges as a theological symbol for an oppressive ruler—a figure that ultimately develops into the devil. Along the way, it connects the problem of evil with the concept of sovereignty, which has been so central to contemporary debates on political theology. 2The New Testament and Early Christianity chapter abstractAfter reviewing the three paradigms, this chapter investigates the ways that Christianity takes up and transforms the apocalyptic paradigm in light of two key experiences: the crucifixion of God's chosen messiah and the rejection of that messiah by the Jewish mainstream. It traces the Christian tradition's growing tendency to de-emphasize the association between the devil and earthly rulers and to instead put forward a special connection, first between the devil and the Jews and subsequently between the devil and a wider range of religious opponents (heretics and pagans). This shift prepares the ground for mainstream Christianity's acceptance of imperial patronage under Constantine, intensifying the identification of the devil with marginalized groups. This reversal highlights the ambiguities of revolution, which is central to modern ideas of political legitimacy even as it always threatens to replace one oppressor with another. 3Monasticism and Medieval Christianity chapter abstractThis chapter starts with an exploration of the so-called ransom theory of redemption, according to which Christ must become incarnate and die as a way of setting us free from our bondage to the devil. It uses a late articulation of this narrative as a way of tracing the growing influence of monastic spirituality on Christian theology in the post-Constantine era. The ransom theory had viewed humanity as freely—if misguidedly—assenting to the devil's rule in a way that anticipates the modern concept of the social contract, a notion that is also relevant for the formation of new voluntary social groupings in the context of the monastic movement. It proceeds to argue that in monasticism, the devil becomes identified with the body and its demands, so the monks' ascetic disciplines are viewed as a way of conquering the devil. 4The Fall of the Devil chapter abstractWithin monotheism, the existence of the devil creates as many conceptual problems as he solves. He initially seems to relieve God of responsibility for evil, yet a consistent monotheism demands that the devil, too, must have been created by God. This chapter maps out the ways that these tensions come to a head in the vexed theological problem of the fall of the devil. What could have motivated the devil, who must have been created in an initially good state, to rebel against God? Here freedom emerges as the key concept to bridge this conceptual gap, allowing God to take responsibility for creating the devil while still blaming the devil for his own evil choices. Explicit connections are made with modern social contract theory and with Descartes's ""evil demon."" 5The Earthly City chapter abstractThis chapter looks at the devil's activities within the present world, particularly his relationship with marginal and oppressed groups, as well as the increasingly repressed and reviled demands of the body itself, to tempt and harass the faithful. It looks at theologians' attempts to account for the existence of such groups and their place in God's providential plan. Areas of focus include the problem of original sin, the notion of the katechon, and the demonization of Jews and witches. Ultimately, it argues that their justification of God's indirect use of evil for good anticipates the modern concept of the economy, which transmutes our selfish choices into social benefits, as well as foreshadows modern strategies of domination centered on racialization. 6Life in Hell chapter abstractThis chapter concludes the devil's life story with a tour of his ultimate destination: hell. It explores the meaning and justification of eternal damnation as well as its somewhat disturbing role as a spectacle for the blessed. In light of these connections, it attempts to recontextualize Dante's Inferno, particularly the common claim that the work is somehow proto-modern. It suggests that hell may be a part of the genealogy of the modern prison, with all the disciplinary forms it entails. It concludes by arguing that hell reveals the truth of the medieval theological system: the medieval God thrives on suffering, but there also remains something that is fundamentally beyond his control. Conclusion: The Legacy of the Devil chapter abstractThe Conclusion briefly treats the devil's overt legacy in early modernity, most notably in the tendency to read the devil as the hero of Milton's Paradise Lost and the centrality of Goethe's Faust to the development of modern thought. Yet it argues that the more decisive influence of the devil in modernity is not the literal figure itself but the conceptual problems that the devil brings together—freedom, punishment, and legitimacy. Viewed in this light, many of the most treasured values of modernity appear deeply questionable and even destructive, so the book closes with a call to rethink those values and find new ways of living with our devils."

Reviews

This diabolically gripping genealogy offers a stunning parable of western politics religious and secular. It tracks as has never been done before the dramatic shifts of the relation between God and the Devilconflict, rivalry, game of mirrors, fusion. With the ironic wisdom of a postmodern Beatrice, Kotsko guides us through the sequence of hells that leads to our own. Catherine Keller, Drew University


The devil's visitations have been multivalent in the course of history and we should not be shocked by the reach of his wily creativity. The devil is, as ever, the prince of this world, and he will have his seat at the table. The central idea of his truly excellent study-that the devil exists and persists in a living gallery of secularized forms-is a highly engaging exercise in political theology and deserves a wide readership. -- Michael P. Murphy * <i>Reading Religion </i> * A substantial contribution to recent studies of the figure of the devil in Christian theology. Adam Kotsko goes beyond the biography of an icon to a provocative investigation of the devil's many lives and effects in cultural and political ideologies. Not only that, his book is a great read. -- Laurel C. Schneider * Vanderbilt University * This diabolically gripping genealogy offers a stunning parable of western politics religious and secular. It tracks as has never been done before the dramatic shifts of the relation between God and the Devil-conflict, rivalry, game of mirrors, fusion. With the ironic wisdom of a postmodern Beatrice, Kotsko guides us through the sequence of hells that leads to our own. -- Catherine Keller * Drew University * In The Prince of This World, Adam Kotsko traces the rise and fall of the devil from his inception in the Hebrew Bible to his contemporary figuration in secular modernity-an origin story which ends up offering a timely reading of our contemporary moment. The writing is clear and not burdened by much of the jargon that can work to obfuscate the findings of the genealogical method. This clarity makes The Prince of This World an enjoyable as well as important contribution to the fields of political theology, secularism, and philosophy. Seamlessly interlacing critical theory with careful readings of medieval, patristic, and Hebrew biblical traditions, Kotsko also offers a text that should provoke interesting discussion for undergraduate and graduate students of the Bible. Finally, the book will be of value to non-academic readers interested in the relevance of Statan for the problems of criminalizing and demonizing marginalized groups today. -- Amaryah Shaye Armstrong * <i>Anglican Theological Review</i> *


A substantial contribution to recent studies of the figure of the devil in Christian theology. Adam Kotsko goes beyond the biography of an icon to a provocative investigation of the devil's many lives and effects in cultural and political ideologies. Not only that, his book is a great read. -- Laurel C. Schneider * Vanderbilt University * This diabolically gripping genealogy offers a stunning parable of western politics religious and secular. It tracks as has never been done before the dramatic shifts of the relation between God and the Devil-conflict, rivalry, game of mirrors, fusion. With the ironic wisdom of a postmodern Beatrice, Kotsko guides us through the sequence of hells that leads to our own. -- Catherine Keller


Author Information

"Adam Kotsko is Assistant Professor of Humanities at Shimer College in Chicago. His books include Why We Love Sociopaths (2012) and Politics of Redemption (2010)."""

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