"It is an axiom of postmodern Continental philosophy that the meaning of texts is never wholly determined by the intent of the authors who write them. That is certainly true for St. Paul, whose words so variously (mis)understood have launched many reformations in the history of Christianity. As part of the 'religious turn' in recent Continental philosophy, Paul's New Testament writings have sparked intriguing readings by atheist philosophers Alain Badiou (École Normale Supérieure) and Slovaj Zizek (Univ. Ljubljana, Slovenia), who were subjects of a 2005 conference titled 'Religion and Postmodernism,' on which this collection is based. Caputo (Syracuse Univ.) offers a concise, lucid introduction that is worth the price of this valuable book, which makes accessible Badiou's difficult text on Paul, and offers a compelling (postconference) essay by Zizek on Job. But context determines meaning, and much of the value in this book (and the drama of the conference) rests in the trenchant evaluations by biblical historians—especially Paula Fredriksen (Boston Univ.) and Daniel Boyarin (UC-Berkeley)—of Badiou and Zizek's appropriations of Paul at Paul's expense. Philosophers, beware of historians' careful constructions of meaning! They too believe in truth. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. — Choice"
S. Young
It is an axiom of postmodern Continental philosophy that the meaning of texts is never wholly determined by the intent of the authors who write them. That is certainly true for St. Paul, whose words so variously (mis)understood have launched many reformations in the history of Christianity. As part of the 'religious turn' in recent Continental philosophy, Paul's New Testament writings have sparked intriguing readings by atheist philosophers Alain Badiou (École Normale Supérieure) and Slovaj Žižek (Univ. Ljubljana, Slovenia), who were subjects of a 2005 conference titled 'Religion and Postmodernism,' on which this collection is based. Caputo (Syracuse Univ.) offers a concise, lucid introduction that is worth the price of this valuable book, which makes accessible Badiou's difficult text on Paul, and offers a compelling (postconference) essay by Žižek on Job. But context determines meaning, and much of the value in this book (and the drama of the conference) rests in the trenchant evaluations by biblical historians—especially Paula Fredriksen (Boston Univ.) and Daniel Boyarin (UC-Berkeley)—of Badiou and Žižek's appropriations of Paul at Paul's expense. Philosophers, beware of historians' careful constructions of meaning! They too believe in truth. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. — Choice
Kent State University - David Odell-Scott
This is an exceptional work of scholarship with contributors who are distinguished in their fields, and who bring insight and excitement to the study of a set of classical texts.
S. Young]]>
It is an axiom of postmodern Continental philosophy that the meaning of texts is never wholly determined by the intent of the authors who write them. That is certainly true for St. Paul, whose words so variously (mis)understood have launched many reformations in the history of Christianity. As part of the 'religious turn' in recent Continental philosophy, Paul's New Testament writings have sparked intriguing readings by atheist philosophers Alain Badiou (École Normale Supérieure) and Slovaj Zizek (Univ. Ljubljana, Slovenia), who were subjects of a 2005 conference titled 'Religion and Postmodernism,' on which this collection is based. Caputo (Syracuse Univ.) offers a concise, lucid introduction that is worth the price of this valuable book, which makes accessible Badiou's difficult text on Paul, and offers a compelling (postconference) essay by Zizek on Job. But context determines meaning, and much of the value in this book (and the drama of the conference) rests in the trenchant evaluations by biblical historians—especially Paula Fredriksen (Boston Univ.) and Daniel Boyarin (UC-Berkeley)—of Badiou and Zizek's appropriations of Paul at Paul's expense. Philosophers, beware of historians' careful constructions of meaning! They too believe in truth. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. — Choice
