Christ's Autonomous Hand

Robert Christopher Plant

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Matthew 6:3–4 Jesus counsels: “when you do some act of charity, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing; your good deed must be in secret”. In the following essay we will use this passage as our conceptual touchstone to explore Jacques Derrida's reflections on the “madness” of giving, and how the gift (of Levinasian “hospitality”, for example) hinges on a certain vulnerability and the manifold risks of narcissism. In order to negotiate these themes, we will also draw on Ludwig Wittgenstein's On Certainty, Martin Heidegger's reflections on the “hand”, and the psychological-neurological literature on “phantom limbs”.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)547-566
Number of pages19
JournalModern Theology
Volume20
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2004

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Christ's Autonomous Hand'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this