Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Ph.D. Student of Philosophy, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran
2 Associate professor of Philosophy, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran
Abstract
There has been a renewed interest in reading Saint Paul from different aspects by contemporary political theology and philosophy. However, being encountered with the sickness of contemporary philosophy and regarding it as sophistry, Badiou turns to Paul as an anti-philosopher, model, and someone who answers the question of ‘conditions of universal singularity’. In this article, the underlying reasons for the importance of Paul for Badiou will be discussed. By reflecting on the intricacies of Badiou’s reading( reactivation of Paul), his approach to problems and goals of event philosophy will be revealed. Therefore, paying attention to Paul’s interpretation as a part of Badiou’s event philosophy project will pave the way for the understanding of Badiou’s thought. On the other hand, by studying this exemplification of Christian history, a light will be shed on how Badiou relates politics to truth and recreates the political figure of the event. In the end, the criticism of his reading of Saint Paul mostly by theologians will be examined and responded.
Highlights
In the history of philosophy many philosophers, including Middle Ages, modern and contemporary philosophers, have dealt with Saint Paul. In contemporary philosophy from the early 20th century could be visible. The new political theology seeks a new sphere to revitalize the political and universal truth and also confront the Post-Modern condition. This approach to theology is formed in the age of the end of metaphysics, the end of theology, the end of truth, the end of the subject, particularity, and relativism. Thus to find a new perspective in Christian theological tradition, Gianni Vattimo, Alian Badiou, Giorgio Agamben, Slavoj Zizek turned to Saint Paul. We shall study here the Badiou’s reading of Paul as a part of this attempt.
Philosophy and Anti-Philosophy
Badiou considers contemporary philosophy sick and calls it the big modern sophistry which denies the ‘truth’. According to him German Hermeneutic and Analytical philosophy same as Post-modern philosophy all announce the end of philosophy and truth, in addition, they are all focused on language.
Badiou discerns Anti-Philosophy discourse as the rival of sophistry. Paul along with Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Lacan, Pascal, Kierkegaard, and Rousseau are the main figures of Anti-Philosophy. Anti-Philosophy is an immanent act which acknowledges the truth, but it is not an empirical or rational knowledge and it gains its truthfulness by the declaration of Anti-Philosopher as the subject.
How Paul is our contemporary?
As Badiou describes, today we are encountered with a false universality initiated by capitalism and on the other hand, particularity, and pluralism of identity politics which none could claim the truth. They mutually strengthen each other and both replace ‘the truth procedures’ of art, science, politics, and love with the culture, technology, management and sexual desire. Paul is opposed to the political theology of the Capitalism Empire. Badiou believes that Paul’s question is the same as his: the condition of universal singularity. It is the truth that Paul seeks which is beyond Greek universal logos and the Jewish particular identity and he is faithful to its necessities.
Why Paul?
The significance of Paul for Badiou could be considered from different aspects and his interpreters underline at least one of them: first, as an exemplification, which sees Paul as an unnecessary and removable example. Second, as a philosophical intervention, Badiou thinks that philosophy needs Paul to reflect on truth and Paul shows the possibility of talking about universal truth. Third, as a political revelation, it finds in Paul a ‘Militant figure’ and ‘poet thinker of the event’ who could replace the party militant figure. It seems Badiou’s reading should be regarded as an approach that contains all three facets.
Badiou’s Method
As he ignores the hermeneutical and historical reading of Paul’s text, he sees Paul neither as an apostle nor the saint. Paul is not treated here as a historical figure of Christian history. Badiou has a formalistic approach in reading Paul’s letters and focuses on the form of this fable. The resurrection of Christ is a fable that Paul encapsulates the whole Christianity in it.
Event Philosophy
The event philosophy of Badiou is needed for understanding his interpretation of Paul. The terminology of Badiou, concepts like situation, void, event, decision, subject of the event, truth Mentioned here, will be explained and used in Paul’s case.
Resurrection Event
Badiou names resurrection as an event that Paul is the subject of it. Such an incident is not explicable and understandable in the discourse of Greek or Jewish. But the subjective declaration of this event makes it an entirely new universal truth. The problem which is raised here and is controversial among interpreters is the procedure of truth to which Paul belongs.
