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Caroline Ross's avatar

Ordered. Looking forward to reading!

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David Benjamin Blower's avatar

Thanks Caro. I just got a paper copy today. Nice to hold the real thing

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Caroline Ross's avatar

Tactile richness vs the haptic desert!

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Counterfoil's avatar

Genuinely curious if you deal with any of the interesting (not terribly well known but deep) thinkers and traditions that might complicate your view of the messianic? E.g., the messianic as a heretical (Christian) deviation/appropriation of Hebrew sources, which were themselves grappling with unstable and frequently disordering forces. Those messianic forces (in this view) have turned violently genocidal when they fail to bring about the expected (and ultimately coerced) historical "destiny." Illich and Ellul may offer somewhat related critiques of modernity, technology, instutitions... The messianic as hubris.

In this line there is Eric Voegelin, and his sources, possibly Hans Jonas, Amos Funkenstein, and behind them all, Gershom Scholem. Maybe George Steiner too. Among the living and operating from entirely different sources, there is Adam Kotsko (active on Substack) and another ivy league American philosopher whose name I can't recall. Both seem to take up with "the devil's party" after Milton, seeing the modern age as inverting God/Satan — so Christ becomes boring and Lucifer is the messianic, modern hero, but we end up in neoliberal hell, advancing by torturing each other. That is a terrible summary; I have not read into either with any depth. Kotsko is close with Agamben (and his English translator) so you might find him interesting at any rate.

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David Benjamin Blower's avatar

Yes. I draw a lot from Scholem, but it was his brilliant student Jacob Taubes who was the voice of misgiving. "Every attempt to bring about redemption on the level of history without transfiguration of the messianic idea leads straight into the abyss," says Taubes.

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Michelle Berry Lane's avatar

Cheers!

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Chris Haynes's avatar

Hi David, will this be available in the US any time soon?

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David Benjamin Blower's avatar

Hi Chris. SCM's US distributor is Westminster John Knox. It's appeared on their site yet, but hopefully soon. Official publication date is Friday, so hopefully by then.

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