Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 408-421 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Studies in Christian Ethics |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 1 Aug 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2018 |
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Keywords
- Martin Luther
- Babel
- political theology
- tyranny
- Genesis
- repentance
Cite this
Babel, Tyranny and Totality : Reading Genesis 11 with Luther. / Laffin, Michael.
In: Studies in Christian Ethics, Vol. 31, No. 4, 01.11.2018, p. 408-421.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Babel, Tyranny and Totality
T2 - Reading Genesis 11 with Luther
AU - Laffin, Michael
PY - 2018/11/1
Y1 - 2018/11/1
N2 - In this paper, I consider Martin Luther’s treatment of the tower of Babel narrative in his late Lectures on Genesis in order to display the continuing fruitfulness of a close reading of his exposition of Scripture for the task of contemporary political theology. Luther addresses the themes of, politics, tyranny, totality, and language with a theological attunement instructive to those of us formed within the societies and politics of late-modernity. In addition to attending to Luther’s reading of Genesis 11 for its critical usefulness in interrogating our understandings of the mechanisms of political formation, I also look to his reading of the Eucharist in light of the Christological doctrine of the communicatio idiomatum, and his exegesis of the account of the Syrophenician woman in the Gospels, to indicate constructive ways in which the idolatrous politics of Babel might be resisted and the politics of Pentecost embraced.
AB - In this paper, I consider Martin Luther’s treatment of the tower of Babel narrative in his late Lectures on Genesis in order to display the continuing fruitfulness of a close reading of his exposition of Scripture for the task of contemporary political theology. Luther addresses the themes of, politics, tyranny, totality, and language with a theological attunement instructive to those of us formed within the societies and politics of late-modernity. In addition to attending to Luther’s reading of Genesis 11 for its critical usefulness in interrogating our understandings of the mechanisms of political formation, I also look to his reading of the Eucharist in light of the Christological doctrine of the communicatio idiomatum, and his exegesis of the account of the Syrophenician woman in the Gospels, to indicate constructive ways in which the idolatrous politics of Babel might be resisted and the politics of Pentecost embraced.
KW - Martin Luther
KW - Babel
KW - political theology
KW - tyranny
KW - Genesis
KW - repentance
U2 - 10.1177/0953946818792166
DO - 10.1177/0953946818792166
M3 - Article
VL - 31
SP - 408
EP - 421
JO - Studies in Christian Ethics
JF - Studies in Christian Ethics
SN - 0953-9468
IS - 4
ER -