Also, Paul could be read in Badiou’s project of Subject theory; that is to say how Paul becomes a subject and what kind of subject it is.
Criticism
There is widespread discontent with Badiou’s reading of Paul by theologians and Bible scholars. Generally, they see the philosophers as intruders into the sphere of theology looking for prey. According to them, In Badiou’s work, there are some misunderstandings or inaccuracies about historical facts. For instance, for them, Paul is not seeking universality and his Christian identity is consistent with his Jewish identity which cannot be read as a break.
Conclusion
The critiques posed by theologians are all neglecting Badiou’s assertion that Paul is neither an apostle nor a saint, hence they reject Badiou’s reading due to its inconsistency with historical facts. In This approach, Christianity is being read in Jewish tradition, not as a break or a new event, while Badiou’s interpretation is based on Marcion’s reading of Paul which sees Christianity as a rupture.
After all, what is so important in reactivating a figure of the first century is the priority of truth for subjection. Paul teaches us how the political subject is born by being faithful to the truth-event. In this reading Badiou also reveals the close link between theory and practice; philosophy by being faithful to truth-event could literally ‘change the world’.
References
- Badiou, Alain(1395) Manifesto for Philosophy 1 & 2. Trans. By Ferdousi, Ali, Tehran: Dibaacheh Nashr
- Badiou, Alain(1386) Saint Paul: The Foundation of Universalism. Trans. By Farhadpour, Morad and Najafi, Saleh, Tehran: Maahi Nashr
- Badiou, Alain(2005) Infinite Thought, trans. And eds. Oliver Felthem and Justin Clemens, London: Continum
- Badiou, Alain(2007) Being and Event, trans. And eds. Oliver Felthem and Justin Clemens, London: Continum
- Badiou, Alain(2011) Wittgenstein’s Antiphilosophy, trans. and intro. Bruno Bosteels, London: Verso
- Badiou, Alain(2009) Theory of the Subject, trans and intro. Bruno Bosteels London: Continum
- Badiou, Alain and Miller, Adam(2005) Universal Truths and the Question of Religion: An Interview, Journal of Philosophy and Scripture 3(1)
- Badiou, Alain and Henric, Jacques (1998) Paul the Saint- An Interview with Badiuo, Art Press
- Boeve, Lieven and Brbant, Cristophe(2010) Between Philosophy and Theology, Contemporary Interpretations of Christianity
- Boyarin, Daniel(1994) A Radical Jew: Paul and the Politics of Identity, University of California Press
- Bell, Daniel M. Jr(2007) Badiou’s Faith and Paul’s Gospel, Angelaki: Journal of the Theoretical Humanities, 12:1, 97-111
- Boer, Roland (2009) Criticism of Religion, On Marxism and Theology. Leiden: Brill.V.2
- Bosteels, Bruno (2008) Radical Antiphilosophy, Filozofzki vestink, vol.xxix.N.2.15-18
- Caputo D. John and Alcoff, Martin Linda (eds.) (2009) St. Paul among the Philosophers, Indian University Press Bloomington and Indianapolls
- Castelli, Ellizabeth (2010) The Philosopher’s Paul in the Frame of Global: Some Reflections, South Atlantic Quatrerly, 109:4
- Clemens, J., Bartlett, A.J. & Ashton, P. (2006)The Praxis of Alain Badiou, Melbourn: re. press
- Critchley, Simon(2000) Demanding Approval: On the Ethics of Alain Badiou, Radical Philosophy 100:16-27
- Corcoran, Steven (edi.) (2015) The Badiou Dictionary, Edinburgh University Press
- Frick, Peter (edi.)(2013) Paul in the Grip of the Philosophers, Minneapolis: Fortress Press
- Hallward, Peter (2003) Badiou: A Subject to Truth, University of Minnesota Press
- Hallward, Peter (1995) An Interview with Badiou, Politics and Philosophy. Angeaki: Journal of theoretical humanities, 3:3
Keywords
)
Send comment about this article