The Political Theology of Paul (Cultural Memory in the Present)

This highly original interpretation of Paul by the Jewish philosopher of religion Jacob Taubes was presented in a number of lectures held in Heidelberg toward the end of his life, and was regarded by him as his spiritual testament.” Taubes engages with classic Paul commentators, including Karl Barth, but also situates the Pauline text in the context of Freud, Nietzsche, Benjamin, Adorno, Scholem, and Rosenzweig. In his distinctive argument for the apocalyptic-revolutionary potential of Romans, Taubes also takes issue with the political theology” advanced by the conservative Catholic jurist Carl Schmitt. Taubes’s reading has been crucial for a number of interpretations of political theology and of Paul—including those of Jan Assmann and Giorgio Agamben—and it belongs to a wave of fresh considerations of Paul’s legacy (Boyarin, Lyotard, Badiou, Zîzêk). Finally, Taubes’s far-ranging lectures provide important insights into the singular experiences and views of this unconventional Jewish intellectual living in post-Holocaust Germany. Translator's Note And Acknowledgments -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1. Autobiographical Approaches To The Epistle To The Romans -- 2. Paul In Jewish Religious History: Messianic Logic -- Part I. Readings. Paul And Moses: The Establishment Of A New People Of God -- 1. Addresses Of The Epistle To The Romans -- A. The Gospel As A Declaration Of War Against Rome: A Reading Of Romans 1:1-7 -- B. Jerusalem And The Legitimacy Of The World Mission: A Reading Of Romans 15:30-33 -- Excursus: The Fate Of The Jewish Christian Congregations -- 2. Nomos. Law And Justification: A Reading Of Romans 8-11 -- 3. Election And Rejection: A Reading Of Romans 8:31-9:5 And Berakhot 32a -- 4. Pneuma. The Surpassing Of Salvation History And The Overcoming Of This World: A Reading Of Romans 9-13 -- Part Iieffects. Paul And Modernity: Transfigurations Of The Messianic -- 1. Strangers In This World: Marcion And The Consequences -- 2. The Zealots Of The Absolute And Of Decision: Carl Schmitt And Karl Barth -- 3. Nihilism As World Politics And Aestheticized Messianism: Walter Benjamin And Theodor W. Adorno -- 4. Exodus From Biblical Religion: Friedrich Nietzsche And Sigmund Freud -- Appendix A. The Jacob Taubes-carl Schmitt Story -- Appendix B. Two Letters -- Afterword -- Introduction -- 1. Readings: The Legitimation And Formation Of A New Union-covenant [ver-bund] -- 2. Effects: Paul And Modernity -- 3. Political Theology -- Editorial Note -- Notes -- Index Of Names Jacob Taubes ; Edited By Aleida Assmann And Jan Assmann, In Conjunction With Horst Folkers, Wolf-daniel Hartwich, And Christoph Schulte ; Translated By Dana Hollander. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [145]-156) And Index. This highly original interpretation of Paul by the Jewish philosopher of religion Jacob Taubes was presented in a number of lectures held in Heidelberg toward the end of his life, and was regarded by him as his spiritual testament. Taubes engages with classic Paul commentators, including Karl Barth, but also situates the Pauline text in the context of Freud, Nietzsche, Benjamin, Adorno, Scholem, and Rosenzweig. In his distinctive argument for the apocalyptic-revolutionary potential of Romans, Taubes also takes issue with the political theology advanced by the conservative Catholic jurist Carl Schmitt. Taubes's reading has been crucial for a number of interpretations of political theology and of Paul - including those of Jan Assmann and Giorgio Agamben - and it belongs to a wave of fresh considerations of Paul's legacy (Boyarin, Lyotard, Badiou, Zizek). Finally, Taubes's far-ranging lectures provide important insights into the singular experiences and views of this unconventional Jewish intellectual living in post-Holocaust Germany