Politics and Apocalypse

An Introductory Essay

STUDIES IN VIOLENCE, MIMESIS, AND CULTURE SER IES EDITOR William A. Johnsen The Studies in Violence, Mimesis, and Culture book series examines issues related to the nexus of violence and religion in the genesis and maintenance of culture. It furthers the agenda of the Colloquium on Violence and Religion, an international association that draws inspiration from René Girard’s mimetic hypothesis on the relationship between violence and religion, elaborated in a stunning series of books he has written over the last 40 years. Readers interested in this area of research can also look to the association’s journal, Contagion: Journal of Violence, Mimesis, and Culture. Plans for future books in this series include Encounters in Friendship and Truth, a series of essays on René Girard, and the English translation of Giuseppe Fornari’s Da Dioniso a Cristo: Conoscenza e sacrifizio nel mondo greco e nella civilità occidentale. EDITOR I AL BOAR D MEMBER S Rebecca Adams, Independent Scholar Mark Anspach, École Polytechnique, Paris Ann Astell, University of Notre Dame Cesáreo Bandera, University of North Carolina Maria Stella Barberi, Università di Messina Diana Culbertson, Kent State University Jean-Pierre Dupuy, Stanford University, École Polytechnique Paul Dumouchel, Université du Québec a Montréal Giuseppe Fornari, Università degli studi di Bergamo Eric Gans, University of California, Los Angeles Sandor Goodhardt, Purdue University Robert Hamerton-Kelly, Stanford University Hans Jensen, Aarhus University, Denmark Mark Juergensmeyer, University of California, Santa Barbara Cheryl Kirk-Duggan, Shaw Divinity School Michael Kirwan, SJ, Heythrop College, University of London Paisley Livingston, Lingnan University, Hong Kong Charles Mabee, Ecumenical Theological Seminary , Detroit Józef Niewiadomski, Universität Innsbruck Wolfgang Palaver, Universität Innsbruck Martha Reineke, University of Northern Iowa Tobin Siebers, University of Michigan Thee Smith, Emory University Mark Wallace, Swarthmore College Eugene Webb, University of Washington The publication of Politics and Apocalypse was assisted by a special Incentive Allocation from the College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State University. The conference that produced these essays and their publication in the Studies in Violence, Mimesis, and Culture series has been generously underwritten by Peter Thiel, president of Clarium Capital Management. Thiel has given the kind of patronage that Yeats approved in Duke Ercole, Guidobaldo, and Cosimo: “ . . . della vera città almen le torre.” P olitics & Apocalypse Robert Hamerton-Kelly, Editor Michigan State University Press · East Lansing Copyright © 2007 by Michigan State University i The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper). P Michigan State University Press East Lansing, Michigan 48823-5245 Printed and bound in the United States of America. 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Politics & apocalypse / Robert Hamerton-Kelly, editor. p. cm. — (Studies in violence, mimesis, and culture) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-87013-811-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. End of the world. 2. Religion and politics. 3. History—Religious aspects. I. Hamerton-Kelly, Robert. II. Title: Politics and apocalypse. BL503.P65 2007 901—dc22 2007035887 Cover and book design by Sharp Des!gns, Inc., Lansing, Michigan G Michigan State University Press is a member of the Green Press Initiative and is committed to developing and encouraging ecologically responsible publishing practices. For more information about the Green Press Initiative and the use of recycled paper in book publishing, please visit www.greenpressinitiative.org. Visit Michigan State University Press on the World Wide Web at www.msupress.msu.edu Table of Contents 1 An Introductory Essay, Robert Hamerton-Kelly 29 The Evangelical Subversion of Myth, René Girard 51 “Denial of the Apocalypse” versus “Fascination with the Final Days”: Current Theological Discussion of Apocalyptic Thinking in the Perspective of Mimetic Theory, Józef Niewiadomski 69 Carl Schmitt’s “Apocalyptic” Resistance against Global Civil War, Wolfgang Palaver 95 Philosophy, History, and Apocalypse in Voegelin, Strauss, and Girard, Fred Lawrence 139 Modernity and the Jewish Question: What Leo Strauss Learned from Nietzsche, John Ranieri 189 The Straussian Moment, Peter Thiel 219 Understanding in Quest of Faith: The Central Problem in Eric Voegelin’s Philosophy, Stefan Rossbach 263 Contributors An Introductory Essay Robert Hamerton-Kelly Stanford University (retired) Where the corpse is, there will the vultures flock. —Matthew 24:28/Luke 17:37 Leave the dead to bury the dead. “Come! Follow me!” —Matthew 8:22/Luke 9:60 The conference that produced these articles was planned by Peter Thiel and myself and held at Stanford, California...