Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: It is time that Giorgio Agamben’s interest in theology—and in particular theology’s literary presentation—was investigated. Ever since the celebrated The Time That Remains, Agamben’s reading of theological sources—Scripture, the Fathers, Scholastics, Liturgy, even—has been more obvious to those with eyes to see. But of particular interest to this Journal, is the way in which that deep theological interest is allied to Agamben’s long association with literature and literary theory. The theory of performative utterances is a particular feature of Agamben’s approach, albeit, similarly, passed over in the secondary literature. And the way Agamben appropriates that debate, preferring the work of the French linguist Émile Benveniste over J. L. Austin, is a distinctive contribution to the ongoing fascination with speech-acts. This article is only able to scratch the surface in terms of its implications for theology, and, indeed, for philosophy.
Source: Literature and Theology
Author: O T I Wright
Institution: University of Oxford
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,068
OpenAlex ID: W4410193131