000			06763nam a22002657a 4500
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020			_a9789350022900
037			_cPurchased _nPrism Books,Kochi
041			_aEnglish
082			_a335.4112 _bBOE
100			_aBoer,Roland
245			_aCRITICISM OF HEAVEN : On Marxism and Theology
250			_a1
260			_aDelhi _bAakar _c2015/01/01
300			_g472
490			_aHistorical materialism book series, 18.
500			_aThis volume consists of a critical commentary on the interactions between Marxism and theology in the work of the major figures of Western Marxism. It deals with the theological writings of Ernst Bloch, Walter Benjamin, Louis Althusser, Henri Lefebvre, Antonio Gramsci, Terry Eagleton, Slavoj Zizek and Theodor Adorno. In many cases their theological writings are dealt with for the first time in this book. It is surprising how much theological material there is and how little commentators have dealt with it. Apart from the critical engagement with the way they use theology, the book also explores how their theological writings infiltrate and enrich their Marxist work. The book has three parts: Biblical Marxists (Bloch and Benjamin), Catholic Marxists (Althusser, Lefebvre, Gramsci and Eagleton), and the Protestant Turn (Zizek and Adorno). About the Author Roland Boer, Ph.D. (1993) in Biblical Studies, McGill University, is Research Professor at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He has published extensively in biblical studies, Marxism, postcolonism, cultural studies, literary theory and political theory, including Marxist Criticism of the Bible (Continuum 2003), Political Myth (Duke 2009) and Criticism of Religion (2009). Reviews The tradition of the Marxist reference and critical appropriation of Christian legacy is a long one, starting with the Late Friedrich Engels. Through the XXth century, it left its mark on some of the greatest Marxist figures, from Gramsci to Benjamin, and it was given a new boost in the last years by Agamben and Badiou. Boer's book, the first one to give a detailed overview of this entire tradition, is much more than a mere critical compendium. One usually says about introductions and overviews that they succeed if they bring the reader to take a look at the original texts themselves. Criticism of Heaven stands fully on its own, achieving a perfect balance between a detailed exegesis and the deployment of the interpreter's own position. In an almost miraculous way, the more we understand the interpreted authors, the more we hear Boer's own voice. An indispensable volume not only for those interested in the topic, but for all who strive for a cognitive mapping of today'sperplexing state of things. (Slavoj Zizek, Birkbeck College, London) "In his highly intriguing and relevant work, Roland Boer, esteemed and prolific biblical scholar, offers a traveller's guide to European Neo- Marxist positions from the point of view of their various biblical and theological bearings. Roland Boer's brilliant exposition and highly controversial interpretations suggest that Marxism is the last resort of a bona fide Calvinist theology of grace. Carsten Pallesen, Professor of Theology, University of Copenhagen This volume consists of a critical commentary on the interactions between Marxism and theology in the work of the major figures of Western Marxism. It deals with the theological writings of Ernst Bloch, Walter Benjamin, Louis Althusser, Henri Lefebvre, Antonio Gramsci, Terry Eagleton, Slavoj Zizek and Theodor Adorno. In many cases their theological writings are dealt with for the first time in this book. It is surprising how much theological material there is and how little commentators have dealt with it. Apart from the critical engagement with the way they use theology, the book also explores how their theological writings infiltrate and enrich their Marxist work. The book has three parts: Biblical Marxists (Bloch and Benjamin), Catholic Marxists (Althusser, Lefebvre, Gramsci and Eagleton), and the Protestant Turn (Zizek and Adorno). About the Author Roland Boer, Ph.D. (1993) in Biblical Studies, McGill University, is Research Professor at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He has published extensively in biblical studies, Marxism, postcolonism, cultural studies, literary theory and political theory, including Marxist Criticism of the Bible (Continuum 2003), Political Myth (Duke 2009) and Criticism of Religion (2009). Reviews "The tradition of the Marxist reference and critical appropriation of Christian legacy is a long one, starting with the Late Friedrich Engels. Through the XXth century, it left its mark on some of the greatest Marxist figures, from Gramsci to Benjamin, and it was given a new boost in the last years by Agamben and Badiou. Boer's book, the first one to give a detailed overview of this entire tradition, is much more than a mere critical compendium. One usually says about introductions and overviews that they succeed if they bring the reader to take a look at the original texts themselves. Criticism of Heaven stands fully on its own, achieving a perfect balance between a detailed exegesis and the deployment of the interpreter's own position. In an almost miraculous way, the more we understand the interpreted authors, the more we hear Boer's own voice. An indispensable volume not only for those interested in the topic, but for all who strive for a cognitive mapping of today'sperplexing state of things. (Slavoj Zizek, Birkbeck College, London) "In his highly intriguing and relevant work, Roland Boer, esteemed and prolific biblical scholar, offers a traveller's guide to European Neo- Marxist positions from the point of view of their various biblical and theological bearings. Roland Boer's brilliant exposition and highly controversial interpretations suggest that Marxism is the last resort of a bona fide Calvinist theology of grace. Carsten Pallesen, Professor of Theology, University of Copenhagen
505			_aContents: Preface; Introduction; Chapter One Bloch's Detective Work; Chapter Two Benjamin's Perpetuation of Biblical Myth; Chapter Three The Ecclesiastical Eloquence of Louis Althusser; Chapter Four The Heresies of Henri Lefebvre; Chapter Five The Ecumenism of Antonio Gramsci; Chapter Six The Apostasy of Terry Eagleton; Chapter Seven The Conversion of Slavoj Žižek; Chapter Eight Adorno's Vacillation; Conclusion; References; Index of Biblical References; General Index.
650			_aCommunism and religion -- Europe, Western.
650			_aCommunism and Christianity -- Europe, Western.
650			_aPhilosophy, Marxist -- Europe, Western.
942			_cLEN
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942			_2ddc
999			_c169965 _d169965